currentsinbiology:

Pollution linked to lethal sea turtle tumors

Pollution in urban and farm runoff in Hawaii is causing tumors in endangered sea turtles, a new study finds.

The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed open-access journal PeerJ, shows that nitrogen in the runoff ends up in algae that the turtles eat, promoting the formation of tumors on the animals’ eyes, flippers and internal organs.

Scientists at Duke University, the University of Hawaii and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted the study to better understand the causes behind the tumor-forming disease Fibropapillomatosis, which is the leading known cause of death in green turtles, said Kyle Van Houtan, adjunct associate professor at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

“We’re drawing direct lines from human nutrient inputs to the reef ecosystem, and how it affects wildlife,” said Van Houtan, who is also a scientist in NOAA’s Turtle Research Program.

Caption: This image shows a sea turtle with tumors caused by fibropapillomatosis.Credit: Chris Stankis

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heypeasants:

so much drama in one photo

currentsinbiology:

A Rising Tide of Contaminants (NY Times)

In an essay last week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, titled “Re-Emergence of Emerging Contaminants,” editor-in-chief Jerald L. Schnoor called attention to both the startling growth of newly registered chemical compounds and our inadequate understanding of older ones.

The American Chemical Society, the publisher of the journal, maintains the most comprehensive national database of commercially registered chemical compounds in the country. “The growth of the list is eye-popping, with approximately 15,000 new chemicals and biological sequences registered every day,” Dr. Schnoor wrote.

Scientists are concerned by the increasing variety of contaminants in the environment. Traces of pesticides and caffeine were found in the Zumbro River, above, in Minnesota.Credit Brent Frazee/Kansas City Star, via MCT, via Getty Images

I’m going to fall asleep at work omg

divaneee:

Sunset at the Pyramids, Cairo

lonequixote:

Irises and Water Lilies, 1917 ~ Claude Monet

chynaweb:

Deep Blue Sandstorm, California (2012)

Astral Desert series of photographs by David Benjamin Sherry of Salon 94.

skunkbear:

Beautiful reconstructed hominin skulls — the early members of humanity’s family tree! You can see lots more on the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Flickr page.

fiftyshadesofgayyy:

I see what you did there

lacigreen:

WHY ISN’T THIS THE LAW ALREADY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ALSO THE WORLD