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Categories: Environmental: General, Space: Structures and Features
Published Scientists create framework to guide development and assessment of urban climate action plans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With the world projected to be highly urbanized by 2050, cities are encouraged to take urgent climate actions to mitigate and adapt to the threats of climate change. As climate change intensifies and urbanization increases rapidly, local governments are expected now more than ever to lead climate action planning. However, studies show the limitations of the existing climate action plans (CAPs). So scientists have created an Urban Climate Action Planning (UCAP) framework to guide the development of suitable urban CAPs and support the assessment of the level of suitability of these plans.
Published Rise of microplastics discovered in placentas of Hawaii mothers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study examined placentas donated by women who delivered in Hawaii from 2006 to 2021, and found the presence of microplastic particles in the placenta.
Published Identifying Australia's most elusive birds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have analyzed more than 3.8 million volunteer hours of birdwatching data to identify Australia's most elusive species.
Published 600 years of tree rings reveal climate risks in California
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The San Joaquin Valley in California has experienced vast variability in climate extremes, with droughts and floods that were more severe and lasted longer than what has been seen in the modern record, according to a new study of 600 years of tree rings from the valley.
Published Blasts to clear World War II munitions could contaminate the ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source World War II concluded decades ago, but live mines lurking on the ocean floor still pose threats, potentially spewing unexpected geysers or releasing contaminants into the water. Experts conduct controlled explosions to clear underwater munitions, but concerns have arisen over the environmental impacts from these blasts. New results show that the contamination produced by detonation depends on the blast type, with weaker explosions leaving behind more potentially toxic residues.
Published An astronomical waltz reveals a sextuplet of planets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have found a key new system of six transiting planets orbiting a bright star in a harmonic rhythm. This rare property enabled the team to determine the planetary orbits which initially appeared as an unsolvable riddle.
Published Building blocks for life could have formed near new stars and planets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source While life on Earth is relatively new, geologically speaking, the ingredients that combined to form it might be much older than once thought. The simplest amino acid, carbamic acid, could have formed alongside stars or planets within interstellar ices. The findings could be used to train deep space instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope to search for prebiotic molecules in distant, star-forming regions of the universe.
Published Greener solution powers new method for lithium-ion battery recycling
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Used lithium-ion batteries from cell phones, laptops and a growing number of electric vehicles are piling up, but options for recycling them remain limited mostly to burning or chemically dissolving shredded batteries. Researchers have improved on approaches that dissolve the battery in a liquid solution in order to reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals used in the process. This simple, efficient and environmentally-friendly solution overcomes the main obstacles presented by previous approaches.
Published New astrophysics model sheds light on additional source of long gamma-ray bursts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cutting-edge computer simulations combined with theoretical calculations are helping astronomers better understand the origin of some of the universe's most energetic and mysterious light shows -- gamma-ray bursts, or GRBs. The new unified model confirms that some long-lasting GRBs are created in the aftermath of cosmic mergers that spawn an infant black hole surrounded by a giant disk of natal material.
Published A single Bitcoin transaction could cost as much water as a backyard swimming pool
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cryptocurrency mining uses a significant amount of water amid the global water crisis, and its water demand may grow further. Researchers provides the first comprehensive estimate of Bitcoin's water use. He warns that its sheer scale could impact drinking water if it continues to operate without constraints, especially in countries that are already battling water scarcity, including the U.S.
Published Astronomers discover disc around star in another galaxy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a remarkable discovery, astronomers have found a disc around a young star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy neighboring ours. It's the first time such a disc, identical to those forming planets in our own Milky Way, has ever been found outside our galaxy. The new observations reveal a massive young star, growing and accreting matter from its surroundings and forming a rotating disc.
Published Flower power on Indian farms helps bees and boosts livelihoods
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Planting flowers beside food crops on farms in India attracts bees, boosts pollination and improves crop yield and quality, researchers have found.
Published Breathing highway air increases blood pressure
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study found that unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increased passengers' blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later.
Published A spectrum of possibilities: Insights into the evolution of far-red light photosynthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have unraveled the evolutionary journey of a unique type of photosynthesis that allows some bacteria to harness far-red light, a region beyond the visible spectrum. This discovery could pave the way for engineering plants with enhanced light absorption capabilities and has implications for our search for extraterrestrial life.
Published Commitments needed to solve aviation's impact on our climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers could find no simple solution to limiting non-CO2 emissions from aircraft.
Published A gamma-ray pulsar milestone inspires innovative astrophysics and applications
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have announced the discovery of nearly 300 gamma ray pulsars.
Published Solar activity likely to peak next year
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a new relationship between the Sun's magnetic field and its sunspot cycle, that can help predict when the peak in solar activity will occur. Their work indicates that the maximum intensity of solar cycle 25, the ongoing sunspot cycle, is imminent and likely to occur within a year.
Published Minimalist or maximalist? The life of a microbe a mile underground
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers characterize nearly 600 microbial genomes collected from goldmine. The study illuminates 'microbial dark matter' residing below the surface. Microbes divide into two groups: minimalists that have one, specialized job or maximalists that are prepared to use any available resource. Study has implications for how underground activities, like mining and carbon storage, could affect or be affected by microbial life. The lifestyle of these 'intraterrestrial' microbes also provides hints to what organisms could be living on other planets.
Published Slash-and-burn agriculture can increase forest biodiversity, researchers find
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The slash-and-burn agriculture practiced by many Indigenous societies across the world can actually have a positive impact on forests, according to a new study done in Belize. Researchers found that in areas of the rainforest in which Indigenous farmers using slash-and-burn techniques created intermediate-sized farm patches -- neither too small nor too large -- there were increases in forest plant diversity.
Published Giant sea salt aerosols play major role in Hawai'i's coastal clouds, rain
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study from atmospheric scientists revealed that the coastline can produce up to five times the concentration of giant sea salt aerosols compared to the open ocean and that coastal clouds may contain more of these particles than clouds over the open ocean -- affecting cloud formation and rain around the Hawaiian Islands.