Earth

Athens, Ga. – Scientists have known for two decades that sulfur compounds that are produced by bacterioplankton as they consume decaying algae in the ocean cycle through two paths. In one, a sulfur compound dimethylsulfide, or DMS, goes into the atmosphere, where it leads to water droplet formation – the basis of clouds that cool the Earth. In the other, a sulfur compound goes into the ocean's food web, where it is eaten and returned to seawater.

What they haven't known is how sulfur is routed one way or the other or why.

Nature study: Endocannabinoid signaling in dietary restriction and lifespan extension

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University pond reveals hidden history of fungi

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Sugar boosters could lead to cheap, effective treatments for chronic bacterial infections

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Non-human primate studies reveal promising vaccine approach for HIV

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The urea cycle: An anabolic steroid for diatoms

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New technology fuses MRI, ultrasound to achieve targeted biopsy of prostate cancer

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Deepwater Horizon spill threatens more species than legally protected

DURHAM, N.H. – Marine species facing threats from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico far exceed those under legal protection in the United States, a new paper in the journal BioScience finds. University of New Hampshire professor Fred Short and others found 39 additional marine species beyond the 14 protected by federal law that are at an elevated risk of extinction. These species, which range from whale sharks to seagrass, should receive priority for protection and restoration efforts, the authors advocate.