EverythingScience

Fiddler crabs found to hoover up and break down microplastic particles New research has found that Fiddler crabs are playing an unheralded role when it comes to hoovering up microplastics found in the world's mangrove forests and salt marshes. Scientists studying a thriving population of Fiddler crabs in a polluted mangrove forest in Colombia have found that they can ingest and break down large quantities of small plastic particles in the sediment. The ability to mobilize large amounts of sediment for feeding and sheltering, and the creature's specialized digestive processes, which earn it the reputation of being an "ecosystem engineer," can break down plastics within days, much faster than sunlight and waves. However, scientists say that this litter recycling service may come at a cost, with the potential release of harmful nanoplastics into their tissues and, consequently, the food chain. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

The perfect polymer? Plant-based plastic is fully saltwater degradable and leaves behind zero microplastics Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Experiments on a private space station: Vast asks scientists for research proposals Source:Space.com @EverythingScience

The Artemis II crew will observe parts of the Moon never before seen by human eyes. Their exact view will depend on lunar surface lighting (aka the Moon's phase) as they fly by, which in turn depends on launch timing. Dive in with Ernie Wright, Artemis II Visualization Lead. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience

'Zap-And-Freeze' Brain Imaging Could Reveal The Secrets of Parkinson's Source:ScienceAlert @EverythingScience

Fossil fuel industry's 'climate false solutions' reinforce its power, aggravate environmental injustice, study suggests Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

People tend to overestimate others' emotions, but this may boost empathy Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Orcas are all about working smarter, not harder, as they coordinate in their pods to corral and stun their prey. Source: @NatGeo @EverythingScience

NASA’s Webb Observes Exoplanet Whose Composition Defies Explanation Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed a rare type of exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system, whose atmospheric composition challenges our understanding of how it formed. Officially named PSR J2322-2650b, this Jupiter-mass object appears to have an exotic helium-and-carbon-dominated atmosphere unlike any ever seen before. Soot clouds likely float through the air, and deep within the planet, these carbon clouds can condense and form diamonds. How the planet came to be is a mystery. The paper appears Tuesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. “This was an absolute surprise,” said study co-author Peter Gao of the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory in Washington. “I remember after we got the data down, our collective reaction was ‘What the heck is this?’ It's extremely different from what we expected.” Source:NASA @EverythingScience

An orbital sunrise with comet C/2023. Source: @astro_Pettit @EverythingScience

Your body is full of medicine. Researchers can now synthesize it Northeastern University researchers have made a breakthrough drug discovery, developing the first synthetic endogenous cannabinoid compound, with repercussions for new therapeutics from pain and inflammation to cancer. Spyros P. Nikas, an associate research professor in Northeastern's Center for Drug Discovery, says that the discovery hinges on the distinction between two different kinds of cannabinoid chemicals, endogenous and exogenous. Exogenous cannabinoids are those produced outside the human body, like THC or CBD, both derived from the cannabis plant and present in marijuana. Our own bodies, however, are also producing cannabinoids all the time. Called endogenous cannabinoids—or just "endocannabinoids"—these chemicals "modulate a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological responses," Nikas says, processes that include mood, inflammation and even neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The research is published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Cannabinoids—not just cannabis Endocannabinoids don't have the same structure as the plant-derived cannabinoids, "but they do exactly the same job," says Alexandros Makriyannis, the George D. Behrakis chair of the department of chemistry and chemical biology. The cannabinoid system within the human body—"combining endocannabinoids, receptors and enzymes"—Nikas says, "exists everywhere with high abundance in the central nervous system." Due to its prominence, Nikas calls it "a system that is responsible for the homeostasis of the human being." The receptors that bind with cannabinoids, called CB1 and CB2, are also found throughout the body, but "they have different distribution in different tissues and organs," Nikas says. Drugs that target the CB1 and CB2 receptors do exist already in medicine—for instance, to prevent vomiting in chemotherapy patients—but these are derived from the exogenous cannabinoids, and thus also exhibit the cannabis plant's side effects, from hallucinations to dependence, Nikas says. Drugs derived from endocannabinoids "are not expected to have these side effects," Nikas says, as they are made inside our own, but the synthetic variety could still "have a wide range of therapeutic utility." If researchers can produce synthetic endocannabinoids, they should come with all the medical benefits of our own naturally created endocannabinoids without the attendant side effects of exogenous cannabinoids. The problem is how unstable these synthetics usually are. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Arctic sees unprecedented heat as climate impacts cascade Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience