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Science News for July 7, 2013


Deserts 'greening' from rising CO2

Researchers have found that increased carbon dioxide levels are causing an 11% increase in foliage cover across parts of the world's arid regions. This 'CO2 fertilization' effect enables plants to extract more carbon from the air or lose less water, leading to changes in leaf cover detected by satellite.

SourceCSIRO Australia·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateJul 7, 2013

Mesoscale ocean eddies impact weather

Researchers at ETH Zurich found that ocean eddies have a significant impact on weather patterns, particularly in the Southern hemisphere. Warm eddies increase near-surface wind speed, cloud cover, and rain probability, while cold eddies have the opposite effect.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalNature Geoscience·DateJul 7, 2013

Peering into the protein pathways of a cell

Researchers from UConn have captured the structural dynamics of a protein channel in the mitochondrion using fluorescent probes. The study reveals that the channel complex changes its structure in response to changes in the inner membrane's electrical field, providing new insights into how cellular transport systems harness energy.

SourceUniversity of Connecticut·JournalNature Structural & Molecular Biology·DateJul 7, 2013