Since the first undersea methane seep was discovered 30 years ago, scientists have meticulously analyzed and measured how microbes in the seafloor sediments consume the greenhouse gas methane as part of understanding how the Earth works.
The sediment-based microbes form an important methane "sink," preventing much of the chemical from reaching the atmosphere and contributing to greenhouse gas accumulation. As a byproduct of this process, the microbes create a type of rock known as authigenic carbonate, which while interesting to scientists was not thought to be involved in the processing of methane.
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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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