Vascular remodeling within the developing fetus and placenta is essential for supporting the growth and function of emerging tissues and organs. Pericytes (PCs) play a central role in stabilizing and maturing microvascular networks by extending along endothelial cells (ECs) and reinforcing vessel integrity. In the placenta, as in other organs, PC–EC communication is mediated in part by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF‑B...

Iron is an important micronutrient required by marine microorganisms. The Southern Ocean is an ecosystem where primary production is limited by the availability of iron, but how microorganisms in this region adapt to low‐iron conditions or respond to episodic iron inputs is understudied. We tested how external iron additions would impact bacterial production of siderophores during phytoplankton growth using shipboard incubatio...

Obligate bipedalism is a defining trait of the human lineage, yet the selective pressures underlying its emergence and fixation remain debated, particularly within the woodland-grassland mosaic environments associated with early hominins. Modern semi-terrestrial primates inhabiting comparable ecosystems provide a useful model for evaluating candidate functional contexts of early bipedal behavior in the human lineage. Here, we...

The growth of diatoms in the Southern Ocean, especially the region surrounding the West Antarctic Peninsula, is frequently constrained by low dissolved iron and other trace metal concentrations. This challenge may be overcome by mutualisms between diatoms and co-occurring associated bacteria, in which diatoms produce organic carbon as a substrate for bacterial growth, and bacteria produce siderophores, metal-binding ligands th...

In the Southern Ocean, it is well‐known that iron (Fe) limits phytoplankton growth. Yet, other trace metals can also affect phytoplankton physiology. This study investigated feedbacks between phytoplankton growth and dissolved Fe, manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in Southern Ocean shipboard incubations. Three experiments were conducted in September–October 2016 n...

This review paper reports the consensus of a technical workshop hosted by the European network, NanoImpactNet (NIN). The workshop aimed to review the collective experience of working at the bench with manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs), and to recommend modifications to existing experimental methods and OECD protocols. Current procedures for cleaning glassware are appropriate for most MNMs, although interference with electrodes...

Roads in the Puhipuhi area of Northland, New Zealand, have been surfaced with road aggregate derived from hydrothermally mineralised rocks, which contain iron sulphides (pyrite and marcasite). Oxidation of the iron sulphides results in localised acidification, typically to pH 3, on roads and in source quarries. This low pH is at least one pH unit more acidic than typical background pH of 4–5.5 in forested areas through which t...