Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Increased West Antarctic Ice Sheet melting 'unavoidable'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet will continue to increase its rate of melting over the rest of the century, no matter how much we reduce fossil fuel use, according to new research. A substantial acceleration in ice melting likely cannot now be avoided, which implies that Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise could increase rapidly over the coming decades.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Does urbanization trigger plant evolution?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Urban environments have become hotspots for understanding how rapid evolution occurs in response to extreme environmental changes. These habitats exert selective pressures on resident organisms that impact their evolutionary trajectories. Recently, researchers investigated how the creeping woodsorrel plant might adapt in response to elevated temperatures that result from urbanization. Understanding these effects can help predict evolutionary traits to manage plant evolution in the face of shifting climatic conditions.

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

Land use: Producing more food and storing more carbon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Doubling food production, saving water, and increasing carbon storage capacity -- this may sound paradoxical, but would be theoretically feasible considering the biophysical potential of the Earth. Reaching this goal, however, would require a radical spatial reorganization of land use.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Pivotal breakthrough in adapting perovskite solar cells for renewable energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A huge step forward in the evolution of perovskite solar cells will have significant implications for renewable energy development.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New extremes in stratospheric water vapor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The focus of new research was to determine how deep, how much and how frequently water in the stratosphere was being increased by thunderstorms.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

El Niño's chang­ing pat­terns: Human influ­ence on nat­u­ral vari­abil­ity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two recent scientific studies provide new insights into Earth's climate dynamics, with a particular focus on the El Niño phenomenon. The results show how El Niño responds to natural factors over extended periods, while highlighting the increasing role of human activities in shaping this climatic phenomenon in the modern era.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: General Engineering: Nanotechnology Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

International team develops novel DNA nano engine      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists has recently developed a novel type of nano engine made of DNA. It is driven by a clever mechanism and can perform pulsing movements. The researchers are now planning to fit it with a coupling and install it as a drive in complex nano machines.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Scientists discover deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered the deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching, more than 90 metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean. Identified during a research cruise, the damage to the deeper reefs in the Central Indian Ocean has been attributed to significant changes in the region's ocean temperature caused by the Indian Ocean Dipole. The researchers have also warned such incidences are only likely to increase as a result of present and future climate change.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Physical theory improves protein folding prediction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Proteins are important molecules that perform a variety of functions essential to life. To function properly, many proteins must fold into specific structures. However, the way proteins fold into specific structures is still largely unknown. Researchers have developed a novel physical theory that can accurately predict how proteins fold. Their model can predict things previous models cannot. Improved knowledge of protein folding could offer huge benefits to medical research, as well as to various industrial processes.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

A miniature magnetic resonance imager made of diamond      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The development of tumors begins with miniscule changes within the body's cells; ion diffusion at the smallest scales is decisive in the performance of batteries. Until now the resolution of conventional imaging methods has not been high enough to represent these processes in detail. A research team has now developed diamond quantum sensors which can be used to improve resolution in magnetic imaging.

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

New study finds 50-year trend in hurricane escalation linked to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research by climate scientists indicates that there have been great changes to Atlantic hurricanes in just the past 50 years, with storms developing and strengthening faster.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Cut emissions and improve farming to protect wilderness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Humanity must cut carbon emissions and use farmland more efficiently to protect our planet's remaining wilderness, new research shows.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Urgent action needed to address climate change threats to coastal areas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Global coastal adaptations are 'incremental in scale', short-sighted and inadequate to address the root causes of vulnerability to climate change, according to an international team of researchers. 

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Biodegradable plastics still damaging to fish      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biodegradable plastics may not be the solution to plastic pollution many hoped for, with a new study showing they are still harmful to fish.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Drought conditions expose rivers to hotter water temperatures      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals how reduced water flows and rising atmospheric temperatures are set to heat our rivers -- creating major challenges for aquatic life, ecosystems, and society.

Biology: Botany Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Researchers: There is a need for more accurate accounting of nitrous oxide from agricultural crop residues      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

According to researchers, there is a need for changing the way of accounting greenhouse gases from agriculture. The current inventory of nitrous oxide from plant residues relies solely on the amount of nitrogen in the residues, while crucial factors such as the degradability of plant residues are not included. According to the researchers, this leads to misleading inventories, which also misrepresents possible mitigation measures.

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

Using computer algorithms to find molecular adaptations to improve COVID-19 drugs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study focuses on using computer algorithms to generate adaptations to molecules in compounds for existing and potential medications that can improve those molecules' ability to bind to the main protease, a protein-based enzyme that breaks down complex proteins, in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Potential for 110% electricity increases in U. S. urban buildings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research study tackled the critical issue of how city-scale building energy consumption in urban environments will evolve under the influence of climate change.

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

Researchers study one of the world's darkest rivers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

They set out to study the Congo Basin's carbon cycle and in the process have become aware of one of the world's darkest blackwater rivers: the Ruki. In the first study on this major jungle river, an international research team explains how this blackness comes about and what it says about the river system's carbon balance.