Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Otters, especially females, use tools to survive a changing world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools -- most of whom are female -- are able to eat larger prey and reduce tooth damage when their preferred prey becomes depleted.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Breaking bonds to form bonds: Rethinking the Chemistry of Cations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of chemists has achieved a significant breakthrough in the field of chemical synthesis, developing a novel method for manipulating carbon-hydrogen bonds. This groundbreaking discovery provides new insights into the molecular interactions of positively charged carbon atoms. By selectively targeting a specific C--H bond, they open doors to synthetic pathways that were previously closed -- with potential applications in medicine.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: General
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Shedding light on perovskite hydrides using a new deposition technique      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Perovskite hydrides are promising materials for various emerging energy technologies, but measuring their intrinsic hydride-ion conductivity is difficult. In a recent study, researchers address this issue using a novel laser deposition technique in an H-radical atmosphere. Using this approach, they grew thin-film single crystals of two different perovskite hydrides and characterized their hydride-ion conductivity. These efforts will bolster research on hydrogen-related materials.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
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From roots to resilience: investigating the vital role of microbes in coastal plant health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Understanding how salt marsh grass stays healthy is of crucial ecological importance, and studying the ways bacteria interact with these plants is key. Thanks to recent advances in genomic technology, biologists have begun to reveal never-before-seen ecological processes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

What fire ants can teach us about making better, self-healing materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fire ants form rafts to survive flooding, but how do those bonds work? And what can we learn from them? A professor is researching those questions to expand our knowledge of materials science.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Scientists want to know how the smells of nature benefit our health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Spending time in nature is good for us. And knowing more about nature's effects on our bodies could not only help our well-being, but could also improve how we care for land, preserve ecosystems and design cities, homes and parks. Many studies have focused on how seeing nature affects us. A team of scientists from around the world wants to understand what the nose knows. They are calling for more research into how odors and scents from natural settings impact our health and well-being.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

A novel multifunctional catalyst turns methane into valuable hydrocarbons      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The optimal design of a novel zeolite catalyst enables tandem reaction that turns greenhouse gases into value-added chemicals, report scientists. By tuning the separation between different active sites on the catalyst, they achieved the stepwise conversion of methane into methanol and then to hydrocarbons at mild conditions. These findings will help reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions across various industrial fields.

Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate change is most prominent threat to pollinators      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article has found that climate change is the most prominent threat to pollinators -- such as bumblebees, wasps, and butterflies -- who are essential for biodiversity conservation, crop yields and food security. The research suggests that many of the threats to pollinators result from human activities.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Next-generation sustainable electronics are doped with air      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Semiconductors are the foundation of all modern electronics. Now, researchers have developed a new method where organic semiconductors can become more conductive with the help of air as a dopant. The study is a significant step towards future cheap and sustainable organic semiconductors.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Penalties for dropping out of ecosystem services incentive programs should equal lost environmental benefits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

PES programs are currently structured in ways that could limit their participation or create incentives to drop out before the full environmental benefits are realized.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Promising new development in solar cell technology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers who contributed to the development of record-breaking solar cells a few years ago, expanded their invention. The self-assembled monolayers can now be applied not only in inverted but also in regular structure perovskite solar cells.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
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Scientists generate heat over 1,000 degrees Celsius with solar power instead of fossil fuel      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Instead of burning fossil fuels to smelt steel and cook cement, researchers in Switzerland want to use heat from the sun. The proof-of-concept study uses synthetic quartz to trap solar energy at temperatures over 1,000 C (1,832 F), demonstrating the method's potential role in providing clean energy for carbon-intensive industries.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geography
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Meet the new insect killing Utah's fir trees      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The balsam woolly adelgid, a tiny nonnative flightless insect, is spreading across the American West killing subalpine fir in northern Utah's recreation-heavy mountain ranges and canyons. Rsearchers document a close association between the pest's spread and warming temperatures.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Scientists create an 'optical conveyor belt' for quasiparticles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using interference between two lasers, a research group has created an 'optical conveyor belt' that can move polaritons -- a type of light-matter hybrid particle -- in semiconductor-based microcavities. This work could lead to the development of new devices with applications in areas such as quantum metrology and quantum information.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Transforming waste carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals with a cost reduction of about 30%      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has developed a novel technique to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) from treated flue gas directly into high-value chemicals and fuels. This innovation sidesteps the conventional approach of using high-purity CO2 for electrochemical reduction processes, achieving significant cost savings of about 30%.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Mosaic grassland landscapes are the most beneficial      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Grassland provides many services for humans, animals and nature, such as feed production, carbon storage and recreation. Researchers spent two years investigating permanent grassland, its utilization, soils and plant communities in order to quantify the resulting ecosystem services. Grassland performs best when different types of use such as meadows, pastures and unfertilized extensive grassland exist together in a mosaic landscape.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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How wildfires change soil chemistry      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Severe wildfires can drive chemical changes in soil that affect ecosystem recovery and risks to human health. A new study finds broader surveillance and modeling of these changes could inform strategies for protecting lives, property and natural resources, and managing wildlife.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
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Exploring interface phenomena for more durable and effective nickel--tungsten alloys      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The insights into the formation of various phases, including intermetallic compounds, at the interface between nickel (Ni) and tungsten (W) can lead to the development of advanced high-temperature Ni--W coatings. Their study sheds light on the formation of intercrystallite regions and Kirkendall voids, which can be leveraged to improve the durability and effectiveness of the alloys.