The amount of dissolved oxygen in a river is a matter of life or death for the plants and animals living within it, but this oxygen concentration varies drastically from one river to another, depending on their unique temperature, ...
Environment
Apr 7, 2023
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105
For the first time, an entirely new class of super-reactive chemical compounds has been discovered under atmospheric conditions. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen, in close collaboration with international colleagues, ...
Analytical Chemistry
May 26, 2022
3
949
We all know that the dinosaurs died in a mass extinction. But did you know that there were other mass extinctions? There are five most significant mass extinctions, known as the "big five," where at least three-quarters of ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 1, 2021
0
314
Using genes as interchangeable parts, synthetic biologists design cellular circuits that can perform new functions, such as sensing environmental conditions. However, the complexity that can be achieved in such circuits has ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2012
22
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxygen may not be the staple of modern complex life that scientists once thought. Until now, the only life forms known to live exclusively in anoxic conditions were viruses, bacteria and Archaea. But in a ...
For a billion years, single-celled eukaryotes ruled the planet. Then around 700 million years ago during Snowball Earth—a geologic era when glaciers may have stretched as far as the Equator—a new creature burst into existence: ...
Evolution
Jun 27, 2024
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9
Caltech researchers have discovered a new class of enzymes that enable a myriad of bacteria to "breathe" nitrate when in low-oxygen conditions. While this is an evolutionary advantage for bacterial survival, the process produces ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 21, 2024
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200
Vanilla extract is one of the most widely used flavoring compounds in food products and cosmetics. The pleasant and sweet smell of this classic flavor is imparted by the chemical compound "vanillin" found in the seed pods ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 16, 2024
0
46
Tardigrades—hardy, microscopic animals commonly known as "water bears"—use a molecular sensor that detects harmful conditions in their environment, telling them when to go dormant and when to resume normal life. A team ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 17, 2024
0
90
Florida State University scientists have uncovered answers to a conundrum in Earth's history: Why did marine life experience an extraordinary boom millions of years ago?
Earth Sciences
Oct 12, 2023
0
9
