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Categories: Engineering: Nanotechnology, Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published Discovery advances biofuel crop that could curb dependence on fossil fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have solved a puzzle that could help switchgrass realize its full potential as a low-cost, sustainable biofuel crop and curb our dependence on fossil fuels.
Published Rapid plant evolution may make coastal regions more susceptible to flooding and sea level rise, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Evolution has occurred more rapidly than previously thought in the Chesapeake Bay wetlands, which may decrease the chance that coastal marshes can withstand future sea level rise, researchers at the University of Notre Dame and collaborators demonstrated in a recent publication in Science.
Published Researchers demo new type of carbon nanotube yarn that harvests mechanical energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Nanotechnology researchers have made novel carbon nanotube yarns that convert mechanical movement into electricity more effectively than other material-based energy harvesters.
Published What crocodile DNA reveals about the Ice Age
(via sciencedaily.com) What drives crocodile evolution? Is climate a major factor or changes in sea levels? Determined to find answers to these questions, researchers discovered that while changing temperatures and rainfall had little impact on the crocodiles' gene flow over the past three million years, changes to sea levels during the Ice Age had a different effect.
Published Satellite data shows sustained severe drought in Europe
(via sciencedaily.com) Europe lacks groundwater -- a lot of groundwater. The continent has already been suffering from a severe drought since 2018. This is confirmed by satellite data.
Published Spinning food processing waste into 'gold'
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have taken the first step at estimating the best large-scale uses for food processing waste, first analyzing its contents and, based on those findings, proposing production opportunities ranging from sustainable fuels, biogas and electricity to useful chemicals and organic fertilizer.
Published Artificial photosynthesis uses sunlight to make biodegradable plastic
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have succeeded in synthesizing fumaric acid, a raw material for plastics, from CO2 powered by solar energy. Typically, fumaric acid is synthesized from petroleum as a raw material to make polybutylene succinate, a biodegradable plastic, but this research shows that it can be synthesized from CO2 and biomass-derived compounds using renewable energy.
Published Traffic pollution impairs brain function
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has shown that common levels of traffic pollution can impair human brain function in only a matter of hours. The study was the first to show in a controlled experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that exposure to diesel exhaust disrupts the ability of different areas of the human brain to interact and communicate with each other.
Published How plants are inspiring new ways to extract value from wastewater
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists are drawing inspiration from plants to develop new techniques to separate and extract valuable minerals, metals and nutrients from resource-rich wastewater.
Published Spin transport measured through molecular films now long enough to develop spintronic devices
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research group has succeeded in measuring spin transport in a thin film of specific molecules -- a material well-known in organic light emitting diodes -- at room temperature. They found that this thin molecular film has a spin diffusion length of approximately 62 nm, a length that could have practical applications in developing spintronics technology. In addition, while electricity has been used to control spin transport in the past, the thin molecular film used in this study is photoconductive, allowing spin transport control using visible light.
Published Scientists unveil least costly carbon capture system to date
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists carve a path to profit from carbon capture by creating a system that efficiently captures CO2 and converts it into one of the world's most widely used chemicals: methanol.
Published Study reveals influence of krill availability on humpback whale pregnancies
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists show reduced krill supplies lead to fewer pregnancies in humpback whales -- a finding that could have major implications for industrial krill fishing. Data from Antarctica show more humpback whales get pregnant after years with abundant krill than after years when krill were less plentiful.
Published The single oil spill that can disrupt the global energy supply
(via sciencedaily.com) A maritime area three times the size of the city of London holds the highest risk for oil spills in the Gulf which can have devastating consequences locally and globally.
Published Farewell to 'forever' -- Destroying PFAS by grinding it up with a new additive
(via sciencedaily.com) Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are potentially harmful substances known as 'forever chemicals' because they are so difficult to destroy. One emerging technique to degrade PFAS involves forcefully grinding them with metal balls in a moving container, but this technique can require corrosive additives. Now, researchers report a new type of additive for 'ball milling' that completely breaks down PFAS at ambient temperature and pressure.
Published Incorporation of water molecules into layered materials impacts ion storage capability
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have experimentally detected the structural change of hydration water confined in the tiny nano-scale pores of layered materials such as clays. Their findings potentially open the door to new options for ion separation and energy storage.
Published New nanoparticles deliver therapy brain-wide, edit Alzheimer's gene in mice
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers describe a new family of nano-scale capsules made of silica that can carry genome-editing tools into many organs around the body and then harmlessly dissolve.
Published Strategies for up-scaling of bioelectrochemical systems
(via sciencedaily.com) With rising concerns about energy and water management, microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), such as microbial fuel cells, have emerged as promising solutions. However, actual progress in these technologies have not lived up to the expectations so far. Now, in a new study, researchers have highlighted strategies that can help with the up-scaling of METs, eventually leading to their commercialization and widespread use.
Published Kelp farms could help reduce coastal marine pollution
(via sciencedaily.com) The water-filtering abilities of farmed kelp could help reduce marine pollution in coastal areas, according to a new study. The paper analyzed carbon and nitrogen levels at two mixed-species kelp farms in southcentral and southeast Alaska during the 2020-21 growing season. Tissue and seawater samples showed that seaweed species may have different capabilities to remove nutrients from their surroundings.
Published Nanoparticles make it easier to turn light into solvated electrons
(via sciencedaily.com) Solutions containing solvated electrons are inherently clean chemical reactants, and they could become easier and cheaper to make now that chemists have uncovered the long-sought mechanism of a light-driven process that creates them.
Published Satellites can be used to detect waste sites on Earth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new computational system uses satellite data to identify sites on land where people dispose of waste, providing a new tool to monitor waste and revealing sites that may leak plastic into waterways.