Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Climate
Published

Raining cats and dogs: Global precipitation patterns a driver for animal diversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has identified several factors to help answer a fundamental ecological question: why is there a ridiculous abundance of species some places on earth and a scarcity in others? What factors, exactly, drive animal diversity? They discovered that what an animal eats (and how that interacts with climate) shapes Earth's diversity.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists develop new method to create stable, efficient next-gen solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Next-generation solar materials are cheaper and more sustainable to produce than traditional silicon solar cells, but hurdles remain in making the devices durable enough to withstand real-world conditions. A new technique could simplify the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells, named for their unique crystalline structure that excels at absorbing visible light.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Primatologists are using genetic analysis to determine the geographic origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt. The team finds evidence that the two legendary trading regions of Punt and Adulis may have been the same place separated by a thousand years of history.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Fungal evolution discovered: Mycena can now invade living hosts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists have long known mushrooms of the genus Mycena, commonly known as bonnet mushrooms, as fungi that live off of dead trees and plants. New research demonstrates that bonnets can also find their ways into young, healthy trees and plants, where they try to cooperate. In doing so, they have made an evolutionary leap which challenges our understanding of the ecological roles of fungi.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Mummified mice discovered atop sky-high Andean volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have uncovered 13 mummified cadavers of mice from the summits of Andean volcanoes that stretch nearly 4 miles above sea level. Analyses of the mummies, combined with the capture of live specimens, suggest that the mice scaled the Mars-like peaks on their own -- and are somehow managing to live on them.

Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient sea monster remains reveal oldest mega-predatory pliosaur      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The fossils of a 170-million-year-old ancient marine reptile from the Age of Dinosaurs have been identified as the oldest-known mega-predatory pliosaur -- a group of ocean-dwelling reptiles closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaurs. The findings are rare and add new knowledge to the evolution of plesiosaurs.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Cobalt-free battery for cleaner, greener power      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

High-capacity and reliable rechargeable batteries are a critical component of many devices and even modes of transport. They play a key role in the shift to a greener world. A wide variety of elements are used in their production, including cobalt, the production of which contributes to some environmental, economic, and social issues. A team now presents a viable alternative to cobalt which in some ways can outperform state-of-the-art battery chemistry. It also survives a large number of recharge cycles, and the underlying theory can be applied to other problems.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

The encounter between Neanderthals and Sapiens as told by their genomes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

About 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years in the western part of the Eurasian continent, gave way to Homo sapiens, who had arrived from Africa. This replacement was not sudden, and the two species coexisted for a few millennia, resulting in the integration of Neanderthal DNA into the genome of Sapiens. Researchers have analyzed the distribution of the portion of DNA inherited from Neanderthals in the genomes of humans (Homo sapiens) over the last 40,000 years. These statistical analyses revealed subtle variations in time and geographical space.

Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Potential for 110% electricity increases in U. S. urban buildings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research study tackled the critical issue of how city-scale building energy consumption in urban environments will evolve under the influence of climate change.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

As surging threats teeter electrical power grids, scientists offer insights to make them more resilient      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Power grids -- the web of electrical networks that sprawl across countries and continents -- are under stress. Extreme weather events and volatile energy demands often push the system to the brink. Although these high-impact events can be very damaging, often overlooked is the impact of minor disruptions that trigger a domino effect throughout the system, according to a study analyzing European power blackouts. The findings showed that recovering power within 13 hours can reduce up to 52% of the power loss stemming from cascading events.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Engineering: Graphene Physics: General
Published

From a five-layer graphene sandwich, a rare electronic state emerges      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When stacked in five layers in a rhombohedral pattern, graphene takes on a rare 'multiferroic' state, exhibiting both unconventional magnetism and an exotic electronic behavior known as ferro-valleytricity.

Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

World may have crossed solar power 'tipping point'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The world may have crossed a 'tipping point' that will inevitably make solar power our main source of energy, new research suggests.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Decontamination method zaps pollutants from soil      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A rapid, high-heat electrothermal soil remediation process flushes out both organic pollutants and heavy metals in seconds without damaging soil fertility.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Harnessing molecular power: Electricity generation on the nanoscale      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers tested a molecular energy harvesting device that captures the energy from the natural motion of molecules in a liquid. Their work showed molecular motion can be used to generate a stable electric current. To create the device, they submerged nanoarrays of piezoelectric material in liquid, allowing the movement of the liquid to move the strands like seaweed waving in the ocean, except in this case the movement is on the molecular scale, and the strands are made of zinc oxide. When the zinc oxide material waves, bends, or deforms under motion, it generates electric potential.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

Solar design would harness 40% of the sun's heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have designed a system that can efficiently produce 'solar thermochemical hydrogen.' It harnesses the sun's heat to split water and generate hydrogen -- a clean fuel that emits no greenhouse gas emissions. 

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Extinct ape gets a facelift, 12 million years later      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has reconstructed the well-preserved but damaged skull of a great ape species that lived about 12 million years ago. The species, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, may be crucial to understanding great ape and human evolution.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Technology
Published

An electrical switch to control chemical reactions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New pharmaceuticals, cleaner fuels, biodegradable plastics: in order to meet society's needs, chemists have to develop new synthesis methods to obtain new products that do not exist in their natural state. A research group has discovered how to use an external electric field to control and accelerate a chemical reaction, like a 'switch'. This work could have a considerable impact on the development of new molecules, enabling not only more environmentally friendly synthesis, but also very simple external control of a chemical reaction.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Revolutionizing energy storage: Metal nanoclusters for stable lithium--sulfur batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) offer a higher energy storage potential. However, issues like formation of lithium polysulfides and lithium dendrites lead to capacity loss and raise safety concerns. Now, researchers have developed a graphene separator embedded with platinum-doped gold nanoclusters, which enhance lithium-ion transport and facilitate redox reactions. This breakthrough addresses the long-standing issues associated with LSBs, setting the stage for their commercialization.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Mummified feces reveals pre-Columbian cultures of the Caribbean consumed a diversity of plants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

DNA analysis of mummified feces reveals two pre-Columbian Caribbean cultures ate a wide variety of plants, like maize, sweet potato, and peanuts -- and tobacco and cotton traces were detected too, according to a new study.

Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Evolutionary secrets of 'Old Tom' and the killer whales of Eden revealed by genetic study      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Evolutionary biologists have for the first time decoded the genetic lineage of a famous killer whale and a pod that once worked alongside whale hunters off the coast of Australia. In the Australian tradition of claiming New Zealand's celebrities as its own, Old Tom, the leader of a pod of killer whales that famously helped whalers hunt baleen whales in the 20th century, has ancestral links to modern-day killer whales in New Zealand, according to new DNA research. Old Tom also shared a common ancestor with killer whales from Australasia, the North Pacific, and North Atlantic Oceans, but is most similar to modern New Zealand killer whales. However, most of Tom's DNA code is not found in other killer whales globally suggesting that the killer whales of Eden may have become extinct locally.