A highly toxic form of mercury could jump by 300 to 600 percent in zooplankton—tiny animals at the base of the marine food chain—if land runoff increases by 15 to 30 percent, according to a new study.
Environment
Jan 27, 2017
2
270
In a new study, Harvard University researchers find over 90 percent of potential new Canadian hydroelectric projects are likely to increase concentrations of the neurotoxin methylmercury in food webs near indigenous communities.
Environment
Nov 9, 2016
1
71
New research has found methylmercury—a potent neurotoxin—in sea ice in the Southern Ocean.
Environment
Aug 1, 2016
0
238
Methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, is especially high in Arctic marine life but until recently, scientists haven't been able to explain why. Now, research from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied ...
Environment
Sep 7, 2015
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1070
More forms of mercury can be converted to deadly methylmercury than previously thought, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Geoscience. The discovery provides scientists with another piece of the mercury puzzle, ...
Environment
Aug 6, 2013
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1
By identifying two genes required for transforming inorganic into organic mercury, which is far more toxic, scientists today have taken a significant step toward protecting human health.
Biotechnology
Feb 7, 2013
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1
Even though freshwater concentrations of mercury are far greater than those found in seawater, it's the saltwater fish like tuna, mackerel and shark that end up posing a more serious health threat to humans who eat them.
Earth Sciences
Jun 27, 2010
0
0
Beavers are influential animals in ecosystems. These dam-building, tree-chewing rodents change streamflow with their wooden barriers and create rich wetland habitats by diverting water into soils near rivers. They help conserve ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 13, 2023
0
19
A new study at Umeå University provides insight into how mercury transforms into its more toxic form, methylmercury, with the help of small sulfur-containing substances known as thiols.
Biochemistry
May 29, 2023
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6
During the 1950s and 1960s, Minamata Bay in Japan was the site of widespread mercury poisoning caused by the consumption of fish containing methylmercury—a toxic form of mercury that is synthesized when bacteria react with ...
Environment
May 11, 2022
0
11
