[ad_1] Ozone-depleting chemicals are used to produce decaffeinated coffee LOUISE BEAUMONT/Getty Images Chemicals used to decaffeinate coffee, produce paint removers, meld plastics and purify antibiotics are contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer over the tropics. Since the Montreal protocol in 1987, when countries agreed to phase out the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and […]
[ad_1] Around half of all wetlands in the contiguous US will now lose their protections under the Clean Water Act, exposing them to pollution and development [ad_2] Source link
[ad_1] SETI’s Allen Telescope Array in California has picked up a message sent back from a spacecraft orbiting Mars Seth Shostak/SETI Institute A message has been sent from a spacecraft orbiting Mars back to Earth, to simulate potential communication from an advanced alien civilisation. On 24 May, a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft at Mars, […]
[ad_1] Filaments of Trichodesmium can merge together to form an aggregate called a puff Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission One of the most abundant and important kinds of photosynthetic bacterium in the oceans may owe its success to teamwork. The bacterium, called Trichodesmium, can actively join together to form large aggregates in response to changing […]
[ad_1] Justin Cronin, author of The Ferryman Tim Llewellyn The Ferryman Justin Cronin Orion (UK); Ballantine Books (US) The Ferryman was born on a starry autumn night. I was taking a walk before bed when, all of a sudden, two things dropped into my head. The first was a word: “Oranios”. The second was a […]
[ad_1] A common dormouse in a state of torpor Simon Phillpotts/Alamy Zapping part of the brain with focused ultrasound can put mice in a hibernation-like state called torpor for at least 24 hours. The same approach can also induce the state in rats, which, unlike mice, don’t naturally enter torpor. “That has huge implications,” says […]
[ad_1] Illustration of Clostridium botulinum, bacteria that produce botulinum neurotoxin Shutterstock/MZinchenko We finally know how Botox infiltrates neurons. The finding could aid efforts to develop an antidote for the molecule’s neurotoxic effects, which can result in paralysis or even death. Botox uses a type of botulinum neurotoxin, a highly poisonous substance produced by bacteria. The […]
[ad_1] Polychaete worms found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone Trustees of the Natural History Museum London An area of the Pacific Ocean that is due to be carved up and mined for valuable minerals is home to more than 5000 species that have never been found anywhere else on Earth. Mining companies are eager to harvest […]
[ad_1] If there are intelligent aliens out there, should we try to get in touch with them? And who should speak for Earth, asks professor of astronomy Chris Impey [ad_2] Source link
[ad_1] The Ferryman Justin Cronin Orion (UK); Ballantine Books (US) PROLOGUE Dawn is breaking when she creeps from the house. The air is cool and fresh; birds are singing in the trees. Everywhere, the sound of the sea, the world’s great metronome, beating beneath a velvety sky of diminishing stars. In her pale nightdress, she […]