Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: General Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Making the structure of 'fire ice' with nanoparticles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cage structures made with nanoparticles could be a route toward making organized nanostructures with mixed materials, and researchers have shown how to achieve this through computer simulations.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Twisting under the stroboscope -- Controlling crystal lattices of hybrid solar cell materials with terahertz light      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To overcome global energy challenges and fight the looming environmental crisis, researchers around the world investigate new materials for converting sunlight into electricity. Some of the most promising candidates for high-efficiency low-cost solar cell applications are based on lead halide perovskite (LHP) semiconductors. Despite record-breaking solar cell prototypes, the microscopic origin of the surprisingly excellent optoelectronic performance of this material class is still not completely understood. Now, an international team of physicists and chemists has demonstrated laser-driven control of fundamental motions of the LHP atomic lattice.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Snapshots of photoinjection      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ultrafast laser physicists from the attoworld team have gained new insights into the dynamics of electrons in solids immediately after photoinjection.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Deep sea surveys detect over five thousand new species in future mining hotspot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean -- about twice the size of India -- called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which has already been divided up and assigned to companies for future deep-sea mining. To better understand what may be at risk once companies start mining, a team of biologists has built the first 'CCZ checklist' by compiling all the species records from previous research expeditions to the region. Their estimates of the species diversity of the CCZ included a total of 5,578 different species, an estimated 88% - 92% of which are entirely new to science.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geography
Published

Global macrogenetic map of marine habitat-forming species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Species known as marine habitat-forming species -- gorgonians, corals, algae, seaweeds, marine phanerogams, etc.-- are organisms that help generate and structure the underwater landscapes. These are natural refuges for other species, and provide biomass and complexity to the seabeds. But these key species in marine ecosystems are currently threatened by climate change and other perturbations derived from human activity. Now, a study warns that even in the marine protected areas (MPAs) the genetic diversity of structural species is not protected, although it is essential for the response and adaptation of populations to changes that alter the natural environment.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Quantum matter breakthrough: Tuning density waves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have found a new way to create a crystalline structure called a 'density wave' in an atomic gas. The findings can help us better understand the behavior of quantum matter, one of the most complex problems in physics.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
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Consistent link between the seaside and better health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seaside residents and holidaymakers have felt it for centuries, but scientists have only recently started to investigate possible health benefits of the coast. Using data from 15 countries, new research confirms public intuition: Living near, but especially visiting, the seaside is associated with better health regardless of country or personal income.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Simultaneous atmospheric and marine observations directly beneath a violent, Category 5 typhoon in the North-West Pacific      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have successfully conducted a simultaneous marine and atmospheric measurements at multiple locations directly beneath a violent, Category 5, which is the strongest class, typhoon in the North-West Pacific, before it reached land.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Coastal ecosystems are a net greenhouse gas sink, new research shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new greenhouse gas budget shows coastal ecosystems globally are a net greenhouse gas sink for carbon dioxide (CO2) but emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) counteract some of the CO2 uptake, according to researchers.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Montreal protocol is delaying first ice-free Arctic summer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that the 1987 global treaty, designed to protect the ozone layer, has postponed the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic by as much as 15 years.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

What you count is not necessarily what counts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seawater is full of bacteria, hundreds of thousands live in every liter. But the sheer number of bacteria living in the water does not necessarily mean a lot. More important is how active they are and how quickly they duplicate.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Earlier snowpack melt in Western US could bring summer water scarcity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mountain snowpack, typically seen as the water tower of the Western United States and Canada, is in decline, according to a new study. Researchers created the Snow Storage Index to assess snow water storage from 1950-2013 and found that storage has significantly declined in more than 25% of the Mountain West, in part because more snow is melting during winter and spring.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would save billions from dangerously hot climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Current climate policies will leave more than a fifth of humanity exposed to dangerously hot temperatures by 2100, new research suggests.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: General Physics: Optics
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Physical chemists develop photochromic active colloids shedding light on the development of new smart active materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In nature, the skin of cephalopods (animals with tentacles attached to the head) exhibits unparalleled camouflage ability. Their skin contains pigment groups that can sense changes in environmental light conditions and adjust their appearance through the action of pigment cells. Although intricate in nature, this colour-changing ability is fundamentally based on a mechanical mechanism in which pigment particles are folded or unfolded under the control of radial muscles. Inspired by this natural process, a research team forms dynamic photochromic nanoclusters by mixing cyan, magenta and yellow microbeads, achieving photochromism on a macro scale.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils
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Ancient climate change solves mystery of vanished South African lakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New evidence for the presence of ancient lakes in some of the most arid regions of South Africa suggests that Stone Age humans may have been more widespread across the continent than previously thought.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

In years after El Niño, global economy loses trillions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that the financial toll of the climate pattern known as El Niño can persist for several years and cost trillions in lost income worldwide. The study, which is among the first to evaluate the long-term costs of El Niño, found that the 1982 and 1997 events led to $4.1 trillion and $5.7 trillion in lost income in the five years following them. With El Niño projected to return this year, the researchers project that global economic losses for the 21st century will amount to $84 trillion as climate change potentially amplifies the events' frequency and strength.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate
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Half of world's largest lakes losing water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fifty-three percent of the world's largest freshwater lakes are in decline, storing less water than they did three decades ago, according to a new study. The study analyzed satellite observations dating back decades to measure changes in water levels in nearly 2,000 of the world's biggest lakes and reservoirs. It found that climate change, human consumption and sedimentation are responsible.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

An electric vehicle battery for all seasons      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a fluorine-containing electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries whose charging performance remains high in frigid regions and seasons. They also determined why it is so effective.