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Categories: Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, Environmental: Ecosystems
Published AI-driven lab speeds catalysis research
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a 'self-driving' lab that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to provide in-depth analyses of catalytic reactions used in chemical research and manufacturing. The new tool, called Fast-Cat, can provide more information in five days than is possible in six months of conventional testing.
Published Cutting-edge 'protein lawnmower' created
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have designed the first synthetic protein-based motor which harnesses biological reactions to fuel and propel itself. 'Imagine if a Roomba could be powered only by the dirt it picks up,' says one of the authors of the study. The motor uses the digestive enzyme trypsin to cut the peptides and convert them into the energy it needs to propel itself.
Published Scientists assemble a richer picture of the plight and resilience of the foothill yellow-legged frog
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Up to only a few inches in length, with a lemon-hued belly, the foothill yellow-legged frog may seem unassuming. But its range once stretched from central Oregon to Baja California. In 2023, it was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Its rapidly decreasing range is due in part to a fungal pathogen called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd, that has devastated amphibians around the world.
Published Reforestation schemes are not enough to recover the carbon created by harvesting wood
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Forests have a critical role to play in capturing and storing carbon from the Earth's atmosphere -- but some models exaggerate their carbon removal potential by almost three-fold, according to a leading professor of forest economics.
Published Birds and bee lessons as Pacific field trips also solve 'Michener's mystery'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Eight new Pacific bee species and new insights into Fijian bird behaviour on Viti Levu Island have been described in new scientific studies. The research highlights the potential for species discovery, ecological and conservation knowledge and cultural engagement from Asia-Pacific research collaborations.
Published The mutual neutralization of hydronium and hydroxide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have been able to directly visualize the neutral products of the mutual neutralization of hydronium and hydroxide, and report three different product channels: two channels were attributed to a predominant electron-transfer mechanism, and a smaller channel was associated with proton transfer. The two-beam collision experiment is an important step toward understanding the quantum dynamics of this fundamental reaction.
Published Robots, monitoring and healthy ecosystems could halve pesticide use without hurting productivity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Smarter crop farming that combats weeds, insect pests and plant diseases by integrating modern technologies like AI-based monitoring, robotics, and next-generation biotechnology with healthy and resilient agricultural ecosystems.
Published Streams connected to groundwater show improved detoxification and microbial diversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Streams with ample connections to shallow groundwater flow-paths have greater microbial diversity and are more effective at preventing toxic forms of metals -- often products of upstream mining -- from entering and being transported downstream.
Published Side effects of wide scale forestation could reduce carbon removal benefits by up to a third
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The side effects of large-scale forestation initiatives could reduce the CO2 removal benefits by up to a third, a pioneering study has found.
Published Chemists synthesize unique anticancer molecules using novel approach
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nearly 30 years ago, scientists discovered a unique class of anticancer molecules in a family of bryozoans, a phylum of marine invertebrates found in tropical waters. The chemical structures of these molecules, which consist of a dense, highly complex knot of oxidized rings and nitrogen atoms, has attracted the interest of organic chemists worldwide, who aimed to recreate these structures from scratch in the laboratory. However, despite considerable effort, it has remained an elusive task. Until now, that is. A team of chemists has succeeded in synthesizing eight of the compounds for the first time using an approach that combines inventive chemical strategy with the latest technology in small molecule structure determination.
Published Cooler, wetter parts of Pacific Northwest likely to see more fires, new simulations predict
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Forests in the coolest, wettest parts of the western Pacific Northwest are likely to see the biggest increases in burn probability, fire size and number of blazes as the climate continues to get warmer and drier.
Published Carbon emissions from the destruction of mangrove forests predicted to increase by 50,000% by the end of the century
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The annual rate of carbon emissions due to the degradation of carbon stocks in mangrove forests is predicted to rise by nearly 50,000% by the end of the century, according to a new study. Mangroves in regions such as southern India, southeastern China, Singapore and eastern Australia are particularly affected.
Published Stronger storms free more nutrients from mud flats
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source If storms become stronger in the future due to climate change, more nitrogen may be released from the bottom of coastal seas.
Published Modeling tree masting
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The effects of a phenomenon called tree masting on ecosystems and food webs can be better understood thanks to new theoretical models validated by real world observations.
Published Does Russia stand to benefit from climate change?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source There exists a narrative about climate change that says there are winners and losers -- with Russia being one of the countries that stand to benefit from its effects. In a new study, researchers found that Russia is suffering from a variety of climate change impacts and is ill-prepared to mitigate or adapt to those climate impacts. And, as the rest of the world transitions to renewable energy sources, Russia's fossil-fuel-dependent government is not willing or ready to make alternative plans for the country, changes that could potentially benefit the whole of their society.
Published Citizen science to mitigate the environmental crisis in the marine environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Citizen science can help to improve conservation and management strategies for Mediterranean marine ecosystems, and to mitigate the impact of the environmental crisis.
Published Converting rainforest to plantation impacts food webs and biodiversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Every day, new areas of rainforests are converted into plantations, drastically changing tropical biodiversity and the way the ecosystem functions. Yet, the current understanding of the consequences is fragmentary: previous studies tended to examine either biodiversity or the ecosystem. An international research team brings these threads together in this study. They analyzed organisms ranging from microscopic mites and earthworms in the soil, to beetles and birds in tree canopies, comparing tropical rainforest with rubber and oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Published 'The future is fungal': New research finds that fungi that live in healthy plants are sensitive to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Findings more than a decade in the making reveal a rich diversity of beneficial fungi living in boreal forest trees, with implications for the health of forests.
Published Low oxygen in lakes may breathe new life into conservation efforts for water quality
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team analyzed 656 lakes across five continents to provide empirical evidence supporting a long-held theory regarding low deep-water oxygen concentrations, or anoxia.
Published Gulf corals still suffering more than a decade after Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists report
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Deep-water corals in the Gulf of Mexico are still struggling to recover from the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, scientists report at the Ocean Science Meeting in New Orleans. Comparing images of more than 300 corals over 13 years -- the longest time series of deep-sea corals to date -- reveals that in some areas, coral health continues to decline to this day.