The house fly might be a worldwide pest, but its genome will provide information that could improve our lives. From insights into pathogen immunity, to pest control and decomposing waste, the 691 Mb genome has been sequenced and analyzed by a global consortium of scientists, and is published in the open access journal Genome Biology. The genome highlights detoxification and immune system genes that are unique to the insect, and could be subjects of further study to help humans deal with toxic and disease causing environments.
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La temperatura global es probable que aumente de 3.3 a 5.6 grados centÃgrados para finales de este siglo, a menos que las negociaciones internacionales sobre el clima en ParÃs el próximo año son más eficaces de lo esperado, según un informe publicado el lunes por el Programa Conjunto MIT sobre la Ciencia y PolÃtica del Cambio Climático Global El aumento previsto de la temperatura supera el umbral determinado por las Naciones Unidas, o sea, el necesario para evitar impactos más graves del cambio climático, la alteración de los patrones de precipitación y el aumento de las presiones de la población y el crecimiento económico.
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What is "space weather"? And how might it affect weather on Earth?
Researchers have discovered a formerly undetected impact of space weather on the polar atmosphere, which may explain some previously unexplained variations in winter weather patterns. Their results, published today (Tuesday 14 October), in the journal Nature Communications could have important implications for seasonal weather forecasting.
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A parasite spread by cat poop is causing a big problem for endangered sea otters in California, and researchers have finally figured out how. Sea otters were nearly wiped out by the fur trade at one point, but they've been slowly making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts and protection under the Endangered Species Act. While they're on the road to recovery the latest numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey released last month shows they're population growth has stalled, with the biggest issue being that they're dying in record numbers.
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