(Press-News.org) Santa Barbara, CA –The Bren School-based authors of a study published Jan. 20 in the journal PLoS ONE have observed toxicity to marine organisms resulting from exposure to a nanoparticle that had not previously been shown to be toxic under similar conditions.
Lead author and assistant research biologist Robert Miller and co-authors Arturo Keller and Hunter Lenihan – both Bren School professors and lead scientists at the UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN) – Bren Phd student Samuel Bennett, and Scott Pease, a former UCSB undergraduate and current graduate student in public health at the University of Washington, found that the nanoparticulate form of titanium dioxide (TiO2) exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can be toxic to marine organisms.
"Application of nanomaterials in consumer products and manufacturing is quickly increasing, but there is concern that these materials, including nanoparticles, may harm the environment," says Miller. "The oceans could be most at risk, since wastewater and factory discharges ultimately end up there."
Nano-titanium dioxide is highly reactive to sunlight and other forms of ultraviolet radiation (UVR,) the authors write, adding that TiO2's property of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to UVR makes it useful in antibacterial coatings and wastewater disinfection, and potentially valuable as an anti-cancer agent.
Until now, they say, no research has demonstrated that photoactivity causes environmental toxicity of TiO2 under natural levels of UVR.
"Previous experiments have suggested that TiO2 does not affect aquatic organisms, but these experiments used artificial lighting that generated much lower levels of UVR than sunlight," Miller explains. "In these new experiments, we used lights simulating natural sunlight."
But now, the authors say, "We show that relatively low levels of ultraviolet light, consistent with those found in nature, can induce toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles to marine phytoplankton, the most important primary producers on Earth.
"With no exposure to UVR, the TiO2 had no effect on phytoplankton, but under low-intensity UVR, ROS in seawater increased with increasing concentrations of nano- TiO2."
The concern is that rising concentrations of nano- TiO2 "may lead to increased overall oxidative stress in seawater contaminated by TiO22, and cause decreased resiliency of marine ecosystems."
The authors suggest, therefore, that UVR exposure should be considered when conducting experiments to determine the ecotoxicity of nanomaterials having photoactive potential.
### END
Nano form of titanium dioxide can be toxic to marine organisms
Ultraviolet radiation is the catalyst for cellular damage in phytoplankton
2012-01-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Marine mammals on the menu in many parts of world
2012-01-25
The fate of the world's great whale species commands global attention as a result of heated debate between pro and anti-whaling advocates, but the fate of smaller marine mammals is less understood, specifically because the deliberate and accidental catching and killing of dolphins, porpoises, manatees, and other warm-blooded aquatic species are rarely studied or monitored.
To shed more light on the issue, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and Okapi Wildlife Associates have conducted an exhaustive global study of human consumption of marine mammals using ...
Rice lab mimics Jupiter's Trojan asteroids inside a single atom
2012-01-25
HOUSTON -- Rice University physicists have gone to extremes to prove that Isaac Newton's classical laws of motion can apply in the atomic world: They've built an accurate model of part of the solar system inside a single atom of potassium.
In a new paper published this week in Physical Review Letters, Rice's team and collaborators at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Vienna University of Technology showed they could cause an electron in an atom to orbit the nucleus in precisely the same way that Jupiter's Trojan asteroids orbit the sun.
The findings uphold a ...
Fungi-filled forests are critical for endangered orchids
2012-01-25
When it comes to conserving the world's orchids, not all forests are equal. In a paper to be published Jan. 25 in the journal Molecular Ecology, Smithsonian ecologists revealed that an orchid's fate hinges on two factors: a forest's age and its fungi.
Roughly 10 percent of all plant species are orchids, making them the largest plant family on Earth. But habitat loss has rendered many threatened or endangered. This is partly due to their intimate relationship with the soil.
Orchids depend entirely on microscopic fungi in the early stages of their lives. Without the ...
Lifestyle counseling reduces time to reach treatment goals for people with diabetes
2012-01-25
BOSTON, MA -- Lifestyle counseling, practiced as part of routine care for people with diabetes, helps people more quickly lower blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels and keep them under control, according to a large, long-term study published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) conducted a retrospective cohort study of more than 30,000 people with diabetes who received diet, exercise and weight-loss counseling in a primary care setting over the course of at least two years (with an average follow-up ...
Shoulder pain from using your ipad? Don't use it on your lap
2012-01-25
Amsterdam, NL -- The sudden popularity of tablet computers such as the Apple iPad® has not allowed for the development of guidelines to optimize users' comfort and well-being. In a new study published in Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, Microsoft Corporation, and Brigham and Women's Hospital report that head and neck posture during tablet computer use can be improved by placing the tablet higher to avoid low gaze angles, and through the use of a case that provides optimal viewing angles.
"Compared ...
Smart Software Gains Momentum in Latin American Markets; Latin American Partner GOTSA Wins Inventory Optimization Opportunities with Retail Hardware and Service Parts Distribution Operations
2012-01-25
Smart Software, Inc., provider of industry-leading demand forecasting, planning, and inventory optimization solutions, today announced that two Latin American companies, Volvo Parts in Mexico, and Preca in Venezuela, purchased its flagship product, SmartForecasts , through its new reseller in Mexico and Latin America, Grupo de Outsourcing Tecnologico, S.A (GOTSA). Both customers are using the software's patented intermittent demand forecasting capabilities to optimize their inventories, reduce costs, and improve service levels. GOTSA defined and configured both solutions, ...
Treatment of silent acid reflux does not improve asthma in children, NIH study finds
2012-01-25
Adding the acid reflux drug lansoprazole to a standard inhaled steroid treatment for asthma does not improve asthma control in children who have no symptom of acid reflux, according to a new study funded in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Lansoprazole therapy slightly increased the risk of sore throats and other respiratory problems in children, however.
Results of this study, which was also sponsored by the American Lung Association (ALA), will appear Jan. 25 in the Journal of the American Medical ...
Life discovered on dead hydrothermal vents
2012-01-25
Scientists at USC have uncovered evidence that even when hydrothermal sea vents go dormant and their blistering warmth turns to frigid cold, life goes on.
Or rather, it is replaced.
A team led by USC microbiologist Katrina Edwards found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves.
These findings – based on samples collected for Edwards by US Navy deep sea submersible Alvin (famed for its ...
More than 7,500-year-old fish traps found in Russia
2012-01-25
Ignacio Clemente, CSIC researcher (Institució Milà I Fontanals) and manager of the project, explains: "Until now, it was thought that the Mesolithic groups had seasonal as opposed to permanent settlements. According to the results obtained during the excavations, in both Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, the human group that lived in the Dubna river basin, near Moscow, carried out productive activities during the entire year".
According to Clemente and his team, during Neolithic and Mesolithic periods, the inhabitants of this region known as Zamostje 2 preferred to hunt ...
Concurrency and Microsoft Sponsor Marketing Automation Best-Practices Event - Part of Concurrency's Ongoing Series of Educational Seminars for Business and Technology Leaders
2012-01-25
On Friday, January 27, Concurrency and Microsoft Corporation are teaming up to offer the Milwaukee business community insight into best-practice Microsoft marketing automation and web content management techniques. This educational event is part of Concurrency's ongoing series of hands-on sessions that highlight cutting-edge technology designed to boost business productivity.
Concurrency and Microsoft will demonstrate how to use Microsoft's Dynamics CRM 2011 capabilities to manage both sales and marketing across varied media. This new tool set revolutionizes how companies ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds
‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger
Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂
Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work
Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients
Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala
Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death
Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks
Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period
‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths
Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care
Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system
Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement
Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated
The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought
New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly
Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025
NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification
Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success
New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows
Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being
Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon
Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool
Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later
Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles
Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans
New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’
Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants
Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths
Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change
[Press-News.org] Nano form of titanium dioxide can be toxic to marine organismsUltraviolet radiation is the catalyst for cellular damage in phytoplankton