Mercury pollution: Fish recover quickly when water is no longer contaminated

Mercury pollution is a major global environmental problem, with small-scale gold mining and coal burning the two biggest sources, but fish can recover quickly when the pollution stops Environment 15 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Northern pike recover quickly when mercury pollution stops Imagebroker / Alamy Fish populations appear to recover rapidly from mercury pollution … Read more

Risso’s dolphins: Spin-dive innovation lets them reach deep water for hunting

A species of dolphin that hunts prey living 600 metres below the surface spins its body as it dives so it can drill down through the water rapidly Life 1 December 2021 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) near the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean Judith Scott / Alamy Risso’s dolphins dive rapidly … Read more

Plant science: The way that leaves flutter can reveal when plants need more water

Leaves vibrate at a different frequency depending on whether soy plants are under water stress Life 7 December 2021 By Bas den Hond Leaves on a soy plant Igor Stevanovic / Alamy When leaves flutter in the breeze, the frequency of their vibrations may indicate whether the plant is dehydrated. This finding could lead to … Read more

Scientists Smash Temperature Record on Keeping ‘Freezing Cold’ Water in Liquid Form

Scientists have just proven that the freezing temperature of water can be even lower than what we thought was possible. Taking tiny droplets of water, up to just 150 nanometers in size, a team of engineers at the University of Houston has pushed the critical temperature threshold to -44 degrees Celsius (-47.2 degrees Fahrenheit) – … Read more