ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| New model may improve San Francisco Bay Area, U.S., seismic hazard maps Posted: 25 Feb 2022 11:21 AM PST Using the Santa Cruz Mountains as a natural laboratory, researchers have built a 3D tectonic model that clarifies the link between earthquakes and mountain building along the San Andreas fault for the first time. The findings may be used to improve seismic hazard maps of the Bay Area. |
| A new, inexpensive catalyst speeds the production of oxygen from water Posted: 25 Feb 2022 10:56 AM PST Researchers have developed a new type of catalyst material, called a metal hydroxide-organic framework (MHOF), which is made of inexpensive and abundant components. The catalyst speeds up the electrochemical reaction that splits apart water molecules to produce oxygen, which is at the heart of multiple approaches aiming to produce alternative fuels for transportation. |
| Number of wildfires to rise by 50 percent by 2100 and governments are not prepared, UN experts warn Posted: 25 Feb 2022 09:35 AM PST Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 percent by 2030, 30 percent by the end of 2050 and 50 percent by the end of the century, warns a new UN report. It calls for radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness. |
| The largest population of a rare, protected orchid found in a military base in Corsica Posted: 25 Feb 2022 07:02 AM PST The neglected Serapias, a rare orchid, has been found in a Corsican military base in very large numbers: more than 155,000 individuals! No comparable population is known anywhere in the world. A total of 552 plant species were discovered in an area of just 550 hectares, including 19 protected in France. This rich biodiversity confers a patrimonial responsibility on this military base. |
| Posted: 25 Feb 2022 07:02 AM PST A new study explores large-scale relationships between vegetation and climatic characteristics using machine learning. The findings highlight the importance of climatic extremes in shaping the distribution of several major vegetation types. |
| Swiss rivers on track to overheat by the end of the century Posted: 25 Feb 2022 07:02 AM PST According to a new study, if we take immediate measures to reduce CO2 emissions, we could limit the rise in the temperature of Swiss rivers to 1°C between now and 2090 without drastically affecting their discharge. |
| African 'hotspot' for highly infectious diseases Posted: 25 Feb 2022 05:59 AM PST A regional corner of Africa is a hotspot for cases of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, prompting researchers to call for targeted health support rather than a national response. |
| Discovery of ancient underwater landslide could help Middle Eastern nations realize tsunami hazards Posted: 24 Feb 2022 03:03 PM PST An earth scientist has discovered evidence of an ancient underwater landslide and associated tsunami in the Gulf of Aqaba, a subsidiary of the Red Sea, that should serve as a warning for many nations in the Middle East. |
| How much energy does a dolphin use to swim? Posted: 24 Feb 2022 03:03 PM PST From foraging for prey to evading predators and ship strikes, a dolphin's survival depends on speedy swimming, but burning all that energy can delete the metabolic reserves vital for growth, health and reproduction. A new study provides scientists with a new metric for estimating how much energy wild dolphins expend on swimming -- information that is essential for answering fundamental questions about their physiology and ecology, and for understanding the impacts of human disturbances on them. |
| Interaction with lung cells transforms asbestos particles Posted: 24 Feb 2022 01:17 PM PST Asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer and other diseases, often multiple decades following exposure. Many researchers have sought to elucidate disease mechanisms, but a new study took the opposite approach, using a high-tech microscope to look at how the mineral changed upon interaction with lung cells. Their findings suggest that the mineralogical transformations inside the cells may play a role in triggering disease. |
| Ridgecrest shows how earthquakes damage Earth’s crust Posted: 24 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST In July 2019, a series of earthquakes including two major shocks of magnitude 6.4 and 7.1 a day apart struck near Ridgecrest, CA, between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. For local residents, it was a violent interruption to the Fourth of July holiday. For seismologists, it was a rare opportunity to study how earthquakes damage the Earth's crust. |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST The building blocks of life-saving therapeutics could be developed in days instead of years thanks to new software that simulates evolution. Proseeker is the name of a new computational tool that mimics the processes of natural selection, producing proteins that can be used for a range of medicinal and household uses. |
| Mycorrhizal fungi promote greater tree species diversity Posted: 24 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST Researchers have found that mycorrhizas promote greater tree species diversity in North American forests. |
| Factors that shaped the massive Cauca River Canyon in the tropical Andes Posted: 23 Feb 2022 01:46 PM PST A team of researchers recently embarked on a research expedition to the Tropical Andes of Colombia to study the massive Cauca River canyon. The team's objective was to determine the age of formation of the Cauca River canyon and then compare that with known tectonic and climatic processes that happened in the region during the past 10 million years to figure out what caused its incision. The team concluded that erosion in the Cauca River canyon was driven by tectonic processes. |
| Nanocarrier spray: Better crops without genetic modification Posted: 23 Feb 2022 05:57 AM PST Researchers have developed a way to improve crop quality without needing to create special genetically modified plants. The new technique relies on a spray that introduces bioactive molecules into plant cells through their leaves and could be used to help crops resist pests or become more resistant to drought -- in less time and at less cost than genetically modifying crops. |
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