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Categories: Computer Science: Encryption, Geoscience: Environmental Issues

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As Earth's ozone layer recovers from past emissions of now-banned CFCs and halons, other chemicals are emerging as major causes of stratospheric ozone depletion. Atmospheric scientists have been searching for the sources of about one-third of the major threats, methyl bromide and methyl chloride. New research shows that copper-based compounds in common use generate these compounds when interacting with soil and seawater, with sunlight boosting production by a factor of 10.

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Large wildfires and severe heat events are happening more often at the same time, worsening air pollution across the western United States, a study has found. In 2020, more than 68% of the western U.S. -- representing about 43 million people -- were affected in one day by the resulting harmful-levels of air pollution, the highest number in 20 years. The study found that these concurrent air pollution events are increasing not only in frequency but duration and geographic extent across the region. They have become so bad that they have reversed many gains of the Clean Air Act. The conditions that create these episodes are also expected to continue to increase, along with their threats to human health.

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Nearly 2 million new cases of pediatric asthma every year may be caused by a traffic-related air pollutant, a problem particularly important in big cities around the world, according to a new study.

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During long portions of the past 2.4 billion years, the Earth may have been more 'inhospitable' to life than scientists previously thought, according to new computer simulations. Using a state-of-the-art climate model, researchers now believe the level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth's surface could have been underestimated, with UV levels being up to ten times higher.

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When winds loft fine desert dust high into the atmosphere, iodine in that dust can trigger chemical reactions that destroy some air pollution, but also let greenhouse gases stick around longer. The finding may force researchers to re-evaluate how particles from land can impact the chemistry of the atmosphere.

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Microorganisms can convert oil into natural gas, i.e. methane. Until recently, it was thought that this conversion was only possible through the cooperation of different organisms. In 2019, a researcher suggested that a special archaeon can do this all by itself, as indicated by their genome analyses. Now, researchers have succeeded in cultivating this 'miracle microbe' in the laboratory. This enabled them to describe exactly how the microbe achieves the transformation. They also discovered that it prefers to eat rather bulky chunks of food.

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Computer systems that are physically isolated from the outside world (air-gapped) can still be attacked. This is demonstrated by IT security experts. They show that data can be transmitted to light-emitting diodes of regular office devices using a directed laser. With this, attackers can secretly communicate with air-gapped computer systems over distances of several meters. In addition to conventional information and communication technology security, critical IT systems need to be protected optically as well.

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An unprecedented drought experiment at Biosphere 2 highlights nature's surprising resilience.

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New research has discovered that emissions coming from China of the ozone-destroying chemical, dichloromethane, have more than doubled over the last decade.

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Scientists have developed a new simple, inexpensive and fast method to detect and measure very low concentrations of agricultural lime in soils, which is generally a time consuming and difficult exercise.

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A study showed that -- within an appropriate framework -- gait recognition could be a viable technique for protecting individuals and their data from potential crime.

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Researchers have developed a method for incorporating security in the physical nature of the wireless transmission signal for 5G and future networks.

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New research examines the chemistry of a proposal to curb climate change's effects -- creating a sunshade in the upper atmosphere made of sulfuric acid -- and finds that there's more work to do to successfully pull off such a feat.

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The social cost of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is the largest remaining threat to the ozone layer, is understated, concludes an international team of researchers. In their assessment, the authors write that improving the accuracy of these calculations would not only give a more accurate picture of the impact of climate change, but also spur nations to more aggressively address it.

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Acetogens are a group of bacteria that can metabolise formate. For example, they form acetic acid -- an important basic chemical. If these bacteria were manipulated to produce ethanol or lactic acid, a comprehensive circular economy for the greenhouse gas CO2 could be realised. To ensure that the process is sustainable, the CO2 is extracted directly from the air and converted to formate using renewable energy. To find out how exactly formate can be utilised by the Acetobacterium woodii (short: A. woodii), a team led by Stefan Pflügl from the Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering at TU Wien investigated how the bacterium metabolises various substrates -- including formate. Furthermore, the researchers used a metabolic model to study how A. woodii could be genetically modified to produce substances other than acetic acid.

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New research offers a closer look at the relationship between decreasing demand for oil and a resilient, varied oil market -- and the carbon footprint associated with both.

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Observational data shows air pollution in India decreased drastically in the first COVID-19 lockdown when emissions from vehicles naturally declined, but researchers say those numbers only tell part of the story -- blue skies and an absence of visible smog can be deceiving and hide pollutants that could potentially cause health issues.

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Researchers have used a nanoantenna to focus light onto a single semiconductor nanobox. This approach will enhance the utility of quantum repeater technology currently under development for advanced communication and data storage. Such technology is essential to overcoming the limitations of classical computer information for securely sharing information over long distances.

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Computer scientists have discovered an inexpensive way for tech companies to implement a rigorous form of personal data privacy when using or sharing large databases for machine learning.

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Climate change is having an increasing impact on the structure of Earth's atmosphere, a new international study shows. The research draws on decades of observations to quantify that warming temperatures are playing a greater role in pushing up the top of the lowest level of the atmosphere by about 50-60 meters per decade.