Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

The Gulf Stream is wind-powered and could weaken from climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New evidence of changes to the Gulf Stream during the last ice age could indicate additional sensitivity to future climatic changes, finds a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Groundbreaking study reveals oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals that the rare Desertas Petrels (Pterodroma deserta), a wide-ranging seabird in the North Atlantic, exhibit unique foraging behaviors during hurricane season. Contrary to other pelagic seabirds, these petrels do not avoid intense tropical cyclones but instead exploit the dynamic conditions for their benefit, providing new insights into the impact of cyclones on open ocean marine life.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Engine wear risk as planes swallow more dust waiting to land      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Planes flying into one of the world's busiest airports are ingesting around 10kg of dust per 1,000 flights.

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

Chemistry inspired by one-pot cooking      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Is it possible to create a new class of materials from very different substances using the 'one-pot synthesis' approach? Chemists explain how they enable the synthesis of such novel materials.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Hexagonal perovskite oxides: Electrolytes for next-generation protonic ceramic fuel cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have identified hexagonal perovskite-related oxides as materials with exceptionally high proton conductivity and thermal stability. Their unique crystal structure and large number of oxygen vacancies enable full hydration and high proton diffusion, making these materials ideal candidates as electrolytes for next-generation protonic ceramic fuel cells that can operate at intermediate temperatures without degradation.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Visualizing short-lived intermediate compounds produced during chemical reactions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Immobilizing small synthetic molecules inside protein crystals proves to be a promising avenue for studying intermediate compounds formed during chemical reactions, scientists report. By integrating this method with time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography, they successfully visualized reaction dynamics and rapid structural changes occurring within reaction centers immobilized inside protein crystals. This innovative strategy holds significant potential for the intelligent design of drugs, catalysts, and functional materials.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Exploring the radiative effects of precipitation on Arctic amplification and energy budget      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While, in theory, precipitation impacts the Earth's radiation budget, the radiative effects of precipitation (REP) are poorly understood and excluded from most climate models. Hence, a new study examined the role of REP in the global and regional energy budgets and hydrological cycles, finding that REP significantly contributes to temperature and precipitation variations at different geographical scales, especially in the Arctic warming. This highlights the relevance of including REP in climate modeling for improved accuracy.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How dust pollution from shrinking Great Salt Lake affects communities disproportionately      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Exposure to wind-blown dust from exposed playa of the Utah lake is worse in Hispanic neighborhoods, according to new research. Findings suggest restoring the lake could ease social inequities associated with air pollution.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

New organic molecule shatters phosphorescence efficiency records and paves way for rare metal-free applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has discovered that the new organic molecule thienyl diketone exhibits high-efficiency phosphorescence, achieving a rate over ten times faster than traditional materials. This breakthrough provides new guidelines for developing rare metal-free organic phosphorescent materials, promising advancements in applications like organic EL displays, lighting, and cancer diagnostics.

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

Chemists synthesize an improved building block for medicines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research could help drug developers improve the safety profiles of medications and reduce side effects.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Early-onset El NiƱo means warmer winters in East Asia, and vice versa      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found that the early onset of El Nino around June leads to warm winter climates in Japan, while the late onset of El Nino is associated with colder winters. By analyzing 100-ensemble member climate simulations over the past 61 years, the team found that the warming of the tropical Indian Ocean was a player in warmer Japanese winters.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Using visible light to make pharmaceutical building blocks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have discovered a way to use visible light to synthesize a class of compounds particularly well suited for use in pharmaceuticals. The class of compounds, called azetidines, had been previously identified as a good candidate to build therapeutic drugs, but the compounds are difficult to produce in chemical reactions. Now, a team has developed a method to produce a specific class of azetidines called monocyclic azetidines using visible light and a photocatalyst.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Study explores what motivates people to watch footage of disasters and extreme weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The release in July 2024 of the blockbuster film Twisters (centred around a social-media celebrity storm-chaser) demonstrates an ongoing public fascination in hazards and extreme weather. The arrival of camera and streaming technologies have made it easier to collect and share such footage in recent years, resulting in often dramatic footage being live-streamed on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Discord. Now, a new study has analyzed what might be motivating people to watch these streams -- in some instances for up to 12 hours at a time.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Dampening the 'seeds' of hurricanes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Increased atmospheric moisture may alter critical weather patterns over Africa, making it more difficult for the predecessors of many Atlantic hurricanes to form, according to a new study.

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

Novel spectroscopy technique sheds light on NOx reduction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The process that can convert pollution into benign by-products is called selective catalytic reduction, or SCR. Until now, it has been unclear how this reaction actually occurs, and contradictions have long existed between reaction models within the literature. Catalysis researchers used a technology called modulation excitation spectroscopy, or MES, to finally identify the correct pathway.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

No more stressing out over structural formulas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Structural formulas are a source of dread for many students, but they're an essential tool in biology lessons. A study has now shown that the stress levels of students working with chemical formulas are significantly reduced if they are given simple tips on how to deal with these formulas.

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

New materials: Synthetic pathway for promising nitride compounds discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have successfully synthesized Ruddlesden-Popper nitrides for the first time, opening the door to new materials with unique properties.