Assessing the potential fire risk of laundered fabrics after contamination with emollients using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics.

Since 2010, more than 50 UK fire deaths, have been reported as linked with emollients. This prompted the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to issue advice on their safer use in 2018. The advice was in response to concerns raised by the National Fire Chiefs Council, coroners' reports, and flammability tests.

Agalma clausi (Bedot, 1888) (Siphonophora: Physonectae)-complementary description with notes on species distribution and ecology.

Siphonophores are colonial hydrozoans, which in spite of often growing to great lengths are an inconspicuous and understudied component of pelagic ecosystems. Although they are widely distributed, many species have rarely been collected, or often been misidentified so their taxonomy still requires some clarification. Here we redescribe one such species, Agalma clausi Bedot, 1888, supplementing information on its morphology, ecology and distribution based on the material collected in the tropical sector of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.

Improved phylogenetic resolution within Siphonophora (Cnidaria) with implications for trait evolution.

Siphonophores are a diverse group of hydrozoans (Cnidaria) that are found at most depths of the ocean - from the surface, like the familiar Portuguese man of war, to the deep sea. They play important roles in ocean ecosystems, and are among the most abundant gelatinous predators. A previous phylogenetic study based on two ribosomal RNA genes provided insight into the internal relationships between major siphonophore groups.

A fungal pathogen in time and space: the population dynamics of Beauveria bassiana in a conifer forest.

The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana is ubiquitous in below-ground systems; however, there is a dearth of information on the above-ground diversity, temporal and spatial distribution of this fungus. Therefore, we assessed its occurrence in a conifer forest (Pseudotsuga monziesii and Pinus nigra var. maritima) using selective media to isolate B.

Antarctic terrestrial life--challenging the history of the frozen continent?

Antarctica is a continent locked in ice, with almost 99.7% of current terrain covered by permanent ice and snow, and clear evidence that, as recently as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), ice sheets were both thicker and much more extensive than they are now. Ice sheet modelling of both the LGM and estimated previous ice maxima across the continent give broad support to the concept that most if not all currently ice-free ground would have been overridden during previous glaciations.

Molecular phylogenetics of the siphonophora (Cnidaria), with implications for the evolution of functional specialization.

Siphonophores are a group of pelagic colonial hydrozoans (Cnidaria) that have long been of general interest because of the division of labor between the polyps and medusae that make up these "superorganisms." These polyps and medusae are each homologous to free living animals but are generated by an incomplete asexual budding process that leaves them physiologically integrated. They are functionally specialized for different tasks and are precisely organized within each colony.

Bioluminescent and red-fluorescent lures in a deep-sea siphonophore.

Bioluminescence (light production) and fluorescence (re-emission of absorbed radiation as light) are found in an unaccountably diverse array of marine organisms, where their functions are largely unknown. Here we report a deep-sea siphonophore that twitches glowing lures to attract fish. This is rare evidence of bioluminescence used for prey attraction among nonvisual marine organisms.