The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
New window into ancient ozone holes

British researchers have hit on a clever way to search for ancient ozone holes and their relationship to mass extinctions: measure the remains of ultraviolet-B absorbing pigments ancient plants left in their fossilized spores and pollen.

To develop the approach, researcher Barry Lomax and his colleagues at the University of Sheffield and other leading UK institutions analyzed spores held in the British Antarctic Survey's collection from South Georgia Island, a UK territory in the far southwestern corner of the Atlantic Ocean. They discovered that since the 1960s, spores from living land plants have shown a three-fold increase in the concentration of UV-B absorbing pigments to protect themselves against a 14 percent decrease in stratospheric ozone, says Lomax.

"We have initially been investigating whether plants of palaeobotanical significance are capable of adapting to changes in UV-B radiation," said Lomax. In particular, they studied the UV-B response of the club moss Lycopodium magellanicum, a native of South Georgia Island.

"Now that this has been established we are investigating possible changes in terrestrial UV-B flux during the Permian-Triassic boundary (251 million years ago)," said Lomax. That boundary marks the largest mass extinction in the Earth's history and also coincides with the largest known eruption of lava and potentially ozone-destroying gases - the Siberian Traps.

The latest results from the ongoing work will be presented by Lomax on Wednesday, 10 August, at Earth System Processes 2, a meeting co-convened by the Geological Society and Geological Association of Canada this week in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The modern increase in UV-B at South Georgia is the direct result of high latitude springtime ozone destruction in the stratosphere caused by decades of releases of human-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The situation may have been the same a quarter billion years ago, except that the earlier ozone-dest
'"/>

Contact: Ann Cairns
acairns@geosociety.org
303-357-1056
Geological Society of America
9-Aug-2005


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Marine worm opens new window on early cell development
2. Stress and nerve cells survival in rats; finding may open window for depression treatment
3. A window on the environment from Tahoe to the ocean
4. Nano probe may open new window into cell behavior
5. Creating a window on oceans in motion
6. A new window into structural plasticity in the adult visual cortex
7. Membrane research opens window to benefits for plants, humans
8. Fruit fly studies open new window on cancer research
9. Manatee eyes could be window to health status
10. Immunity in social amoeba suggests ancient beginnings
11. Greenlands ancient forests shed light on stability of ice sheet

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: New window into ancient ozone holes

(Date:11/25/2009)...DENA, Calif.Scientists at the California Institute...f a primitive emotion-like behavior in the fruit f... which may be relevant to the relationship between...it hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are described in...he Drosophila brain contains only about 20,000 n...
(Date:11/25/2009)...lin, a hormone produced in the stomach, may be use... of Parkinson,s disease, Yale School of Medicine r... issue of the Journal of Neuroscience . , Parki...mine neurons in an area of the midbrain known as t...mine production. Reduced production of dopamine i...
(Date:11/25/2009)...ns, Ga. Bacteria don,t have easy lives. In additi...gs, they have natural enemies called bacteriophage...ery two days. , Still, bacteria and another cla...red in extreme environments such as deep-sea volca...cause they have a built-in defense system that hel...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Caltech scientists find emotion-like behaviors, regulated by dopamine, in fruit flies 2Caltech scientists find emotion-like behaviors, regulated by dopamine, in fruit flies 3Caltech scientists find emotion-like behaviors, regulated by dopamine, in fruit flies 4Hormone ghrelin can boost resistance to Parkinson's disease 2Researchers discover biological basis of 'bacterial immune system' 2Researchers discover biological basis of 'bacterial immune system' 3Summit VetPharm Helps Veterinarians Protect Against Product Diversion Counterfeiting and Shrinkage Using Vectra 28R 29 Bloodhound 28R 29 Technology 55609 1Summit VetPharm Helps Veterinarians Protect Against Product Diversion Counterfeiting and Shrinkage Using Vectra 28R 29 Bloodhound 28R 29 Technology 55609 2Summit VetPharm Helps Veterinarians Protect Against Product Diversion Counterfeiting and Shrinkage Using Vectra 28R 29 Bloodhound 28R 29 Technology 55609 3SABiosciences Ranked 17th on the Best Places to Work Industry Award for Biotech and Pharmaceutical Companies 13731 1SABiosciences Ranked 17th on the Best Places to Work Industry Award for Biotech and Pharmaceutical Companies 13731 2Hard To Treat Diseases 28HTDS PK 29 46 000 India Doses of Hepatitis A 55605 1Hard To Treat Diseases 28HTDS PK 29 46 000 India Doses of Hepatitis A 55605 2
(Date:11/25/2009)...ewswire/--ResearchTrianglePark-basedCnanozInc.unve...purificationsystemNanoPure(TM)developedfromcarbonn...,Hon.MinisterViswarupandotherleadersinHyderabad,In...Technology(IIT)Kanpur,confirmedthatthemajorityofth...nbeextremelyhazardoustohumanhealth. ,, Thetechn...
(Date:11/25/2009)...re/--BiotechfirmReplikinsLtd.,whichhasanalyzedtheH...rediction,outbreak,andprogressofthecurrentH1N1pand...irus.ThenewdatashowsthatthelethalityoftheH1N1("Swi...ingthevirus,scurrentoutbreakinthespringof2009tores...N1virus,infectivitycount,however,remainsincreased....
(Date:11/25/2009)...ssador to Speak at Economic Club of Canada , ...er 25, 2009 -- Ambassador to Speak at Economic Clu...bassador for International Investment, and Chairma...a biography of David Appia go to www.investinfran...e to meet with press to discuss recent pro-busines...
(Date:11/25/2009)....,Nov.25/PRNewswire/--Formanybusinesses,2009hasbee...standfastestgrowingnetworkofexpertphysiciansspecia...lhormones has grownthenumberof physiciansinitsne...disinprogresstoaddmorephysician-ownedcenters,inclu...epastyear ,BodyLogicMDhasopened13newbioidenticalho...
Breaking Biology Technology:North Carolina-based Cnanoz Unveils NanoPure(TM) to Government Leaders in Hyderabad, India 2Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 2Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 3Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 4French Ambassador for International Investment to Visit Toronto December 11 2Nation's Largest Network of Doctors Specializing in Bioidentical Hormones Grows at an Exponential Rate 2Nation's Largest Network of Doctors Specializing in Bioidentical Hormones Grows at an Exponential Rate 3
Other News:
... May be Contracted Through the Eye...A respiratory...he lungs following initial infection in the eye sa..., College of Medicine. They report their findings...ogy....Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common...
A simple blood test may be able to identify those most at risk for developing head and neck cancer as a result of smoking. This was the finding of a recent study by Prof. Zvi Livneh, Head of the Weizm
... monoxide protects mice from multiple sclerosis...... disorder that causes degeneration of the nerves i...mptoms including muscle weakness and pain. Most in... remission, leading to the suggestion that there a...
...ghting cancer aims to make its genes get lost in t...6, 2007, issue of the journal Cell, published by C...a therapy would essentially take advantage of a we...- and proliferation-related proteins, which cancer...
Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology 2Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology 3Calculated risk 2JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006 2JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006 3JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006 4JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006 5JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006 6Drug strategy makes cancer genes get lost in translation 2Drug strategy makes cancer genes get lost in translation 3
.CHAPEL HILL - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists.have discovered they can shrink -- and in many cases eliminate - human tumors.grown in laboratory animals by inhibiting a natural
...er and an Internet connection, young students in.c...on insects and do their own research by signing on...are second in popularity only to dinosaurs,".said ...sed at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science ...
... that, for the first time, is allowing them to.mon...is hoped the test may one day allow early.screenin...have and its stage of.advancement. The.researcher...he same test. ..The highly sensitive technique wi...
... Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. reported results from s... human adult stem cells to form structural and .co... the April 2, 1999 issue of .the journal Science, ....mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs, are capable of f...
Researchers: 'Exciting' Discovery Might Improve Cancer Treatment 2'Bugscope' Gives Internet Users Anywhere Chance To Study Insects 2Urine Test For Cancer Under Development 2Osiris Therapeutics Reports Key Findings in SCIENCE Verifying Existence of Adult Stem Cells 2Osiris Therapeutics Reports Key Findings in SCIENCE Verifying Existence of Adult Stem Cells 3