Thursday, 9 February, 2012

The moment a knife slices through apple—spilling the contents of apple cells along the surface of the cut, and allowing everything to mix—a reaction begins. In particular, an enzyme known as polyphenol oxidase that had been held in check is loosed. Almost immediately, it begins altering polyphenols, a group of health-promoting chemicals with antioxidant activity [...]

When too much fertilizer reaches the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi River, a vast area gets robbed of oxygen. What can be done to reduce the dead zone that appears each summer?

After a strong rain, the corpses of worms strewn across the pavement are a disgusting sight – or a pathetic one, depending on your sympathy for these slithery invertebrates. But what’s the advantage of suicide? Teri Balser, an associate professor of soil and ecosystem ecology at UW-Madison, says the answer starts with the fact that [...]

Gills are the equivalent of a mammal’s lungs, says Jeffrey Malison, director of the aquaculture program at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Their primary purpose is to exchange gases, take oxygen in and release carbon dioxide out of the fish.” Both lungs and gills have a bed of very small blood vessels with thin walls that the [...]