Monika Mortimer received the 4,000-euro young scientist award to support her research. She is an outstanding young scientist who returned to Estonia after a research career outside her homeland. After defending her doctorate in chemistry and materials science at Tallinn University of Technology, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Geneva and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Currently, Monika Mortimer leads a research group in the environmental toxicology laboratory, which deals with the synthesis and environmental safety assessment of novel nanocomposite materials. Monika Mortimer also actively participates in scientific organizational activities and has been an invited speaker and chair of sessions at international science conferences.
Read more: https://www.akadeemia.ee/konkursid-preemiad-medalid/eesti-teaduste-akadeemia-fond/
On Wednesday Dr. Alla Khosrovyan spoke on ETV’s ”Tegemist on teadusega” about the effects of microplastics on the mosquito Chironomus riparius. Plastic without chemicals and UV-degraded plastic, which is one of the most important ways of plastic degradation, were tested. The results showed that both types of plastic reduced the number of adult mosquitoes, but after three generations the number recovered. Although microplastics produced a short-term harmful effect, it cannot be confirmed it is completely safe, and further research is necessary. Fluctuations in mosquito populations affect the entire food chain, as they are an important food source for many fish.
ERR clip series “Tähelepanu! Tegemist on teadusega!” introduces the work of Estonian researchers in various fields and is broadcast every Wednesday at 20:55. Rewatch the clip here: https://etv.err.ee/1609337660/tahelepanu-tegemist-on-teadusega?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0VT-crO3Hgvbdme_F-5jydEgqmh00oRSWLgW0vVcX5MVCdVBJrGolDv8M_aem_AY9YFxvTIyms9vm1m2_jCVLm9vFDEeMxGvnm-S9U2SqYJtaTzl6Shra9ObtbHNx2x-IMbSFe0xzsSZ1hpCBekfyc
In the “TeadusEST” program of March 9, the activities of NICPB led by Urmas Nagel in the field of nanotechnology were introduced. Among other topics, the head of the environmental toxicology laboratory Anne Kahru gave an overview of nanoecotoxicology.
Episode description: The world we are all familiar with changes beyond recognition when viewed at very tiny dimensions, and these nanoscale processes can seem completely mind-boggling. Let’s find out why this is so and what opportunities the nanoworld opens up for humanity. Host-editor Piret Järvis-Milder, editor Kaur Maran, director Liis Lindmaa, producer Anatoli Tafitšuk, producer Ulm Production. The program is produced in cooperation with the Estonian Science Agency.
Watch the show here: https://etv.err.ee/1608895667/teadusest
On March 6, Anne Kahru, head of the environmental toxicology laboratory, gave an interview about neonicotinoids in the radio program “Ökoskoop”. Results from the recently published EASAC report of the Research Council of European Academies were discussed in more detail.
Listen to the program (neonicotinoids part at 00:00-29:55): https://vikerraadio.err.ee/1608892268/okoskoop-keelatud-putukamurk-ounamahlajaakV%C3%B5rreldes?fbclid=IwAR0r2PxKl8cNrOiSH-v3ATMlimbS_4WuZx7eViZdpJWFUN0XPE_CJOk1v6E
Since restrictions on three neonicotinoids were introduced in 2018 in the European Union (EU), other insecticides with similar modes of action have entered the EU market, raising concerns that they may pose similar risks to honeybees and other non-target species. Anne Kahru, KBFI’s leading researcher and head of the environmental toxicology laboratory, also participated in the report’s working group by mapping the current state of the scientific literature on ecotoxicology.
Debate is underway on the sustainable use of pesticides, on how to evaluate the environmental risk of existing and new pesticides, and on adapting regulations with the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork, and Biodiversity strategies.
Link to study: https://easac.eu/publications/details/neonicotinoids-and-their-substitutes-in-sustainable-pest-control
Elise Joonas successfully defended her doctoral thesis “Evaluation of metal contaminant hazard on microalgae with environmentally relevant testing strategies” on May 12th at University of Tartu.
Supervisors:
Prof. Kalle Olli, Estonian University of Life Sciences and University of Tartu
Dr. Villem Aruoja, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Dr. Anne Kahru, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Opponent:
Dr. Giulia Cheloni, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) (France)
Summary:
Waterbodies are particularly at risk of anthropogenic metal contamination, because they are the final sink for these non-degradable substances. In this thesis, the hazard of metal contaminants was tested on microalgae – the basis of aquatic food webs. Focus was chiefly on emerging pollutants – metal oxide nanoparticles and doped rare earth element oxides. These materials are critical in sustainable energy production, but need to be thoroughly characterized for toxic effects due to their high bioactivity and potential for multifaceted toxic effects, respectively. In parallel, the known algicide copper was used in developing novel multispecies assays. Contaminant effects were studied in non-standard environmentally relevant experiments to better understand, how results translate from lab to field. We saw that metal nanoparticles were less toxic in natural water compared to usual synthetic medium, due to the protective effect of natural dissolved organic matter. Due to an up to 50-fold difference in resilience to inhibition by nanoparticles, it is useful to conduct experiments on various species. By measuring non-standard parameters, we found that rare earth elements affect algae either by directly damaging membranes or indirectly by binding essential nutrients. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles hindered growth by amassing around algal cells, while a non-standard stress parameter showed the cells’ photosynthetic capacity within these clumps was not greatly damaged. In multispecies assays algae were generally indifferent to the presence of other species in their response to copper. Cultures containing a mix of species produced more biomass even in contaminated water, due to the multispecies mix more likely containing highly productive or more toxicant-resilient species. Finally, we recommend to focus more on algal functional traits in ecotoxicology. Traits were good predictors of biomass production ability and resiliency to toxicants.
