Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Taking photoclick chemistry to the next level      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have been able to substantially improve photoclick chemistry. They were able to boost the reactivity of the photoclick compound in the popular PQ-ERA reaction through strategic molecular substitution. They now report a superb photoreaction quantum yield, high reaction rates and notable oxygen tolerance.

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

Using evidence from last Ice Age, scientists predict effects of rising seas on coastal habitats      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The rapid sea level rise and resulting retreat of coastal habitat seen at the end of the last Ice Age could repeat itself if global average temperatures rise beyond certain levels, according to an analysis by an international team of scientists.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Emphasizing the need for energy independence could change the views of climate deniers, study says      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emphasising the need for energy independence and environmental stewardship could help to change people’s minds about the climate crisis, a new study says.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Direct formation of sulfuric acid in the atmosphere      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In the atmosphere, gaseous sulfuric acid can form particles that influence the physical properties of clouds. Thus, the formation of sulfuric acid in the gas phase directly affects the radiative forcing and Earth's climate. In addition to the known formation from sulfur dioxide, researchers have now been able to demonstrate through experiments that there is another formation pathway that has been speculated about for decades. Sulfuric acid in the atmosphere can also be formed directly by the oxidation of organic sulfur compounds. This new production pathway can be responsible for up to half of the gaseous sulfuric acid formation over the oceans and is thus of high importance for climate projections -- especially over the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

How a mere 12% of Americans eat half the nation's beef, creating significant health and environmental impacts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study found that 12% of Americans, mostly men or people aged 50-65, consume half of all beef on a given day, contributing to adverse health and environmental impacts. Educational programs targeting this group may help reduce consumption and address environmental concerns, as beef production has high greenhouse gas emissions, emphasizing the need for awareness and messaging.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: General
Published

Energy storage in molecules      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Molecular photoswitches that can both convert and store energy could be used to make solar energy harvesting more efficient. A team of researchers has used a quantum computing method to find a particularly efficient molecular structure for this purpose. Their procedure was based on a dataset of more than 400,000 molecules, which they screened to find the optimum molecular structure for solar energy storage materials.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

A new way to capture and recycle carbon dioxide from industrial emissions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Carbon capture is a promising method to help slow climate change. With this approach, carbon dioxide (CO¬¬2) is trapped before it escapes into the atmosphere, but the process requires a large amount of energy and equipment. Now, researchers have designed a capture system using an electrochemical cell that can easily grab and release CO2. The device operates at room temperature and requires less energy than conventional, amine-based carbon-capture systems.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Long time lag in heavily polluted regions as improvement in air quality warms climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have revised previous assumptions about the influence of pollutant particles, known as aerosols, on global warming. Using satellite data, researchers have shown that the relationship between water droplets in clouds and aerosol concentration is more non-linear than previously thought. Specifically, in heavily polluted regions, the additional warming of the Earth resulting from better air quality could occur much later than originally believed -- perhaps as much as 20 or 30 years later than expected.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Study finds high blood and urinary metal levels among exclusive marijuana users      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has detected significant levels of metals in the blood and urine among marijuana users, concluding that marijuana may be an important and under-recognized source of lead and cadmium exposure. This is among the first studies to report biomarker metal levels among marijuana users and most likely the largest study to date, that links self-reported marijuana use to internal measures of metal exposure, rather than just looking at metal levels in the cannabis plant. The results are important because marijuana is the third most used drug in the world.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Neural network helps design brand new proteins      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A scientist combines attention neural networks with graph neural networks to better understand and design proteins. The approach couples the strengths of geometric deep learning with those of language models to predict existing protein properties and envision new proteins that nature has not yet devised. The model turns numbers, descriptions, tasks, and other elements into symbols for neural networks to use.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Overcoming the challenges to synthesising iron--sulfur proteins outside the glovebox      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Iron--sulfur (Fe--S) proteins, essential to all life forms, are difficult to synthesise due to the complicated molecular machinery involved and sensitivity of Fe--S clusters to oxygen. In a new study, a team of researchers devised an innovative protocol for synthesising mature Fe--S proteins, by bringing together a recombinant sulfur assimilation (SUF) system and an oxygen-scavenging system, thereby, paving the way for new technologies and a better understanding of the evolution of life.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Wildfire, soil emissions increasing air pollution in remote forests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nitrogen dioxide levels in remote forest areas are increasing, and wildfire and soil emissions are likely the reasons why, finds a new study.

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

A first for ferrocene: Organometallic capsule with unusual charge-transfer interactions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An organometallic capsule that can reversibly assemble and disassemble in response to chemical stimuli was recently developed by chemists. Comprising ferrocene-based bent amphiphiles, this new capsule can act as a host for various types of guest molecules, such as electron acceptors and dyes. Thanks to the controllable release of its cargo, the capsule would find applications in catalysis, medicine, and biotechnology.

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

Direct power generation from methylcyclohexane using solid oxide fuel cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Methylcyclohexane is very promising as a hydrogen carrier that can safely and efficiently transport and store hydrogen. However, the dehydrogenation process using catalysts has issues due to its durability and large energy loss. Recently, researchers have succeeded in using solid oxide fuel cells to generate electricity directly from methylcyclohexane and recover toluene for reuse. This research is expected to not only reduce energy requirements but also explore new chemical synthesis by fuel cells.

Chemistry: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology
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Enhanced chemical weathering: A solution to the climate crisis?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Could blending of crushed rock with arable soil lower global temperatures? Researchers study global warming events from 40 and 56 million years ago to find answers.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Extreme weather events linked to increased child marriage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Among the negative impacts of extreme weather events around the world is one that most people may not think of: an increase in child marriages.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

The physics of fat droplets reveal DNA danger      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have looked beyond biochemistry to publish groundbreaking work on the physics of fat droplets found inside many types of cells, revealing them to be a potential threat to a cell's nucleus.They have discovered fat-filled lipid droplets' surprising capability to indent and puncture the nucleus, the organelle which contains and regulates a cell's DNA. The stakes of their findings are high: a ruptured nucleus can lead to elevated DNA damage that is characteristic of many diseases, including cancer.

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

Past abrupt changes in North Atlantic Overturning have impacted the climate system across the globe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Abrupt climate changes have affected rainfall patterns worldwide in the past, especially in the tropical monsoon region, a new study shows. An international team of scientists used dripstones from globally distributed caves together with model simulations to analyze the global impacts of rapid Northern-Hemisphere temperature increases, the widely studied Dansgaard-Oeschger events, that repeatedly occurred during the last ice age. The comparison of stalagmite and model data shows in unprecedented detail how these abrupt changes and the associated modifications of the Atlantic overturning circulation, AMOC for short, have affected global atmospheric circulation.