Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Mars likely had cold and icy past, new study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The question of whether Mars ever supported life has captivated the imagination of scientists and the public for decades. Central to the discovery is gaining insight into the past climate of Earth's neighbor: was the planet warm and wet, with seas and rivers much like those found on our own planet? Or was it frigid and icy, and therefore potentially less prone to supporting life as we know it? A new study finds evidence to support the latter by identifying similarities between soils found on Mars and those of Canada's Newfoundland, a cold subarctic climate.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

The origins of dark comets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets, mysterious asteroids that orbit the sun in our solar system that likely contain or previously contained ice and could have been one route for delivering water to Earth, according to a new study.

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.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Strong evidence for intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Most known black holes are either extremely massive, like the supermassive black holes that lie at the cores of large galaxies, or relatively lightweight, with a mass of under 100 times that of the Sun. Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are scarce, however, and are considered rare 'missing links' in black hole evolution.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Found with Webb: A potentially habitable icy world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A international team of astronomers has made an exciting discovery about the temperate exoplanet LHS 1140 b: it could be a promising 'super-Earth' covered in ice or water.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Building materials for water-rich planets in the early solar system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Age data for certain classes of meteorite have made it possible to gain new findings on the origin of small water-rich astronomical bodies in the early solar system. These planetesimals continually supplied building materials for planets -- also for the Earth, whose original material contained little water. The Earth received its actual water through planetesimals, which emerged at low temperatures in the outer solar system, as shown by computational models carried out by an international research teach with participation by earth scientists.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Stench of a gas giant? Nearby exoplanet reeks of rotten eggs, and that's a good thing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An exoplanet infamous for its deadly weather has been hiding another bizarre feature -- it reeks of rotten eggs, according to a new study of data from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Study reveals environmental impact of artificial sweeteners      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recently published study demonstrates how sucralose affects the behavior of cyanobacteria -- an aquatic photosynthetic bacteria -- and diatoms, microscopic algae that account for more than 30% of the primary food production in the marine food chain.

Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

Restored oyster sanctuaries host more marine life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Oysters sanctuaries in Chesapeake Bay are working for more than just oysters. Compared to nearby harvest areas, sanctuaries contain more abundant populations of oysters and other animal life--and the presence of two common parasites isn't preventing that.

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

New extremely fast carbon storage technology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new way to store carbon captured from the atmosphere works much faster than current methods without the harmful chemical accelerants they require.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Fresh wind blows from historical supernova      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A mysterious remnant from a rare type of supernova recorded in 1181 has been explained for the first time. Two white dwarf stars collided, creating a temporary 'guest star,' now labeled supernova (SN) 1181, which was recorded in historical documents in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. However, after the star dimmed, its location and structure remained a mystery until a team pinpointed its location in 2021. Now, through computer modeling and observational analysis, researchers have recreated the structure of the remnant white dwarf, a rare occurrence, explaining its double shock formation. They also discovered that high-speed stellar winds may have started blowing from its surface within just the past 20-30 years. This finding improves our understanding of the diversity of supernova explosions, and highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary research, combining history with modern astronomy to enable new discoveries about our galaxy.

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: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Cool roofs are best at beating cities' heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered 'green roofs,' street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

A breakthrough in inexpensive, clean, fast-charging batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have created an anode-free sodium solid-state battery. This brings the reality of inexpensive, fast-charging, high-capacity batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage closer than ever.

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.

Archaeology: General Environmental: Water
Published

Layers of carbonate provide insight into the world of the ancient Romans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists face a major challenge when they intend to acquire information about buildings or facilities of which only ruins remain. This was a particular challenge for the remnants of the Roman water mills in Barbegal in Southern France, dating back to the 2nd century CE. This unique industrial complex consisted of 16 water wheels placed in parallel rows. Little could at first be deduced about the site from these now scant ruins -- except that the wheels were supplied by an aqueduct that brought water from the surrounding hills. Researchers have now unraveled the history of the mill complex using calcium carbonate deposits that are now stored in the Archaeological Museum of Arles. These deposits had formed towards the end of the roughly 100-year operational life of the Barbegal water mills on the sides and base of the wooden supply system that conveyed the water to the wheels.

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.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Climate
Published

Investigating newly discovered hydrothermal vents at depths of 3,000 meters off Svalbard      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hydrothermal vents can be found around the world at the junctions of drifting tectonic plates. But there are many hydrothermal fields still to be discovered. During a 2022 expedition of the MARIA S. MERIAN, the first field of hydrothermal vents on the 500-kilometer-long Knipovich Ridge off the coast of Svalbard was discovered.