Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Urban parks built on former waste incineration sites could be lead hotspots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study finds that surface soil in parks and playgrounds built on former waste incineration and ash disposal sites may contain levels of lead exceeding EPA safety standards for areas where children play. The contamination, which can persist long after an incinerator is closed, stems from burning paint, pipes and other products that contained lead. Sites in hundreds of U.S. and Canadian cities could be contaminated. Increased monitoring is needed to pinpoint hotspots.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Researchers discover iron-targeting approaches to halt proliferation of cancer cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers discovered a new class of iron-targeting compounds that hamper the proliferation of cultured malignant cells in a laboratory setting.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Important connectivity of metal oxides with hydrogen      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A recent article proposes a new way to understand how materials interact with hydrogen.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New ionic materials boost hydrogen fuel cell efficiency!      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has made a groundbreaking advancement in improving the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells, which are gaining significant attention as eco-friendly next-generation energy sources.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Scientific ocean drilling discovers dynamic carbon cycling in the ultra-deep-water Japan Trench      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hadal trenches, with their deepest locations situated in the so-called hadal zone, the deepest parts of the ocean in water depth >6km, are the least-explored environment on Earth, linking the Earth's surface and its deeper interior. An international team conducting deep-subsurface sampling in a hadal trench at high spatial resolution has revealed exciting insights on the carbon cycling in the trench sediment.

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

Researchers charting a sustainable course in oceanic carbon capture      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As researchers around the world race against time to develop new strategies and technologies to fight climate change, a team of scientists is exploring one possible way to directly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment: Negative emissions technologies (NETs).

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Hybrid catalyst produces critical fertilizer and cleans wastewater      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Synthetically produced fertilizer urea supports half of global population. Using pure metals, researchers develop hybrid catalyst with capacity to convert waste nitrogen and carbon dioxide to urea. The process could denitrify wastewater and runoff while creating a new revenue stream for water treatment facilities.

Chemistry: General Energy: Technology Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New study highlights feasibility and optimization of ammonia-based power generation for carbon neutrality      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has evaluated the feasibility of ammonia-based power generation through techno-economic and carbon footprint analyses.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Beaver activity in the Arctic increases emission of methane greenhouse gas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The climate-driven advance of beavers into the Arctic tundra is causing the release of more methane -- a greenhouse gas -- into the atmosphere. Beavers, as everyone knows, like to make dams. Those dams cause flooding, which inundates vegetation and turns Arctic streams and creeks into a series of ponds. Those beaver ponds and surrounding inundated vegetation can be devoid of oxygen and rich with organic sediment, which releases methane as the material decays.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Polymer that can be adapted to high and low temperature extremes created      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed two closely related polymers that respond differently to high and low temperature thresholds, despite their similar design. The polymer pair could be used in applications in medicine, protein synthesis, protective coatings and other fields.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New bio-based glues form adhesive bonds that grow stronger in water      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Patent-pending adhesive formulations developed from fully sustainable, bio-based components establish bonds that grow stronger when underwater or exposed to wet conditions.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Engineers design more powerful RNA vaccines      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By adding synergistic self-adjuvanting properties to COVID-19 RNA vaccines, researchers showed they could significantly boost the immune response generated in mice.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Bursting air bubbles may play a key role in how glacier ice melts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has uncovered a possible clue as to why glaciers that terminate at the sea are retreating at unprecedented rates: the bursting of tiny, pressurized bubbles in underwater ice.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Extending the playing field for organosulfurs: a new way to synthesize sulfinate esters      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sulfinate esters, a type of organosulfur compounds, are typically synthesized using thiols. However, these substances are difficult to work with due to their unpleasant smell and oxidizability in air. Now, a research team has found a way to produce sulfinate esters through the direct oxidation of thioesters, which are easily accessible and stable. Their findings will help expand the field of organosulfur chemistry and hopefully lead to new applications in pharmaceuticals.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Chemists devise a method for C-H activation of alcohols      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemists have extended a powerful molecule-building method -- called C-H activation -- to the broad class of chemicals known as alcohols.

Biology: Botany Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Switching from harmful to helpful fungi      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mold and diseases caused by fungi can greatly impact the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. However, some fungi benefit their hosts by aiding plant survival. Colletotrichum tofieldiae (Ct) is a root mold which typically supports continued plant development even when the plant is starved of phosphorus, an important nutrient for photosynthesis and growth. Researchers studied a unique pathogenic strain of the fungi, called Ct3, which conversely inhibits plant growth.

Chemistry: General Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Electrifying heavy-duty vehicles could reduce environmental inequalities      (via sciencedaily.com) 

If the region surrounding Chicago -- North America's largest freight hub -- shifted just 30% of its current on-road heavy-duty vehicles to electric versions, it would substantially reduce pollution and save hundreds of lives per year, with the benefits largely concentrated in disadvantaged communities, according to a new study. The study authors highlight that neighborhoods with predominantly Black, Hispanic and Latinx residents would benefit the most -- potentially reducing disproportionate pollution and health burdens in historically marginalized areas.