ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

A new study maps the evolutionary history and interrelationships of protein domains, the subunits of protein molecules, over 3.8 billion years.

Researchers offers a new understanding of how gene activity directs plant growth, and how quickly plants respond to their environment -- with shifting light conditions triggering molecular changes in as little as five minutes. The findings provide insights into how to increase yield and safeguard world food production as climate change shrinks the planet's arable land.

New research shows that there may be more antimicrobial-resistant salmonella in our food animals than scientists previously thought.

When it comes to understanding and predicting trends in energy use, the internet is a tough nut to crack. So say energy researchers in two recent articles that discuss the pitfalls that plague estimates of the internet's energy and carbon impacts.

A new study has shown that the size of the Maya population in the lowland city of Itzan (in present-day Guatemala) varied over time in response to climate change. The findings show that both droughts and very wet periods led to important population declines.

In a 34-year global analysis, researchers found that photosynthesis -- an important process for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in soil -- was controlled by extreme wet events nearly as often as droughts in certain locations.

Predicting the potential effects of coral loss on fish communities globally is a fundamental task, especially considering that reef fishes provide protein to millions of people. A new study predicts how fish diversity will respond to declines in coral diversity and shows that future coral loss might cause a more than 40% reduction in reef fish diversity globally.

Researchers at NIST have upgraded their laser frequency-comb instrument to simultaneously measure three airborne greenhouse gases -- nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and water vapor -- plus the major air pollutants ozone and carbon monoxide.

Researchers have developed a machine learning model using a physics-based simulator and real-world meteorological data to better predict offshore wind power.

By using a fluid mixing process instead of expensive, high-temperature fabrication methods, researchers may have demonstrated a pathway to producing flexible, printed solar cells on a cost effective, industrial scale.

A new mathematical model has been developed to uncover land clearing when satellite imagery is obstructed by clouds.

Following habitat-destroying wildfires, researchers found many male red-backed fairywrens failed to molt into their ornamental plumage, making them less attractive to potential mates. They also had lowered circulating testosterone, which has been associated with their showy feathers. The birds' fat stores and stress hormone corticosterone remained at normal levels. While the findings are specific to this songbird, they may have implications for other species that don special coloration for mating.

Researchers have developed a method to turn biodegradable plastic knives, spoons, and forks into a foam that can be used as insulation in walls or in flotation devices. The investigators placed the cutlery into a chamber filled with carbon dioxide. As pressure increased, the gas dissolved into the plastic. When they suddenly released the pressure in the chamber, the carbon dioxide expanded within the plastic, creating foaming.