Climatological model surface circulations in February: (a) for 1990–1995 and (b) for 1995–2000. The colour bar represents the surface current speed, while arrows show both speed and direction

Using a model developed at the JRC, scientists have successfully simulated the Black Sea’s long term currents, salt water content and temperature for the first time.Average surface temperatures of the Black Sea may not have risen, according to the surprising results of a new study from the JRC. The study used a model to simulate possible temperature changes and predict long term trends in the Black Sea’s hydrodynamics. While the surface showed no long term warming trend, the same simulations also indicated that average temperatures at 50 metres below the surface may be rising. The Black Sea has unique natural conditions like a positive net freshwater balance and very specific local currents. Observational data on temperature change is varied and scarce. As such it is not clear what the impacts of climate change have been on Black Sea water temperatures.

The organic pollution decomposing properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) have been known for about half a century. However, practical applications have been few and hard to develop, but now a Greek paint producer claims to have found a solution. The photocatalytic properties of anatase, one of the three naturally occurring forms of titanium dioxide, were discovered in Japan in the late 1960s. Under the influence of the UV-radiation in sunlight, it can decompose organic pollutants such as bacteria, fungi and nicotine, and some inorganic materials into carbon dioxide. The catalytic effect is caused by the nanostructure of its crystals. Applied outdoors, this affordable and widely available material could represent an efficient self-cleaning solution for buildings. This is due to the chemical reaction, which leaves a residue on building façades, a residue then washed away when it rains. Applying it to monuments in urban areas may save our cultural heritage, which is threatened by pollutants.

Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats, shows a new study from Professor Hannes Lohi’s research group. Based on the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, the recommended weaning age of 12 weeks should be raised by at least two weeks. Delaying weaning is an easy and cost-efficient way of improving the quality of life of cats. The cat is the most popular companion animal, and people are increasingly interested in its wellbeing. One of the topics under international debate is the weaning age, i.e., the age at which kittens are separated from their mother and siblings and brought to a new home. In Finland, the recommended minimum age of weaning is 12 weeks, but in many other countries, such as the United States, weaning of kittens as young as 8 weeks is common. It has previously been thought that the critical period of socialisation in cats ends by 8 weeks of age, after which social experiences have little impact on behaviour.

Involvement of the retina can take several forms. Wide-angle fundus image (RetCam) of the left eye of a child with congenital Zika syndrome showing large chorioretinal scar in the macular region.

100% of Brazilian infants with confirmed and suspected Zika included in two new studies published in the Journal of AAPOS were born with vision problems. Although one of the most serious consequences of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in infants is microcephaly, there is a broad collection of anomalies now known as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Some of the most serious are ophthalmologic, including macular scarring, retinal defects, low visual acuity, strabismus, and nystagmus. Two papers published in the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) evaluated visual function among infants with suspected and confirmed CZS. Both studies found that while about 40% of patients had ocular abnormalities, 100% of children tested had visual impairment. Thus, cortical visual impairment might be the most common cause of blindness among children with CZS.

Forest fires and wildland fires are common in summer in the  temperate boreal forest, rarer at high altitudes, and unheard of in an ice age at high altitudes – until now.  Evidence of wildfires dating back 20,000 years was recently discovered in the Massif du Queyras, in the heart of the French Alps, 2,240 metres above sea level. The news comes in a joint Canada-France study published in New Phytologist and co-authored by Olivier Blarquez, a geography professor at Université de Montréal, and Christopher Carcaillet, a professor at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, in Paris, and at the Laboratoire d’écologie des hydrosystèmes naturels et anthropisés (CNRS/Université Lyon 1/ENTPE).