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Categories: Engineering: Nanotechnology, Environmental: General
Published Study finds combustion from gas stoves can raise indoor levels of chemical linked to a higher risk of blood cell cancers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source About 47 million homes use natural gas or propane-burning cooktops and ovens. Researchers found that cooking with gas stoves can raise indoor levels of the carcinogen benzene above those found in secondhand smoke.
Published Navigating underground with cosmic-ray muons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Superfast, subatomic-sized particles called muons have been used to wirelessly navigate underground in a reportedly world first. By using muon-detecting ground stations synchronized with an underground muon-detecting receiver, researchers were able to calculate the receiver's position in the basement of a six-story building. As GPS cannot penetrate rock or water, this new technology could be used in future search and rescue efforts, to monitor undersea volcanoes, and guide autonomous vehicles underground and underwater.
Published Change food choices to increase chances of tackling global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Action to protect the planet against the impact of climate change will fall short unless we reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global food system, which now makes up a third of human-made GHG emissions, a new study reveals.
Published How will a warming world impact the Earth's ability to offset our carbon emissions?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New work deploys a bold new approach for inferring the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration -- which represents one side of the equation balancing carbon dioxide uptake and carbon dioxide output in terrestrial environments. This will improve scientists' models for climate change scenarios.
Published We've pumped so much groundwater that we've nudged Earth's spin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By pumping water out of the ground and moving it elsewhere, humans have shifted such a large mass of water that the Earth tilted nearly 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) east between 1993 and 2010 alone, according to a new study.
Published This salty gel could harvest water from desert air
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers synthesized a superabsorbent material that can soak up a record amount of moisture from the air, even in desert-like conditions.
Published Cleaner air with a cold catalytic converter
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Although passenger vehicle catalytic converters have been mandatory for over 30 years, there is still plenty of room for improvement. For instance, they only work correctly when the engine is sufficiently hot, which is not always the case, especially with hybrid vehicles. Researchers have now developed an improved catalyst that can properly purify exhaust gases even at room temperature.
Published 10-year countdown to sea-ice-free Arctic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research team predicts Arctic without ice by the end of 2030s if current increasing rate of greenhouse gas emission continues.
Published Energy harvesting via vibrations: Researchers develop highly durable and efficient device
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international research group has engineered a new energy-generating device by combining piezoelectric composites with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), a commonly used material that is both light and strong. The new device transforms vibrations from the surrounding environment into electricity, providing an efficient and reliable means for self-powered sensors.
Published Terahertz-to-visible light conversion for future telecommunications
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study demonstrates that graphene-based materials can be used to efficiently convert high-frequency signals into visible light, and that this mechanism is ultrafast and tunable. These outcomes open the path to exciting applications in near-future information and communication technologies.
Published Nanomaterials: 3D printing of glass without sintering
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new process enables printing of nanometer-scale quartz glass structures directly onto semiconductor chips. A hybrid organic-inorganic polymer resin is used as feedstock material for 3D printing of silicon dioxide. Since the process works without sintering, the required temperatures are significantly lower. Simultaneously, increased resolution enables visible-light nanophotonics.
Published Scientists discover urea in atmosphere revealing profound consequences for climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Areas of the ocean that are rich in marine life are having a bigger impact on our ecosystems and the climate than previously thought, new research suggests.
Published Metaverse could put a dent in global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For many technology enthusiasts, the metaverse has the potential to transform almost every facet of human life, from work to education to entertainment. Now, new research shows it could have environmental benefits, too.
Published Earth was created much faster than we thought: This makes the chance of finding other habitable planets in the Universe more likely
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over the past decades, researchers thought Earth was created over a period of more than 100 million years. However, a new study from suggests that the creation of Earth was much more rapid, and that water and other essential ingredients for life were delivered to Earth very early on.
Published The life below our feet: Team discovers microbes thriving in groundwater and producing oxygen in the dark
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A survey of groundwater samples drawn from aquifers beneath more than 80,000 square miles of Canadian prairie reveals ancient groundwaters harbor not only diverse and active microbial communities, but also unexpectedly large numbers of microbial cells. Strikingly, some of these microbes seem to produce 'dark oxygen' (in the absence of sunlight) in such abundance that the oxygen may nourish not only those microbes, but may leak into the environment and support other oxygen-reliant microbes that can't produce it themselves.
Published Newly planted vegetation accelerates dune erosion during extreme storms, research shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Newly planted vegetation on coastal sand dunes can accelerate erosion from extreme waves.
Published Preserving forests to protect deep soil from warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An innovative, decade-long experiment in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada mountains shows carbon stocks buried deep underground are vulnerable to climate change. The findings have implications for mitigating global warming through the natural carbon sinks provided by soil and forests which capture 25% of all carbon emissions.
Published A machine learning approach to freshwater analysis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has applied a machine learning model to explore where and to what extent human activities are contributing to the hydrogeochemical changes, such as increases in salinity and alkalinity in U.S. rivers. The group used data from 226 river monitoring sites across the U.S. and built two machine learning models to predict monthly salinity and alkalinity levels at each site.
Published Aluminium-ion batteries with improved storage capacity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists develop positive electrode material using an organic redox polymer based on phenothiazine. Aluminium-ion batteries containing this material stored an unprecedented 167 milliampere hours per gram, outperforming batteries using graphite as electrode material. Aluminium-ion batteries are considered a promising alternative to conventional batteries that use scarce raw materials such as lithium.
Published Marine environment at risk due to ship emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers used four different types of port environments to investigate the levels of contaminants emitted from five different sources. They found that the combined emissions of metals and environmentally hazardous substances is putting the marine environment at risk. Ninety per cent of the harmful emissions came from ships fitted with scrubbers, whose purpose is to clean their exhaust gases.