Rapid growth of anthropogenic organic nanoparticles greatly alters cloud life cycle in the Amazon rainforest.

Aerosol-cloud interactions remain uncertain in assessing climate change. While anthropogenic activities produce copious aerosol nanoparticles smaller than 10 nanometers, they are too small to act as efficient cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The mechanisms responsible for particle growth to CCN-relevant sizes are poorly understood.

Harmonized and high-quality datasets of aerosol optical depth at a US continental site, 1997-2018.

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) characterizes the aerosol burden in the atmosphere, while its wavelength dependence is a sign of particle size. Long-term records of wavelength-resolved AOD with high quality and suitable continuity are required for climate change assessment. Typically, climate-related studies use AOD products provided by several, and perhaps different, ground-based instruments.

Substantial convection and precipitation enhancements by ultrafine aerosol particles.

Aerosol-cloud interactions remain the largest uncertainty in climate projections. Ultrafine aerosol particles smaller than 50 nanometers (UAP) can be abundant in the troposphere but are conventionally considered too small to affect cloud formation. Observational evidence and numerical simulations of deep convective clouds (DCCs) over the Amazon show that DCCs forming in a low-aerosol environment can develop very large vapor supersaturation because fast droplet coalescence reduces integrated droplet surface area and subsequent condensation.

Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport during rainfall.

The nucleation of atmospheric vapours is an important source of new aerosol particles that can subsequently grow to form cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Most field studies of atmospheric aerosols over continents are influenced by atmospheric vapours of anthropogenic origin (for example, ref. 2) and, in consequence, aerosol processes in pristine, terrestrial environments remain poorly understood.

A recent global selective sweep on the age-1 phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase regulator of the insulin-like signaling pathway within Caenorhabditis remanei.

The discovery that genetic pathways can be manipulated to extend lifespan has revolutionized our understanding of aging, yet their function within natural populations remains poorly characterized. In particular, evolutionary theories of aging predict tradeoffs in resource investment toward somatic maintenance vs. reproductive output that should impose strong natural selection on genetic components that influence this balance.

Dust and biological aerosols from the Sahara and Asia influence precipitation in the western U.S.

Winter storms in California's Sierra Nevada increase seasonal snowpack and provide critical water resources and hydropower for the state. Thus, the mechanisms influencing precipitation in this region have been the subject of research for decades. Previous studies suggest Asian dust enhances cloud ice and precipitation, whereas few studies consider biological aerosols as an important global source of ice nuclei (IN).