Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks – essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, US, Austrian, and Swiss scientists found that the trees could draw carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it as calcium carbonate ‘rocks’ in the surrounding soil. The trees—native to Kenya—are one of the first fruit trees shown to have this ability, known as the oxalate carbonate pathway. All trees use photosynthesis to turn CO₂ into organic carbon, which forms their trunk, branches, roots and leaves; this is why planting trees is seen as a potential means to mitigate CO₂ emissions.

Certain trees also use CO₂ to create calcium oxalate crystals. When parts of the tree decay, these crystals are converted by specialized bacteria or fungi into calcium carbonate – the same mineral as limestone or chalk. This increases the soil pH around the tree, while also increasing the availability of certain nutrients. The inorganic carbon in calcium carbonate typically has a much longer lifetime in the soil than organic carbon, making it a more effective method of CO₂ sequestration.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/

Exposure to fire smoke—which can be composed of particulate matter, gases, materials from buildings such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic metals, and carcinogenic compounds—may alter the immune system on a cellular level, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first to examine the specific cellular changes associated with fire smoke exposure, documenting how smoke can damage the body through the immune system.

"We've known that smoke exposure causes poor respiratory, cardiac, neurological, and pregnancy outcomes, but we haven’t understood how,” said corresponding author Kari Nadeau, John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies and chair of the Department of Environmental Health. “Our study fills in this knowledge gap, so that clinicians and public health leaders are better equipped to respond to the growing threat of difficult to contain, toxic wildfires.”

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/