Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Sustainable energy for aviation: What are our options?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists and industry leaders worldwide are looking for answers on how to make aviation sustainable by 2050 and choosing a viable sustainable fuel is a major sticking point. Aerospace engineers took a full inventory of the options to make a data-driven assessment about how they stack up in comparison. He reviewed over 300 research projects from across different sectors, not just aerospace, to synthesize the ideas and draw conclusions to help direct the dialogue about sustainable aviation toward a permanent solution.

Computer Science: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

'Garbatrage' spins e-waste into prototyping gold      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Building on work in human-computer interaction that aims to incorporate sustainability and reuse into the field, researchers introduce 'garbatrage,' a framework for prototype builders centered around repurposing underused devices.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Ancient Amazonians intentionally created fertile 'dark earth'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study suggests patches of fertile soil in the Amazon, known as dark earth, were intentionally produced by ancient Amazonians as a way to improve the soil and sustain large and complex societies.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Geography
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Socially vulnerable populations are disproportionately exposed to wildfires in the Western US      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

People experiencing a high degree of social vulnerability are also more exposed to wildfires in Oregon and Washington as wildfire risk increases, a new study shows.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Alarming results from world first study of two decades of global smoke pollution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The world's first study of the increase in pollution from landscape fires across the globe over the past two decades reveals that over 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially health-impacting environmental hazard annually -- a figure that has increased by 6.8 per cent in the last ten years.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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Tag team of the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA captures the core of the most distant galaxy protocluster      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international research team has used the James Webb Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to observe the most distant galaxy protocluster to date, 13.14 billion light-years away. The team has successfully captured the 'core region' of the galaxy protocluster, which corresponds to a metropolitan area with a particularly high number density of galaxies. The team has revealed that many galaxies are concentrated in a small area and that the growth of galaxies is accelerated. Furthermore, the team used simulations to predict the future of the metropolitan area and found that the region will merge into one larger galaxy within tens of millions of years. These results are expected to provide important clues regarding the birth and growth of galaxies.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General
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Efficient next-generation solar panels on horizon following breakthrough      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A scientific breakthrough brings mass production of the next generation of cheaper and lighter perovskite solar cells one step closer.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Urban light pollution linked to smaller eyes in birds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The bright lights of big cities could be causing an evolutionary adaptation for smaller eyes in some birds, a new study indicates. Researchers found that two common songbirds, the Northern Cardinal and Carolina Wren, that live year-round in the urban core of San Antonio, Texas, had eyes about 5% smaller than members of the same species from the less bright outskirts. Researchers found no eye-size difference for two species of migratory birds, the Painted Bunting and White-eyed Vireo, no matter which part of the city they lived in for most of the year. The findings have implications for conservation efforts amid the rapid decline of bird populations across the U.S.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
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New research brings greater understanding of Asian winter monsoon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered a new technique which will shed light on the phenomena of winter monsoons -- the heavy autumn and winter rainfalls which can cause floods and landslides across southeast Asia.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Black holes eat faster than previously expected      (via sciencedaily.com) 

While previous researchers have hypothesized that black holes eat slowly, new simulations indicate that black holes scarf food much faster than conventional understanding suggests. Some quasars brighten and disappear within months -- a time scale that aligns with the new findings.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Fast-track strain engineering for speedy biomanufacturing      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using engineered microbes as microscopic factories has given the world steady sources of life-saving drugs, revolutionized the food industry, and allowed us to make sustainable versions of valuable chemicals previously made from petroleum. But behind each biomanufactured product on the market today is the investment of years of work and many millions of dollars in research and development funding. Scientists want to help the burgeoning industry reach new heights by accelerating and streamlining the process of engineering microbes to produce important compounds with commercial-ready efficiency.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Glacier Loss Day indiĀ­cates record breakĀ­ing glacier melt      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the summer of 2022, one of Tyrol's largest glaciers experienced its most significant loss of mass on record. Last year, the Hintereisferner in Tyrol, Austria, reached its Glacier Loss Day (GLD) earlier than ever before. The GLD serves as an indicator of a glacier's health throughout the year, similar to how the Earth Overshoot Day measures Earth's resource consumption.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General
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How wind turbines react to turbulence      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The output of wind turbines can rise or fall by 50 per cent in a matter of seconds. Such fluctuations in the megawatt range put a strain on both power grids and the turbines themselves. A new study presents a new stochastic method that could help to mitigate these sudden swings and achieve a more consistent electricity production.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Remote work can slash your carbon footprint -- if done right      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Remote workers can have a 54% lower carbon footprint compared with onsite workers, according to a new study, with lifestyle choices and work arrangements playing an essential role in determining the environmental benefits of remote and hybrid work.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Study finds significant chemical exposures in women with cancer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like PFAS and phenols are implicated in hormone-mediated cancers of the breast, ovaries, skin and uterus. To learn more about the environmental exposures experienced by women who developed these cancers, researchers analyzed data from NHANES and found that women who reported having cancer had significantly higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Why do some environmental shocks lead to disaster while others don't?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It's no longer just about stopping, but how we can live with climate change. To figure this out, we must delve into our cultures. A new study points out how our history could help guide the way.