Got a sore throat? The doctor may write a quick prescription for penicillin or amoxicillin, and with the stroke of a pen, help diminish public health and your own future health by helping bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics.
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Flowers Have Hidden Heat Signals That Attract Pollinating Bees
It is well understood how flowers use complex color patterns and smells to attract pollinating bees. But now, scientists have discovered that flowers also emit heat to advertise themselves to insects — creating temperature arrays that mimic the color designs of petals.
On average, heat spots were 4 to 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the rest of the flower, but could be as much as 11 degrees warmer.
NASA Finds Heavy Rain in New Tropical Cyclone Hilda
As Tropical Cyclone Hilda was coming together in the Southern Indian Ocean the GPM satellite analyzed its rainfall from space.
On December 26, 2017 at 3:06 a.m. EST (0806 UTC) the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew above northwestern Australia and measured rainfall as Tropical Cyclone Hilda was forming along the coast
Streams Can Be Sensors
Scientists at Michigan State University have shown that streams can be key health indicators of a region’s landscape, but the way they’re being monitored can be improved.
New research featured in Ecology Letters showcases how streams can be used as sensors to diagnose a watershed’s sensitivity or resiliency to changes in land use practices, including the long-term use of fertilizers. Using streams as sensors – specifically, near the headwaters – can allow scientists, land-use managers and farmers to diagnose which watersheds can be more sustainably developed for food production, said Jay Zarnetske, MSU earth and environmental scientist and co-author of the study.
La exposición de corto plazo a bajos niveles de contaminación del aire, relacionados con la muerte prematura entre personas mayores en EE. UU.
Las exposiciones a corto plazo a partículas finas de contaminación atmosférica y ozono, incluso a niveles muy por debajo de las normas de seguridad nacionales vigentes, se relacionaron con un mayor riesgo de muerte prematura entre las personas mayores en los EE. UU. Según un nuevo estudio de Escuela de Salud Pública T.H. Chan de Harvard. El riesgo resultó ser aún mayor entre los ancianos que eran de bajos ingresos, mujeres o negros. El estudio fue publicado el 26 de diciembre de 2017 en el Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The Caribbean Is Stressed Out
Forty percent of the world’s 2.5 billion people live in coastal cities and towns. A team including Smithsonian marine biologists just released 25 years of data about the health of Caribbean coasts from the Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity Program (CARICOMP). The study provides new insights into the influence of both local and global stressors in the basin, and some hope that the observed changes can be reversed by local environmental management.