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

Small, cool and sulfurous exoplanet may help write recipe for planetary formation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers observing exoplanet GJ 3470 b saw evidence of water, carbon dioxide, methane and sulfur dioxide. Astronomers hope the discovery of this exoplanet's sulfurous atmosphere will advance our understanding of how planets forms.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Scientists 'read' the messages in chemical clues left by coral reef inhabitants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What species live in this coral reef, and are they healthy? Chemical clues emitted by marine organisms might hold that information. But in underwater environments, invisible compounds create a complex 'soup' that is hard for scientists to decipher. Now, researchers have demonstrated a way to extract and identify these indicator compounds in seawater. They found metabolites previously undetected on reefs, including three that may represent different reef organisms.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate crisis puts Australia's ski industry on slippery slope, but not all hope is lost      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Australia's ski industry is at risk of major disruptions and shorter seasons if the current level of climate pollution continues, according to new modelling. The report found the average ski season across all resorts in Australia will be 44 days shorter by 2050 under a mid-greenhouse gas emissions scenario and 55 days shorter under a high-emissions scenario.

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

Researchers upend theory about the formation of the Milky Way Galaxy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research reveals a shocking discovery about the history of our universe: the Milky Way Galaxy's last major collision occurred billions of years later than previously thought.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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Exotic black holes could be a byproduct of dark matter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the first quintillionth of a second, the universe may have sprouted microscopic black holes with enormous amounts of nuclear charge, MIT physicists propose. The gravitational pull from these tiny, invisible objects could potentially explain all the dark matter that we can't see today.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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Planet-forming disks around very low-mass stars are different      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astronomers studied the properties of a planet-forming disk around a young and very low-mass star. The results reveal the richest hydrocarbon composition seen to date in a protoplanetary disk, including the first extrasolar detection of ethane and a relatively low abundance of oxygen-bearing species. By including previous similar detections, this finding confirms a trend of disks around very low-mass stars to be chemically distinct from those around more massive stars like the Sun, influencing the atmospheres of planets forming there.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
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Fighting fires from space in record time: How AI could prevent devastating wildfires      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are getting closer to detecting bushfires in record time, thanks to cube satellites with onboard AI now able to detect fires from space 500 times faster than traditional on-ground processing of imagery.

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

Scientists detect slowest-spinning radio emitting neutron star ever recorded      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have detected what they believe to be a neutron star spinning at an unprecedentedly slow rate -- slower than any of the more than 3,000 radio emitting neutron stars measured to date.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography
Published

Early summer fishing can have an evolutionary impact, resulting in smaller salmon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new genetic study found that heavy fishing in the early part of the fishing season may result in younger and smaller Atlantic salmon. This information can help to conserve large fish essential for the diversity and viability of salmon populations.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology
Published

A cracking discovery -- eggshell waste can recover rare earth elements needed for green energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative team of researchers has made a cracking discovery with the potential to make a significant impact in the sustainable recovery of rare earth elements (REEs), which are in increasing demand for use in green energy technologies. The team found that humble eggshell waste could recover REES from water, offering a new, environmentally friendly method for their extraction.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Electrified charcoal 'sponge' can soak up CO2 directly from the air      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a low-cost, energy-efficient method for making materials that can capture carbon dioxide directly from the air. Researchers used a method similar to charging a battery to instead charge activated charcoal, which is often used in household water filters.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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'Weird' new planet retained atmosphere despite nearby star's relentless radiation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A rare exoplanet that should have been stripped down to bare rock by its nearby host star's intense radiation somehow grew a puffy atmosphere instead -- the latest in a string of discoveries forcing scientists to rethink theories about how planets age and die in extreme environments. Nicknamed 'Phoenix' for its ability to survive its red giant star's radiant energy discovered planet illustrates the vast diversity of solar systems and the complexity of planetary evolution -- especially at the end of stars' lives.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Exploring three frontiers in marine biomass and blue carbon capture      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study offers first-time insights into three emerging climate innovations to safeguard or increase the carbon naturally captured by ocean and coastal ecosystems: rapid interventions to save the Great Barrier Reef, satellite-tracked kelp beds in the deep ocean, and seagrass nurseries in the United Kingdom.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Summer droughts in Northern hemisphere increasingly likely as seasonal streamflows change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Declining snowfall is changing the seasonal patterns of streamflow throughout the Northern hemisphere boosting chances of water shortages in the summer, scientists have found.

Ecology: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Some countries could meet their total electricity needs from floating solar panels      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Floating solar photovoltaic panels could supply all the electricity needs of some countries, new research has shown. The researchers calculated the daily electrical output for floating photovoltaics (FPV) on nearly 68,000 lakes and reservoirs around the world, using available climate data for each location.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
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Microscopic defects in ice shape how massive glaciers flow, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A glacier's flow depends on how microscopic defects move through the ice, according to new research that also yielded a new model for predicting how glaciers will flow, ultimately contributing to sea-level rise.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
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Shape and depth of ocean floor profoundly influence how carbon is stored there      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans and continents -- or carbon cycle -- regulates Earth's climate, with the ocean playing a major role in carbon sequestration. A new study finds that the shape and depth of the ocean floor explain up to 50% of the changes in depth at which carbon has been sequestered there over the past 80 million years. While these changes have been previously attributed to other causes, the new finding could inform ongoing efforts to combat climate change through marine carbon sequestration.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Crucial shift in River Nile's evolution during ancient Egypt discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have explored how the River Nile evolved over the past 11,500 years and how changes in its geography could have helped shape the fortunes of ancient Egyptian civilization. Research reveals a major shift in the Nile around four thousand years ago, after which the floodplain in the Nile Valley around Luxor greatly expanded.

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

Greenhouses cover more and more of Earth's surface      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Greenhouse cultivation is booming globally, especially in the Global South -- and across one country in particular. This is revealed in a new study that deploys detailed satellite imagery and AI to map greenhouses across the planet. According to the researchers, the development is a source of both promise and concern.