Virginia Tech microbe-minerals group launches new field of study
... and inorganic compounds. Examples of particularly toxic organicwastes are benzene, xylene, and toluene; and inorganic wastes are arsenic,chromium, lead, mercury, and nitrate," says Hochella. "Mineral-microbe interactions have a great deal to do with the transport ofthese contaminants in the subsurface --...Researchers find high levels of mercury in native ore deposits
...y result. Methylmercury, said Kerfoot, is the most toxic andbioaccumulative form of mercury. Kerfoot said he doesn't know the extent of methylation in LakeSuperior, but that this aspect is being investigated by scientists under a5-year NOAA/National Science Foundation study grant called KITES (Kew......ion to autoimmunity, environmentalfactors, such as toxic chemicals, drugs, bacteria or viruses, may trigger afull-fledged response. The potential causes of this mysterious family of diseases are describedin the October supplement to Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal ofthe National Inst......ted towards genotypes, which were lesssensitive to toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Daphnids play an...t at measurable quantities. Evenlow proportions of toxic cyanobacteria in their food algae inhibit growth andreproduction of Daphnia or may even kill them. H...USGS finds elevated levels of organochlorine pesticides in Aleutian bald eagles
...unctions. Unfortunately, they are long-lived, toxic to most animals and can be converted to even more deadly compounds as they degrade or when eaten and released into the environment as metabolites. DDE is an example of a metabolite of DDT. The study adds to a growing body of ...Common parasite overturns traditional beliefs about the evolution and role of hemoglobin
...the worm actuallyconsumes oxygen -- which it finds toxic -- with the help of NO. The discovery mayyield ne... gas' which evolved before there was oxygen and is toxic in highamounts -- while in mammals, hemoglobin carries both oxygen and NO, using the NOto ensure oxy...Pollution makes crustaceans adapt rapidly
...y crustaceans called Daphnia found more and more toxic cyanobacteria (also called "blue-greenalgae") mixe... became one of the important,natural controls for toxic cyanobacteria in the lake. The research, carried out at the Germany institute, documented the crust...Researchers discover hemoglobin's enzymatic nature
...enzyme to neutralize oxygen, which in highdoses is toxic to the worm. "In humans, hemoglobin delivers oxygen and nitric oxide to tissues," saidStamler. According to the new data, however, the nematode hemoglobin uses nitricoxide to trigger an enzymatic reaction that actually consumes oxygen. These datasug...Common grass infected by fungus makes life difficult for other species
...ive advantages for its host, tall fescue, butit is toxic tolivestock, wildlife and insects that eat the inf...rows. "The infected plants are more vigorous, more toxic to herbivores, and moredrought-resistantthan uninfected plants," Professor Clay said. "Tall fescue w...UNC-CH marine scientist says hurricane could be catastrophic for Pamlico Sound
...nuisance algal blooms -- in particularpotentially toxic blue-green algae -- normally seen in the freshwaterportions of our estuaries will get a foothold in the surface waters of thesounds," he said. "We are particularly concerned about Core Sound, as thisis one of North Carolina's most prized fisheries ha......ffects of chiralpollutants depends on how well the toxic portions of the pollutant fit togetherwith molecul...r,will likely increase the persistence of the more toxic forms of somepesticides." The study was published today in the British journal Nature. ...CIIT publishes formaldehyde cancer risk assessment
...integrates the latest mechanistic knowledge on the toxic effects of exposure to inhaled formaldehyde, including site-specific modeling of dose of formaldehyde delivered to the upper respiratory tracts of animals and humans. An important feature of this assessment is the use of a two-stage clonal growth mod...How alcohol gives, and then takes away
...cohol sensitizes dopamine and serotonin neurons to toxic excessive excitation or "excitotoxicity." A brain growth hormone called BDNF can protect neurons against excitotoxicity. BDNF may have important implications for treating alcoholics going through withdrawal. Mental diseases, including addiction a...Genetic information of world's most radiation-resistant organism decoded
... with mixtures of highly radioactive materials and toxic chemicals. Other DOE-funded researchers have modified D. radiodurans to be able to degrade the organic chemical contaminant toluene and "fix" or immobilize mercury while converting it to a more benign form. The engineered bacteria continues to surv......ve been widely used for over ten years with little toxic side effects, marketed under names like Mevacor, Zocor, and Prevachol. The research team first applied four different types of statins to bone taken from the skulls of mice and grown in a laboratory culture. Each of the statins increased bone growth ......caused by haze interacting with clouds or the toxic effects of air pollutants that also reduce crop growth. Extensive studies by agricultural researchers have documented the relationship between crop production and the sunlight received. The haze affecting China is made up of aerosol...Chemistry to play major role in solving 21st century challenges
...t available, keep out pollutants and watch out for toxic surprises," says Lepkowski. "It is virtually a crime in the rich world to allow fecal matter in the water supply," he writes. "In the poor world, it can hardly be avoided." On top of that, water often is more expensive in lower-income areas. Pet......that is more concentrated, more effective and less toxic to normal tissue. Furthermore, the unarmed bacteri...y deliver anticancer agents while having a minimal toxic effect on healthy normal tissues. TAPET uses genetically altered strains of Salmonella as a bacteri......eria are being genetically engineered to thrive in toxic conditions while converting hazardous waste into reusable effluent, none can resist radiation the way D. radiodurans can. Already, Daly and his colleagues have devised D. radiodurans variants that can clean up mercury, a deadly heavy metal, and tolu...Gene mutation may no longer protect certain populations from alcoholism
...y tissues outside of theliver. "Acetaldehyde is a toxic compound," said Ting-Kai Li, Distinguished Profess...olics, called Antabuse,essentially facilitates the toxic effects of acetaldehyde. Antabuse blocks the conversion ofacetaldehyde to acetate, which basically ...