#Bubbling and burping droplets of DNA

“#Bubbling and burping droplets of DNA” Surprising behavior: Enzymes can cause DNA droplets to suddenly start to bubble and look like boiling water. Credit: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Liquid droplets formed from DNA display a peculiar response to enzymes. An international collaboration between LMU and UCSB has now been able to explain the mechanisms…

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#Wild bees depend on the landscape structure

“#Wild bees depend on the landscape structure” Costanza Geppert sampling bees at the edge of a field full of grain. Credit: Bettina Donkó Sowing strips of wildflowers along conventional cereal fields and the increased density of flowers in organic farming encourage bumblebees as well as solitary wild bees and hoverflies. Bumblebee colonies benefit from flower…

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#Microplastic pollution accumulates heavily in coastal areas such as fjords and estuaries

“#Microplastic pollution accumulates heavily in coastal areas such as fjords and estuaries” Shelf and deep sea environments have generally lower micropastic flux rates than coastal environments, but high rates may occur locally where bottom currents concentrate microplastic (e.g. on drift deposits, in submarine canyons and ocean trenches; Kane et al., 2020) or beneath locations of…

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#Chanterelle mushrooms as a taste enhancer

“#Chanterelle mushrooms as a taste enhancer” Dr. Verena Mittermeier from the Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science and Andreas Dunkel from the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology in front of their institute. Credit: Leibniz-LSB@TUM Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) are one of the most popular mushrooms in Germany. Depending on the weather, chanterelle season starts…

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#Plant tissue engineering improves drought and salinity tolerance

“#Plant tissue engineering improves drought and salinity tolerance” Credit: CC0 Public Domain After several years of experimentation, scientists have engineered thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, to behave like a succulent, improving water-use efficiency, salinity tolerance and reducing the effects of drought. The tissue succulence engineering method devised for this small flowering plant can be used…

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#Gabon votes to reverse ban on homosexuality

“#Gabon votes to reverse ban on homosexuality” June 30, 2020 | 12:31pm LIBREVILLE – Gabon’s Senate voted on Monday to decriminalize homosexuality, a landmark result that makes the country one of the few in Africa to reverse a ban on same-sex relationships. Under a law passed in 2019, Gabon became one of 73 countries or…

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#To find giant black holes, start with Jupiter

“#To find giant black holes, start with Jupiter” On a quest to find the Universe’s largest black holes, Vanderbilt researcher identifies the center of the solar system within 100 meters. Credit: David Champion The revolution in our understanding of the night sky and our place in the universe began when we transitioned from using the…

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#NASA catches a short-lived Eastern Pacific Depression 4E

“#NASA catches a short-lived Eastern Pacific Depression 4E” NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with a visible image of Tropical Depression 4E on June 29, 2020. The depression was located southwest of the southernmost tip of Baja California, Mexico. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Tropical Depression 4E formed late…

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