Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New strategy reveals 'full chemical complexity' of quantum decoherence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a method to extract the spectral density for molecules in solvent using simple resonance Raman experiments -- a method that captures the full complexity of chemical environments.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists tackle difficult-to-recycle thermoset polymers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has got a step closer to making several different types of plastic much easier to recycle, using a method that could be applied to a whole range of difficult-to-recycle polymers, including rubbers, gels and adhesives.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

First observation of how water molecules move near a metal electrode      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative team of experimental and computational physical chemists has made an important discovery in the field of electrochemistry, shedding light on the movement of water molecules near metal electrodes. This research holds profound implications for the advancement of next-generation batteries utilizing aqueous electrolytes.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

For this emergent class of materials, 'solutions are the problem'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Materials scientists developed a fast, low-cost, scalable method to make covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a class of crystalline polymers whose tunable molecular structure, large surface area and porosity could be useful in energy applications, semiconductor devices, sensors, filtration systems and drug delivery.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and changing marine ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. This year, the 15th horizon scan included 31 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers who developed a list of 96 issues, which they eventually narrowed down to the fifteen most novel and impactful. Their findings include topics related to sustainable energy, declining invertebrate populations, and changing marine ecosystems.

Ecology: General Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Coral atoll islands may outpace sea-level rise with local ecological restoration, scientists say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ecological restoration may save coral atoll islands from the rising seas of climate change, according to an international team of scientists, conservationists, and an indigenous leader.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

How can Europe restore its nature?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Early 2024, the European Parliament will take a final vote on the 'Nature Restoration Law' (NRL), a globally unique but hotly debated regulation that aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in Europe. An international team of scientists has investigated the prospects of the new regulation.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Move over Blitzen: Geese outpace reindeer impacts on Arctic ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team is studying how expanding populations of two local herbivores -- reindeer and geese -- on Svalbard will impact the future of the ecosystem on the islands. 

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

Upcycling leftover cardboard to make a new type of foam packaging      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With the holiday season in full swing, gifts of all shapes and sizes are being shipped around the world. But all that packaging generates lots of waste, including cardboard boxes and plastic-based foam cushioning. Rather than discard those boxes, researchers have developed a cushioning foam from cardboard waste. Their upcycled material was stronger and more insulating than traditional, plastic foam-based cushioning.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Researchers find way to weld metal foam without melting its bubbles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have identified a welding technique that can be used to join composite metal foam (CMF) components together without impairing the properties that make CMF desirable. CMFs hold promise for a wide array of applications because the pockets of air they contain make them light, strong and effective at insulating against high temperatures.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Researchers create stable hybrid laser by 3D printing micro-optics onto fibers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, researchers have shown that 3D-printed polymer-based micro-optics can withstand the heat and power levels that occur inside a laser. The advance enables inexpensive compact and stable laser sources that would be useful in a variety of applications, including the lidar systems used for autonomous vehicles.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

How forests smell -- a risk for the climate?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plants emit odors for a variety of reasons, such as to communicate with each other, to deter herbivores or to respond to changing environmental conditions. An interdisciplinary team of researchers carried out a study to investigate how biodiversity influences the emission of these substances. For the first time, they were able to show that species-rich forests emit less of these gases into the atmosphere than monocultures. It was previously assumed that species-rich forests release more emissions. The Leipzig team has now been able to disprove this assumption experimentally.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

Towards next-generation nanocatalysts to revolutionize active electron transfer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over the years, scientists have proposed many novel molecular systems for photoinduced electron transfer. Researchers have now developed a copolymer-conjugated nanocatalytic system that can drive efficient photoinduced electron transfer. They employed a temperature-responsive ternary random copolymer and coupled it to platinum nanoparticles. By enabling dynamic electron transfer and driving photoinduced hydrogen generation, this innovation can have far-reaching implications for artificial photosynthesis, electrochemical reactions, macromolecular recognition, and bio-inspired soft materials.

Biology: Zoology Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Aquatic insects in restored streams need more rocks to lay their eggs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Likening it to providing more runways at busy airports, researchers at North Carolina State University found in a new study that adding protruding rocks to restored streams can help attract female aquatic insects that lay their eggs on the rock bottoms or sides. 

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Physics: General
Published

Ultra-hard material to rival diamond discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have solved a decades-long puzzle and unveiled a near unbreakable substance that could rival diamond, as the hardest material on earth, a study says. Researchers found that when carbon and nitrogen precursors were subjected to extreme heat and pressure, the resulting materials -- known as carbon nitrides -- were tougher than cubic boron nitride, the second hardest material after diamond.

Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Twenty-year study confirms California forests are healthier when burned -- or thinned      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A 20-year experiment in the Sierra Nevada confirms that different forest management techniques -- prescribed burning, restoration thinning or a combination of both -- are effective at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire in California. These treatments also improve forest health, making trees more resilient to stressors like drought and bark beetles, and they do not negatively impact plant or wildlife biodiversity within individual tree stands, the research found.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Spinning up control: Propeller shape helps direct nanoparticles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Self-propelled nanoparticles could potentially advance drug delivery and lab-on-a-chip systems -- but they are prone to go rogue with random, directionless movements. Now, an international team of researchers has developed an approach to rein in the synthetic particles.