Joint research revealed the importance of anthropogenic vapors on haze pollution over Hong Kong and Mainland China's megacities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: PROF. WANG ZHE (THIRD RIGHT) AND THE CO-RESEARCHERS AT THE SUPERSITE AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, WHERE THEY CONDUCTED THE STUDY. TAKEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. view more 

CREDIT: HKUST

Prof. WANG Zhe, Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)’s Division of Environment and Sustainability, has collaborated with international scientists and revealed the significant roles of anthropogenic low-volatility organic vapors on the secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formation in four megacities in China, providing new insights for effectively mitigating the urban air pollution issues.

Air pollution kills around 7 million people worldwide each year, and is the largest environmental health risk.  Air pollutants could be directely emitted from various emission sources, or formed via complex atmospheric reactions of precusors both from natural (e.g. plants) and anthropogenic sources (e.g. traffic, coal combustion, etc).  The pollution measures are effective in controlling primary pollutants, but it has been very challenging to mitigate the secondary pollutants, because of the large knowledge gaps in the underlying formation mechanisms.

SOA contributes a significant fraction to the particulate haze pollution in many urbanized regions, with profound impacts on climate and human health. The knowledge gaps in the sources and relevant chemical processes of SOA formation are the bottleneck for implementing effective measures to mitigate haze pollution.  This joint research confirmed the dominant roles of anthropogenic low-volatility organic vapors as critical intermediates connecting the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to SOA and haze pollution in urban environments.  

The HKUST researchers conducted a comprehensive field study in Hong Kong, and duirng the same period, coordinated studies were concurrently carried out in three other Chinese megacities by mainland and international researchers in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai.  For the first time, the joint research characterized plenty of highly reactive oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) in different urban environments, and developed a novel classification framework to trace the measured OOMs and formed SOA to different precursors.

The results showed that oxidation of anthropogenic VOCs dominates OOMs formation in the urban atmosphere, with approximately 40% contribution from aromatics and another 40% contribution from aliphatic hydrocarbons, a previously under-accounted class of VOCs.  The study unveiled that multi-step oxidation and auto-oxidation processes play key roles in OOMs formation, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) significantly affect the VOCs oxidation process, producing a considerable fraction of nitrogen-containing organic compounds.  The irreversible condensation of these anthropogenic OOMs is a dominant source of SOA, even under severe haze conditions.

The study showed a strong homogeneity in the distribution and formation pathways of OOMs across China's three most urbanized regions, where more than 800 million people live and suffer from air pollution. It implies a possibility of solving air pollution issues with a uniform and effective mitigation strategy across these highly populated city clusters.

The study findings were recently published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience.  Prof. WANG Zhe from ENVR of HKUST is one of the co-first authors of the work. The other co-first authors include Prof. NIE Wei and Prof. YAN Chao from Nanjing University and Prof. HUANG Dandan from Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences (a former Ph.D. graduate from HKUST).  Other contributing authors included scientists from the US, Finland, Switzerland, Macau, Hong Kong, and mainland China. The study received funding support from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

CAPTION

The team used state-of-the-art mass spectrometers to conduct comprehensive atmospheric field study.

CREDIT

HKUST

CAPTION

The figure shows a strong homogeneity in the distribution and formation pathways of OOMs across China's megacities including Hong Kong, Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai.

CREDIT

HKUST

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JOURNAL

Nature Geoscience

DOI

10.1038/s41561-022-00922-5 

ARTICLE TITLE

Secondary organic aerosol formed by condensing anthropogenic vapours over China’s megacities

CRITICAL RACE THEORY

Washington state minorities die at younger ages from opioids than whites

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

SPOKANE, Wash. – While opioid-use cuts across socio-economic boundaries, racial and ethnic minorities in Washington state are more likely to suffer fatal overdoses earlier in their lives than non-Hispanic white residents, according to a recent study.

Using data from the state’s Department of Health, Washington State University researchers analyzed more than 5,200 records of opioid-associated deaths from 2011 to 2018. They found that racial and ethnic minorities died from opioid overdose on average from ages 33 to 44. For non-Hispanic whites, the average age of death was 45.

“We found that racial and ethnic minorities in our state, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, all died at a younger age as a result of an opioid overdose compared to whites,” said Solmaz Amiri, a researcher with WSU’s Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health, or IREACH, and lead author on the study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

For some minorities, such as Hispanics, the gap in years of potential life lost compared to whites was 6 years while for others, such as Blacks, and American Indian and Alaska Natives, it was 1-3 years. Even a few years represents a big difference since these are averages and racial misclassification is prevalent on death certificates, said Amiri, who is also an assistant professor with WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

The research team found that educational and marital status did have a moderating factor. More educated people and those who were married led longer lives on average than those who did not. However, their lives were still shorter on average than their white peers.

Proximity to treatment also mattered with those living within five miles of an opioid treatment program living longer on average. Currently in the U.S., opioid users in recovery have to go to a treatment site daily, in-person for the first several months of treatment to receive methadone, a drug that helps reduce withdrawal symptoms. This daily requirement can be a major obstacle for those who live long distances from a program. Other countries such as Canada and Australia allow pharmacies to distribute methadone, which could give underserved groups better access to treatment, Amiri said.

The authors said the findings show an urgent need for action. The first step is to get a better understanding of how many people are dying from opioid overdose, which can be challenging to capture even from mortality databases as the link to opioids is not always clear. There can also be racial misclassification in the data.

The research team is currently analyzing state-level data from the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when opioid-related deaths rose across the nation. The pandemic also appeared to exacerbate disparities: American Indians and Alaska Natives continued to have the highest rates of overdose deaths, but during the pandemic, for the first time in decades, Blacks surpassed whites in rates of opioid-overdose related deaths.

Solutions to the opioid crisis and its associated racial and ethnic disparities will require culturally tailored efforts from a wide range of organizations, the researchers said.

“As suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has to be a collaboration among the federal government, states, tribal communities and local health departments to address this opioid overdose epidemic,” said Amiri “If they don't support each other and come up with a plan, nothing is going to happen.”

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JOURNAL

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

DOI

10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108789 

ARTICLE TITLE

Deaths associated with opioids, race and ethnicity, and years of potential life lost in Washington State

CRITICAL RACE THEORY

Marginalized communities of color face high COVID-19 risk

UC Riverside study focused on farm-working communities in California’s Eastern Coachella Valley

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Although everyone has been affected by COVID-19 and the pandemic it spawned, not all populations have been affected equally. In the United States, for example, COVID-19 cases and death rates have been disproportionately high in Latino and Indigenous populations.

To understand how determinants of health affect perceptions of the coronavirus, its spread, and decision making around COVID-19 testing and vaccination in vulnerable populations, a team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, conducted a study in the Eastern Coachella Valley region of inland Southern California, home to Latino and Indigenous Mexican farm-working communities.

Led by Ann Cheney, an associate professor of social medicine, population, and public health in the School of Medicine, the team reports in BMC Public Health that these immigrant populations are vulnerable to inequalities that increase their risk of COVID-19 exposure, morbidity, and mortality.

“Common themes that emerged across seven focus groups we conducted include misinformation, lack of trust in institutions, and insecurity around employment and residency,” Cheney said. “Our study shows clearly that the pandemic amplified historically rooted structural inequities and social factors that shape health disparities among marginalized communities of color. Minority groups disproportionately have chronic medical conditions and have poor access to healthcare.”

Cheney and her colleagues carried out the study from August 2020 to January 2021 and used community-based participatory research. The team conducted six focus groups in Spanish and one focus group in Purépecha, a language spoken among indigenous Latin Americans in the Mexican state of Michoacán. Fifty-five people participated, all of whom self-identified as either Hispanic/Latino and/or Purépecha. More than a third of the participants identified as farm workers. 

“Most participants felt affected by the coronavirus due to reduced work hours and income, inability to work or no work, childcare responsibilities, and COVID-19 infection,” said Daniel Gehlbach, the first author of the research paper and a fourth-year medical student. “Themes of misinformation as well as insecurity and fear linked to concerns about employment and deportation came up in discussions across our focus groups. It was clear that exclusion, discrimination, and violence shape attitudes in Eastern Coachella Valley about the coronavirus and its spread, influencing behaviors regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccination and, ultimately, increasing risk for COVID-19 exposure.”

The Coachella Valley, an area of racial-ethnic disparity identified as a hotspot when the pandemic began, encompasses nine cities and rural agricultural communities. Many Latino and Indigenous Mexican immigrants in the region live below the poverty line and work in the nearby agricultural fields. 

“Interventions are urgently needed here to address distrust in both government and public health among this population, which would help decrease structural vulnerabilities,” Cheney said. “Eastern Coachella Valley residents suffer health disparities due to low income and education, limited English proficiency, and undocumented status. It should come as no surprise the pandemic severely impacted this population.”

Key findings of the study are that many Eastern Coachella Valley residents:

• Have limited access to the internet and may not have access to reliable public health sources for information regarding COVID-19. Many rely on word of mouth or social media platforms.
• Lack reliable and trustworthy information sources in Spanish and Purépecha leading some to believe they would get infected by going to testing sites.
• Experience employment insecurity, shaping decision making around COVID-19 testing and fears of job loss if testing positive.
• Are insecure about using COVID-19 testing services because of their immigration and citizenship status. Participants noted fear of being identified as undocumented at testing and vaccination sites are significant concerns among Latino and Indigenous Mexican farm-working communities. 
• Have limited confidence in government entities. Participants talked about community perceptions of the government and public health working together to harm minority groups. This lack of trust in institutions extends to hospitals and the healthcare system.

“One way to build trust in government institutions and the healthcare system is to engage those most vulnerable to COVID-19 in decision-making around public health outreach and service delivery,” Cheney said. “Positive COVID-19 messages from providers and trusted members of the community, such as community health workers or promotores de salud, increases vaccine acceptance. When medical leaders and trusted community members promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination it can positively shape COVID-19 decisions.”

Cheney calls for more attention to be paid to delivering public health information and news in ways that are accessible to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, particularly underserved and marginalized communities who may not be proficient in English and have limited access to broadband internet connection.

“We encourage sharing COVID-19 material with vulnerable Latinx communities through community and ethnic media sources such as print, radio, and television,” she said. “A printable community report we prepared is available in English and Spanish.”

Cheney and Gehlbach were joined in the study by community investigator María Pozar, co-investigator Evelyn Vázquez, graduate and medical students Gabriela Ortiz, Erica Li, Cintya Beltran Sánchez, and community health worker Sonia Rodríguez.
 
The study was supported by grants from the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation and the National Institute of Health Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) initiative.

The title of the paper is “Perceptions of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 testing and vaccination in Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrant communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley.”

The University of California, Riverside is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment is more than 26,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual impact of more than $2.7 billion on the U.S. economy. To learn more, visit www.ucr.edu.

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JOURNAL

BMC Public Health

DOI

10.1186/s12889-022-13375-7 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Perceptions of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 testing and vaccination in Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrant communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley.

People must be 'heart' of climate action

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

Tackling the climate crisis can only be achieved by "placing people at the heart of climate action", researchers say.

The research team, led by the University of Exeter, warn against relying solely on breakthroughs in climate science and technology.

Instead, they say social science can help engage people and societies, and ensure a green transition that is both effective and promotes other goals such as wellbeing, equity and fairness.

The paper is the first to be published by the new Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS) programme.

"To meet our climate goals, we need both profound societal change and continued technical improvements," said ACCESS team leader Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, from the University of Exeter.

"This dual approach can improve people’s quality of life, reduce emissions and ensure thriving economies and ecosystems.

"If people are at the heart of climate action, then understanding and tackling climate change cannot be done by engineers or natural scientists alone.

"All disciplines need to work together – not least a range of social sciences including political science, sociology, geography and psychology – to find solutions in ways that achieve wider societal goals."

Professor Devine-Wright, of Exeter's Department of Geography and the Global Systems Institute, was a Lead Author on the recent report from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III.

This was part of the IPCC's sixth assessment cycle and – for the first time – the latest report included a dedicated chapter on demand and social aspects of mitigation, and a cross-chapter analysis on equity and sustainable development.

Professor Devine-Wright said this progress should now continue, with the aim of developing more visible, responsive and interdisciplinary social science that engages with people and is valued in its diversity by decision-makers from government, industry, civil society and law.

The paper concludes: "Given that all climate solutions will involve people in one way or another, the social sciences have a vital role to play."

Published in the journal PLOS CLIMATE the paper is entitled: "Placing people at the heart of climate action."

ACCESS is a new five-year project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council that aims to provide leadership on the social science contribution to tackling and solving a range of environmental problems. It will build leadership capacity in a new cohort of early career researchers and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure social science evidence informs decision-making. 

For more information, visit https://greenfutures.exeter.ac.uk/access/

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JOURNAL

PLOS Climate

DOI

10.1371/journal.pclm.0000035 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Commentary/editorial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Placing people at the heart of climate action

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

25-May-2022

SCHADENFREUDE

Wealthiest homeowners most at risk of wildfire hazard

Peer-Reviewed Publication

IOP PUBLISHING

 

IMAGE: WILDFIRE DEVASTATION view more 

CREDIT: IOP PUBLISHING

The top ten per cent most valuable homes in the western United States are 70% more likely to be in high wildfire hazard areas than median-value properties, measured by county, according to a new study published today in Environmental Research Letters. 

Researchers at Resources for the Future, an independent research institution in Washington, DC, used granular spatial data to study residential properties in the western United States and their relative risk for wildfire exposure. The team studied properties’ location, value, community characteristics, and proximity to previous wildfires.  

The study shows that hazard and impact from recent wildfires are disproportionately borne by high-income, white, and elderly communities, and by owners of high-value properties. However, the research also reveals disproportionate exposure to wildfire hazard among the lowest-value homes in the western United States, and among Native American communities.  

Exposure to wildfire hazard often goes hand-in-hand with access to benefits like beautiful views, recreational opportunities, and proximity to nature. As a result, exposure to wildfires differs from other anthropogenic hazards such as pollution or waste facilities, which overwhelmingly affect vulnerable communities. 

In recent years, the western United States has seen a dramatic increase in wildfires because of climate change and past forest and fire management practices. Policymakers are weighing options for how to distribute the costs of wildfire suppression and mitigation across households in both low- and high-hazard areas. 

“In spite of increased attention to the distribution of environmental and climate-related risks across socioeconomic groups, and its relevance to current wildfire-related policy debates, the distribution of wildfire hazard was previously not well understood,” comments Matthew Wibbenmeyer, lead author of the paper.  

“Wildfire mitigation policies that deliver financial assistance to high-hazard areas could be subsidizing wealthy households. However, high wildfire hazard areas are quite heterogeneous, so addressing concerns associated with costs of increasing wildfire hazard may call for a geographically targeted approach focused on reducing the burden for the most vulnerable communities,” adds co-author Molly Robertson. 

ENDS 

 

 

 

About Environmental Research Letters 

Environmental Research Letters is an open access journal published by society publisher, IOP Publishing. The journal covers high-quality research in all areas of environmental science. All submissions are expected to meet a high standard of scientific rigour and contribute to advancing knowledge in the field.  

 

About IOP Publishing  
IOP Publishing is a society-owned scientific publisher, delivering impact, recognition, and value to the scientific community. Its mission is to expand the world of physics, offering a portfolio of journals, eBooks, conference proceedings and science news resources globally. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Institute of Physics, a not-for-profit society, IOP Publishing supports the Institute’s work to inspire people to develop their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of physics. Go to http://ioppublishing.org or follow us @IOPPublishing.    

IOP Publishing contact: juliet.hannay@ioppublishing.org 

 

About Resources for the Future 

Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy. 

 

 

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JOURNAL

Environmental Research Letters

DOI

10.1088/1748-9326/ac60d7 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

The distributional incidence of wildfire hazard in the western United States

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-May-2022

More young people begin recreational cannabis use illegally in states that legalize it

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGOp

Once a state legalizes recreational cannabis, residents are more likely to start using it, including those too young to do so legally, report researchers at University of California San Diego. The findings, published online in the May 26, 2022 issue of Addiction, counter claims that legalization does not increase cannabis use, particularly among youth.

The observational study tracked 6,925 youths and 14,938 adults using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health in the United States (PATH). Study authors found that young people, ages 12 to 20, were more likely to become cannabis users in states that legalize recreational use than in states that have not legalized the drug. An increased likelihood of use was also documented in adults.

According to a 2020 Natural Survey on Drug Use and Health, 17.9 percent of people aged 12 or older (approximately 49.6 million persons) reported using cannabis in the past 12 months.

Subjects in the study lived in four states that have legalized recreational cannabis use in recent years (California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine), 11 states that allow medical cannabis use and 17 states that prohibit all cannabis use.

The authors said using PATH data made the study the first to estimate age-level changes in a nationally representative longitudinal cohort. The study also has a much larger sample size than previous efforts.

“Our findings provide useful information to policymakers and public health practitioners interested in understanding the consequences of legalizing recreational cannabis,” said principal investigator Yuyan Shi, PhD, associate professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. “It’s especially concerning that increased cannabis use occurs among young people because of the detrimental health effects associated with cannabis use at a young age, including impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease and adverse effects on mental health.”

Co-authors include: Christian Gunadi, UC San Diego; and Bin Zhu, UC San Diego and Southern University of Science and Technology, China.

Funding for this research came, in part, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA042290, R01DA049730).

Full study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.15895

Disclosures: The authors report no conflicts.

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JOURNAL

Addiction

DOI

10.1111/add.15895 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Recreational cannabis legalization and transitions in cannabis use: findings from a nationally representative longitudinal cohort in the United States

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-May-2022

Residents of US states that legalize recreational cannabis are more likely to start using the drug

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF ADDICTION

A new study of more than 20,000 Americans published in the scientific journal Addiction has found that once a state legalizes recreational cannabis, state residents are more likely to start using the drug.  The study compared four US states with legalized recreational cannabis (California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maine) with states that had not.

This study is groundbreaking in four ways:

• It is the first study to estimate the association between recreational cannabis laws and individual-level changes in cannabis use among a nationally representative longitudinal cohort in the US.
• It examines cannabis use initiation in both youths and adults.
• It has a much larger sample size than  similar longitudinal studies: 6,925 youths and 14,938 adults, 21,863 in total.
• The study provides evidence against the claim that legalization would not increase cannabis use among youth.

Professor Yuyan Shi of Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego, the Principal Investigator of this study, says “Our findings provide useful information to policymakers and public health practitioners interested in understanding the consequences of legalizing recreational cannabis.  It’s especially concerning that increased cannabis use occurs among young people because of the detrimental health effects associated with cannabis use at a young age, including impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease, and adverse effects on mental health.”

-- Ends –

For editors:

This paper is free to read for one month after the embargo lifts from the Wiley Online Library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.15895 or by contacting Jean O’Reilly, Editorial Manager, Addiction, jean@addictionjournal.org.

To speak with author Professor Yuyan Shi, please contact her through Yadira Galindo, Director of Communications, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego by email (y2galindo@ucsd.edu) or telephone (619-379-3977).

Full citation for article: Gunadi C, Zhu B, and Shi Y (2022) Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Transitions in Cannabis Use: Findings from a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Cohort in the United States.  Addiction: doi: 10.1111/add.15895

Funding: This research was supported by grant R01DA042290 and grant R01DA049730 from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Declaration of interests:  The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Addiction is a monthly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research reports on alcohol, substances, tobacco, and gambling as well as editorials and other debate pieces. Owned by the Society for the Study of Addiction, it has been in continuous publication since 1884.

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JOURNAL

Addiction

DOI

10.1111/add.15895 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Transitions in Cannabis Use: Findings from a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Cohort in the United States

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-May-2022

The first cave-bound mollusc species from the Americas

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

 

IMAGE: SMALL INDIVIDUALS OF EUPERA TROGLOBIA SP. N. EXPOSED TO THE AIR, WITH A HARVESTMAN (EUSARCUS SP.) NEAR THEM. view more 

CREDIT: RODRIGO LOPES FERREIRA

Exclusively subterranean bivalves - the group of molluscs comprising clams, oysters, mussels, scallops - are considered a rarity. Prior to the present study, there had only been three such species confirmed in the world: all belonging to a small-sized mussel genus known from southeastern Europe. Furthermore, bivalves are not your typical ‘underworld’ dweller, since they are almost immobile and do not tolerate environments low in oxygen. 

Against the odds, a new study by Dr. Luiz Ricardo L. Simone (Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo) and Dr Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira (Federal University of Lavras), published in the open-access scholarly journal Subterranean Biology, describes a new to science species of evidently cave-bound - or troglobitic - clam from northern Brazil. 

Named Eupera troglobia, the mollusk demonstrates features characteristic for organisms not meant to see the daylight, including lack of pigmentation, reduced size, delicate shell and fewer, yet larger eggs.

Curiously, it was back in 2006 when a report presenting a faunal survey of a cave in northern Brazil featured photographs of what was to be described as Eupera troglobia. However, the evidence was quickly dismissed: the clam must have been carried into the cave by water. 

In 2010, Dr Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira accessed the report and noticed the depigmentation of the clams. Wondering whether it was indeed possible that he was looking at a troglobite, he searched amongst the collected specimens from that study, but could not find any of the discoloured bivalve.

Ten years later, his team visited the cave to specifically search for depigmented shells. Although the cave was partially flooded, the researchers were able to spot the specimens they needed attached to the walls of the cave.

In conclusion, the scientists highlight that their discovery is the latest reminder about how important the conservation of the fragile subterranean habitats is, given the treasure troves in their holdings. 

Meanwhile, recently amended laws in Brazil put caves at considerably higher risk.

CAPTION

A submerged specimen of Eupera troglobia sp. n.

CREDIT

Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira

CAPTION

Casa de Pedra cave, with a partially flooded chamber.

CREDIT

Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira

Research paper: 

Simone LRL, Ferreira RL (2022) Eupera troglobia sp. nov.: the first troglobitic bivalve from the Americas (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Sphaeriidae). Subterranean Biology 42: 165-184. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.42.78074

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JOURNAL

Subterranean Biology

DOI

10.3897/subtbiol.42.78074 

ARTICLE TITLE

Eupera troglobia sp. nov.: the first troglobitic bivalve from the Americas (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Sphaeriidae)

Perplexing fish-like fossil finally classified

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: SCAN OF FISH-LIKE FOSSIL VERTEBRATE PALAEOSPONDYLUS GUNNI view more 

CREDIT: TATSUYA HIRASAWA / RIKEN

For the first time since its discovery 130 years ago one of the most mysterious fossil vertebrates has finally been classified, increasing our possible understanding of the first animals to crawl on Earth.

“This strange animal has baffled scientists since its discovery in 1890 as a puzzle that’s been impossible to solve,” Dr Daisy (Yuzhi) Hu, researcher and PhD graduate from The Australian National University (ANU), said.

Palaeospondylus gunni is a mysterious fish-like fossil vertebrate with a strange set of morphological features, including a lack of teeth and dermal bones in the fossil record.

The small animal with an eel-like body lived approximately 390 million years ago. Despite its age, its position on the evolutionary tree has remained unclear, until now.

Research led by the University of Tokyo in conjunction with ANU and the Evolutionary Morphology Laboratory RIKEN, has uncovered that the specimen was likely one of the earliest ancestors of four-limbed animals.

“Morphological comparisons of this animal have always been extremely challenging for scientists,” Dr Hu said.  

“However, recent improvements in high resolution 3D segmentation and visualisation have made this previously impossible task possible.

“Finding a specimen as well preserved as the ones we used is like winning the lottery, or even better!” 

Previously damaged or incorrectly preserved specimens of the animal have meant that placing this fossil on the evolutionary tree has always been a challenge.

The researchers found that Palaeospondylus was most likely a member of Sarcopterygii, a group of lobe-finned fishes, due to its cartilaginous skeleton and the absence of paired appendages.

“Despite the investigation, it is still hard to determine what the animal was with 100 per-cent accuracy,” Dr Hu said.  

The new findings mean that scientists could unlock a range of unknown morphological features and evolutionary history of four-limbed animals. 

“Even with this new information, long-lasting investigations with the joint effort of scientists from around the world is needed to give us the perfect answer of what actually is Palaeospondylus gunni.”

The study has been published in Nature.  

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-022-04781-3 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Imaging analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Morphology of Palaeospondylus shows affinity to tetrapod ancestors

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-May-2022