Geoscience: Geography
Published

Just thinking about a location activates mental maps in the brain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that mental representations known as cognitive maps, located in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, are activated when the brain performs mental simulations of a navigational route.

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

Significant increase in nitrous-oxide emissions from human activities, jeopardizing climate goals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emissions of nitrous-oxide (N2O) -- a potent greenhouse gas -- have continued to rise unabated over the past four decades, according to an international team of scientists.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

3D-printed mini-actuators can move small soft robots, lock them into new shapes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick. The researchers have also demonstrated that this technique works with shape memory materials, allowing users to repeatedly lock the soft robots into a desired shape and return to the original shape as needed.

Biology: Biochemistry Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Researchers create realistic virtual rodent      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To help probe the mystery of how brains control movement, scientists have created a virtual rat with an artificial brain that can move around just like a real rodent. The researchers found that activations in the virtual control network accurately predicted neural activity measured from the brains of real rats producing the same behaviors.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Trash-sorting robot mimics complex human sense of touch      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are breaking through the difficulties of robotic recognition of various common, yet complex, items. Their layered sensor is equipped with material detection at the surface and pressure sensitivity at the bottom, with a porous middle layer sensitive to thermal changes. An efficient cascade classification algorithm rules out object types in order, from easy to hard, starting with simple categories like empty cartons before moving on to orange peels or scraps of cloth.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Four-legged, dog-like robot 'sniffs' hazardous gases in inaccessible environments      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nightmare material or truly man's best friend? A team of researchers equipped a dog-like quadruped robot with a mechanized arm that takes air samples from potentially treacherous situations, such as an abandoned building or fire. The robot dog walks samples to a person who screens them for potentially hazardous compounds.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Researchers create skin-inspired sensory robots to provide medical treatment      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have created innovative soft robots equipped with electronic skins and artificial muscles, allowing them to sense their surroundings and adapt their movements in real-time.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Researchers use 3D visualization to predict, prevent hurricane damage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The researchers say 3D visualization of hurricanes and storm surges allows them to understand how flooding will impact coastal communities by allowing them to vividly see how each building and road might be impacted by a given flood.

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

Upstream and downstream: River study highlights cross-country inequities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research highlights inequities between downstream and upstream countries that share the same watershed. The study outlines how international agreements can better address shared resource problems and call for greater collaboration and coordination between these international neighbors.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Cascadia Subduction Zone, one of Earth's top hazards, comes into sharper focus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has produced the first comprehensive survey of the many complex structures beneath the seafloor in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. It is providing scientists with key insights into how future disasters may unfold.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Earth and space share the same turbulence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered that the turbulence found in the thermosphere -- known as the gateway to space -- and turbulence in the troposphere, here closer to sea level, follow the same physical laws despite having drastically different atmospheric compositions and dynamics.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Space: General
Published

Diagnosing damaged infrastructure from space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing systems allow researchers to inspect and characterize pavements, retaining walls, and embankments from space and can help determine if there are flaws that should be further inspected for repair.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Liquid metal-based electronic logic device that mimics intelligent prey-capture mechanism of Venus flytrap      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has developed a liquid metal-based electronic logic device that mimics the intelligent prey-capture mechanism of Venus flytraps. Exhibiting memory and counting properties, the device can intelligently respond to various stimulus sequences without the need for additional electronic components. The intelligent strategies and logic mechanisms in the device provide a fresh perspective on understanding 'intelligence' in nature and offer inspiration for the development of 'embodied intelligence'.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Chemistry: Biochemistry Ecology: Endangered Species Engineering: Nanotechnology Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Better farming through nanotechnology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Advanced technologies enable the controlled release of medicine to specific cells in the body. Scientists argue these same technologies must be applied to agriculture if growers are to meet increasing global food demands.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Scientists question effectiveness of nature-based CO2 removal using the ocean      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Limited understanding of basic ocean processes is hindering progress in marine carbon dioxide removal, with the on-going commercialization of some approaches 'premature and misguided'. Scientists now review the climatic effectiveness of four 'nature-based' techniques using marine biological processes. These involve shellfish cultivation, seaweed farming, coastal blue carbon -- using the restoration of seagrass, saltmarsh and mangrove forests -- and increasing whale populations through 're-wilding'.

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

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.

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.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

A novel approach to tracking conservation reveals more areas may be conserved than currently accounted for      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of conservation researchers and practitioners has developed an inclusive inventory approach for tracking global conservation areas, with an emphasis on local data and expertise. Applying this approach across the nine countries spanning the Amazon Rainforest identified a wide array of conservation areas with greater diversity and area coverage than existing tracking systems showed.