Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Junyao Kang, Benjamin Gill, Rachel Reid, Feifei Zhang, Shuhai Xiao
Summary: The early Neoproterozoic Era (approximately 1000 to 800 million years ago) saw the emergence of eukaryotes. This study examines whether nitrate availability influenced this evolution by analyzing nitrogen isotope compositions (δ15N) of marine carbonates from the early Tonian (approximately 1000 to 800 million years ago) Huaibei Group in North China. The findings suggest that nitrate limitation existed in the early Neoproterozoic oceans and that an increase in nitrate availability around 800 million years ago may have contributed to the ecological rise of eukaryotes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea Giuliani, Matthew G. Jackson, Angus Fitzpayne, Hayden Dalton
Summary: The isotopic compositions of kimberlites and ocean island basalts suggest their derivation from a primordial mantle signature formed shortly after Earth accretion. This indicates that the PREMA component found in kimberlites may have been stored in seismically anomalous regions above the core-mantle boundary for most of Earth's history, partially shielded from convective homogenization.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ugo Marzocchi, Stefano Bonaglia, Anastasija Zaiko, Grazia M. Quero, Irma Vybernaite-Lubiene, Tobia Politi, Aurelija Samuiloviene, Mindaugas Zilius, Marco Bartoli, Ulisse Cardini
Summary: The study reveals that zebra mussels significantly enhance nitrogen cycling to the water column in the shallow sediment of the lagoon through the release of ammonium and stimulation of DNRA, as well as exhibiting a unique N2 fixation capacity associated with the mussel's holobiont.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nathan G. Walworth, Michael D. Lee, Egor Dolzhenko, Fei-Xue Fu, Andrew D. Smith, Eric A. Webb, David A. Hutchins
Summary: This study provides empirical evidence of long-term m5C methylome modifications correlated with phenotypic adaptation to CO2 in marine prokaryotes. The study demonstrates the maintenance of CO2-responsive m5C methylation for 4.5 years alongside phenotypic adaptation before returning to ancestral methylation levels. These findings offer critical evolutionary insights into biogeochemically important traits under global change.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Andy Forse, Benjamin Drakeford, Pierre Failler, Jonathan Potts, Negar Akbari
Summary: This paper presents the results of interviews with stakeholders in the North East Scotland commercial fishing industry who operate under the Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) system. The study highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the FQA system, indicating increased investment and efficiency but also potential threats to the industry's future. The research calls for further investigation to better understand the socioeconomic impacts and ensure future management safeguards stability.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eric J. Raes, Kristen Karsh, Swan L. S. Sow, Martin Ostrowski, Mark V. Brown, Jodie van de Kamp, Rita M. Franco-Santos, Levente Bodrossy, Anya M. Waite
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of 16S rRNA gene data to infer metabolic pathways in global monitoring campaigns, revealing metabolic processes across a 7000km transect in the South Pacific Ocean. The findings suggest that low-cost, high-throughput bacterial marker gene data can be utilized to infer shifts in metabolic strategies at the community scale.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Heshani Pieris, Bruce M. Jakosky
Summary: The evolution of nitrogen in the Martian atmosphere is an important topic in understanding the history of Mars. By using a model, we calculated the abundance and enrichment of N-2 and N-15/N-14 in the Martian atmosphere and explored the initial conditions of the early atmosphere.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Emma R. Haxen, Niels H. Schovsbo, Arne T. Nielsen, Sylvain Richoz, David K. Loydell, Nicole R. Posth, Donald E. Canfield, Emma U. Hammarlund
Summary: Recent studies indicate that oxygen levels in the early Paleozoic oceans likely remained below modern levels. This suggests a prolonged period of hypoxia, lasting around 100 million years after the Cambrian, during which early animals thrived in low oxygen conditions. The results support the idea that early animal evolution and the oxygenation of the atmosphere-hydrosphere system were closely related.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Dongtao Xu, Zheng Qin, Xinqiang Wang, Jie Li, Xiaoying Shi, Dongjie Tang, Jingao Liu
Summary: New data from the carbonates and mudstones of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation in China reveal a significant oxygenation event in the early Mesoproterozoic, which may have facilitated the rapid evolution of eukaryotes.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emily Matthews, Thomas J. Bannan, M. Anwar H. Khan, Dudley E. Shallcross, Harald Stark, Eleanor C. Browne, Alexander T. Archibald, Archit Mehra, Stephane J. -B. Bauguittei, Chris Reed, Navaneeth M. Thamban, Huihui Wu, Patrick Barker, James Lee, Lucy J. Carpenter, Mingxi Yang, Thomas G. Bell, Grant Allen, John T. Jayne, Carl J. Percival, Gordon McFiggansa, Martin Gallaghera, Hugh Coe
Summary: This study reveals the presence and importance of urea in the atmosphere, originating primarily from the ocean. It also highlights the potential long-range transport of urea from biomass-burning plumes. The presence of urea has significant implications for marine ecosystems, carbon dioxide uptake, and climate.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Esther Landhuis
Summary: Gene therapy has emerged as a treatment option for various diseases after three decades of development. Replacing or fixing disease-causing genes has been proven effective, with treatments available for blood disorders, eye diseases, and muscle diseases. Over half a dozen gene therapy treatments have gained approval in the U.S. in the past five years, with more progressing towards clinical trials for a range of conditions.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
H. Kurokawa, M. Laneuville, Y. Li, N. Zhang, Y. Fujii, H. Sakuraba, C. Houser, H. J. Cleaves
Summary: The origin of nitrogen in Earth's mantle is still unclear, and this study explores possible explanations. Modelling the partitioning of nitrogen during the early stages of Earth's formation and subsequent cycling between the surface and mantle, it is found that only a small fraction of nitrogen can be trapped in the solidified mantle. The excess nitrogen may have been eroded through impact events, and the mantle nitrogen could have originated from efficient subduction processes.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Matthew J. Gardner, Jason R. Condon, Mark B. Peoples, Mark K. Conyers, Brian S. Dear, Guangdi D. Li
Summary: Chicory extracts more mineral nitrogen from the soil compared to perennial ryegrass. Mixing chicory with legumes such as lucerne or subterranean clover can increase nitrogen fixation efficiency.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shan Jiang, Jie Jin, Shuo Jiang, Ying Wu, Jianing Wang, Ju Chen, Zhenqiu Zhang, Sumei Liu, Yan Chang, Lingyan Wang, Jing Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the spatial variability of nitrogen species in rainwater samples collected from the equatorial East Indian Ocean and West Pacific Ocean. The results showed that nitrate and ammonium were the main components in the rainwater nitrogen inventory, with concentrations varying between remote ocean and coastal areas. Different isotopic signatures of nitrogen compounds indicated a shift from natural sources in oceanic precipitation events to anthropogenic sources in coastal rainwaters, influenced by human activities like coal and gasoline combustion. The study suggests that atmospheric wet depositions can rapidly enhance dissolved nitrogen availability in ocean surface water, with implications for oceanic primary production modeling.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Alexander B. Alleman, Amaya Garcia Costas, Florence Mus, John W. Peters
Summary: This study investigates the mechanisms of low potential electron production during biological nitrogen fixation and reveals the distinct roles of Rnf and Fix in maintaining redox homeostasis.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
