ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| Modelling the behavior and dynamics of microswimmers Posted: 27 May 2022 11:21 AM PDT The understanding of the clustering and movement of microswimmers has a range of applications from human health to tackling ecological problems. |
| Posted: 27 May 2022 09:13 AM PDT Researchers have succeeded in understanding the biosynthetic mechanisms for the production of the natural product cyanobacterin, which is produced in small quantities by the cyanobacteria Scytonema hofmanni. In the process, they also discovered a new class of enzymes for building carbon-carbon bonds. The (bio)chemists are thus significantly expanding the biocatalytic repertoire currently known from Nature and are opening up new, sustainable biotechnological applications in medicine and agriculture. |
| Siberian tundra could virtually disappear by mid-millennium Posted: 27 May 2022 07:12 AM PDT Due to global warming, temperatures in the Arctic are climbing rapidly. As a result, the treeline for Siberian larch forests is steadily advancing to the north, gradually supplanting the broad expanses of tundra which are home to a unique mix of flora and fauna. Experts have now prepared a computer simulation of how these woods could spread in the future, at the tundra's expense. |
| British coral predicted to be resilient to climate change Posted: 27 May 2022 05:52 AM PDT An iconic coral species found in UK waters could expand its range due to climate change, new research shows. |
| How to tie-dye cotton with acorns and rust Posted: 26 May 2022 12:18 PM PDT Tie-dyeing is a fun activity that can spice up clothes with colorful patterns. Although kits are available in stores, nature provides dyes that can be extracted from items found in one's yard -- for example, acorns and rust. Researchers now present a 'green' process for tie-dyeing cotton with renewable resources and wastes that undergraduate students can easily do under minimal supervision. The activity links together science, art and sustainability. |
| Autonomous underwater imaging: Faster and more accurate Posted: 26 May 2022 11:48 AM PDT Recently conducted tests used new algorithms to outperform state-of-the-art programming for autonomous underwater sonar imaging, significantly improving the speed and accuracy for identifying objects such as explosive mines, sunken ships, airplane black boxes, pipelines and corrosion on ship hulls. |
| New type of extremely reactive substance in the atmosphere Posted: 26 May 2022 11:15 AM PDT An entirely new class of super-reactive chemical compounds has been discovered under atmospheric conditions. Researchers have documented the formation of so-called trioxides -- an extremely oxidizing chemical compound that likely affects both human health and our global climate. |
| 'Fuel of evolution' more abundant than previously thought in wild animals Posted: 26 May 2022 11:15 AM PDT The raw material for evolution is much more abundant in wild animals than we previously believed, according to new research. |
| Scientists shine new light on role of Earth's orbit in the fate of ancient ice sheets Posted: 26 May 2022 11:15 AM PDT Scientists have finally put to bed a long-standing question over the role of Earth's orbit in driving global ice age cycles. |
| A unique catalyst paves the way for plastic upcycling Posted: 26 May 2022 09:57 AM PDT A recently developed catalyst for breaking down plastics continues to advance plastic upcycling processes. In 2020, scientists developed the first processive inorganic catalyst to deconstruct polyolefin plastics into molecules that can be used to create more valuable products. Now, the team has developed and validated a strategy to speed up the transformation without sacrificing desirable products. |
| Producers and consumers must share burden of global plastic packaging waste Posted: 26 May 2022 09:57 AM PDT Plastic packaging waste is everywhere. Our plastic bottles, food wrappings, and grocery bags litter the landscape and pollute the global environment. A new study explores the global patterns of plastic packaging waste. The study finds three countries -- the U.S., Brazil, and China -- are the top suppliers of waste. |
| Arc volcanoes are wetter than previously thought, with scientific and economic implications Posted: 26 May 2022 09:21 AM PDT The percentage of water in arc volcanoes, which form above subduction zones, may be far more than many previous studies have calculated. This increased amount of water has broad implications for understanding how Earth's lower crust forms, how magma erupts through the crust, and how economically important mineral ore deposits form, according to a new article. |
| Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT Chemists have processed waste plastic from end-of-life trucks into graphene for composite materials in new vehicles. |
| Tsunami threats underestimated in current models Posted: 26 May 2022 06:56 AM PDT USC researchers have found a correlation between tsunami severity and the width of the outer wedge -- the area between the continental shelf and deep trenches where large tsunamis emerge -- that helps explain how underwater seismic events generate large tsunamis. |
| Agriculture tech use opens possibility of digital havoc Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT Wide-ranging use of smart technologies is raising global agricultural production but international researchers warn this digital-age phenomenon could reap a crop of another kind -- cybersecurity attacks. Complex IT and math modelling has highlighted the risks. |
| Perplexing fish-like fossil finally classified Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT For the first time since its discovery 130 years ago one of the most mysterious fossil vertebrates has finally been classified, increasing our possible understanding of the first animals to crawl on Earth. |
| Wealthiest homeowners most at risk of wildfire hazard Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT The top ten per cent most valuable homes in the western United States are 70% more likely to be in high wildfire hazard areas than median-value properties, according to a new study. |
| Helping submersibles navigate more safely in shallow water Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT Researchers propose a process for improving the accuracy of acoustic positioning in shallow water using a mathematical method for removing the reflected waves. This work may lead to the safer navigation of submarines and divers in ports and other narrow waters. |
| People must be 'heart' of climate action Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT Tackling the climate crisis can only be achieved by 'placing people at the heart of climate action', researchers say. |
| Decline of diatoms due to ocean acidification Posted: 25 May 2022 03:26 PM PDT Diatoms are the most important producers of plant biomass in the ocean and help to transport carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere into the deep ocean and thus regulate our climate. Because diatoms rely on silica rather than calcium carbonate to build their shells, they were previously thought to benefit from ocean acidification -- a chemical change in seawater triggered by the increasing uptake of CO2 that makes calcification more difficult. Scientists now show that diatoms, which are a type of plankton, are also affected. Analyses of data from field experiments and model simulations suggest that ocean acidification could drastically reduce diatom populations. |
| Climate change reveals unique artifacts in melting ice patches Posted: 25 May 2022 08:09 AM PDT Norwegian mountains are full of time capsules. Thousands of years of human and ecological history are preserved in remnant patches of ice. Now this treasure trove of information threatens to melt away, unless we take action. |
| Chemists' HAT trick for greener chemical synthesis Posted: 25 May 2022 08:08 AM PDT A technique used in chemical synthesis is called hydrogen atom transfer, or HAT. It's a potentially powerful and versatile chemical tool, but technical constraints have limited its use. Now chemists have borrowed a technique from the chemistry of energy storage to accomplish HAT with fewer chemicals and less cost. |
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