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Categories: Engineering: Robotics Research, Geoscience: Geography
Published Is natural spa water a fossil of water? Uncover the real ultra-deep water cycles



Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding the origins of non-meteoric water in natural spa waters located in central Japan. Based on numerical modeling, their results suggest that this water has been confined within the lithosphere for an extensive period of 1.5-5 million years. They identified three primary sources for this ancient water: the Philippine Sea Plate, the Pacific Plate, and ancient seafloor sediments, particularly in the Niigata and southwest Gunma regions.
Published New soft robots roll like tires, spin like tops and orbit like moons



Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that engages in three simultaneous behaviors: rolling forward, spinning like a record, and following a path that orbits around a central point. The device, which operates without human or computer control, holds promise for developing soft robotic devices that can be used to navigate and map unknown environments.
Published Protecting coral 'nurseries' as important as safeguarding established coral reefs



New research in the southwestern part of Hawai'i Island shows that identifying and protecting marine ecosystems both down-current and up-current of coral reefs, specifically areas where coral larvae are more likely to survive and thrive, is crucial to future coral conservation and restoration efforts -- especially as reefs face increasing pressure from the devastating effects of climate change.
Published Fastest swimming insect could inspire uncrewed boat designs



Whirligig beetles, the world's fastest-swimming insect, achieve surprising speeds by employing a strategy shared by fast-swimming marine mammals and waterfowl, according to a new study that rewrites previous explanations of the physics involved.
Published Protected areas for elephants work best if they are connected



The largest analysis yet of African savannah elephant populations shows that conservationists have successfully protected elephants in southern Africa for the last 25 years. However, the pattern varies regionally, with some elephant populations soaring and others still facing large declines. The key to long-term stability appears to be connecting large core areas with neighboring buffer zones, as opposed to well-protected but isolated protected areas known as 'fortress conservation.'
Published Arctic cold snap transforms into a blessing



Scientists investigate the influence of Arctic cold air on carbon dioxide uptake of the east sea.
Published Soft robotic, wearable device improves walking for individual with Parkinson's disease



Researchers have used a soft, wearable robot to help a person living with Parkinson's walk without freezing. The robotic garment, worn around the hips and thighs, gives a gentle push to the hips as the leg swings, helping the patient achieve a longer stride. The device completely eliminated the participant's freezing while walking indoors, allowing them to walk faster and further than they could without the garment's help.
Published Male southern elephant seals are picky eaters



New research suggests these large marine mammals are extremely fussy and only eat their favorite foods.
Published Vitamin discovered in rivers may offer hope for salmon suffering from thiamine deficiency disease



Researchers have discovered vitamin B1 produced by microbes in rivers, findings that may offer hope for vitamin-deficient salmon populations.
Published Re-calibrating the sail plan for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders in ocean sciences



In Hawaii and across much of Oceania, Pacific Islanders celebrate the connections between their islands and the ocean that surrounds them.
Published Evolution might stop humans from solving climate change



Human culture has evolved to allow humans to extract resources and helped us expand to dominate the biosphere. But the same evolutionary processes may counteract efforts to solve new global environmental threats like climate change, according to a new study. Tackling the climate crisis will require worldwide regulatory, technical and economic systems supported by strong global cooperation. However, this new study concludes that the group-level processes characteristic of human cultural evolution, will cause environmental competition and conflict between sub-global groups, and work against global solutions. Adapting to climate change and other environmental problems will, therefore, require human evolution to change.
Published Understanding climate mobilities: New study examines perspectives from South Florida practitioners



A recent study assessed the perspectives of 76 diverse South Florida climate adaptation professionals. A new study explores the expectations and concerns of practitioners from the private sector, community-based organizations, and government agencies about the region's ability to adapt in the face of increasing sea level rise and diverse consequences for where people live and move, also known as climate mobility.
Published From NYC to DC and beyond, cities on the East Coast are sinking



Major cities on the U.S. Atlantic coast are sinking, in some cases as much as 5 millimeters per year -- a decline at the ocean's edge that well outpaces global sea level rise, confirms new research. Particularly hard hit population centers such as New York City and Long Island, Baltimore, and Virginia Beach and Norfolk are seeing areas of rapid 'subsidence,' or sinking land, alongside more slowly sinking or relatively stable ground, increasing the risk to roadways, runways, building foundations, rail lines, and pipelines, according to a new study.
Published Global warming intensifies typhoon-induced extreme precipitation over East Asia



Scientists use a 3km high-resolution climate model to reveal expanded extreme rainfall from typhoons.
Published How national policies affect forests in border regions



How do national policies impact deforestation? Researchers have looked into this question at the global scale and have found that, contrary to common assumptions, national strategies have a significant -- and visible -- influence on efforts to protect forest heritage.
Published Could an electric nudge to the head help your doctor operate a surgical robot?



People who received gentle electric currents on the back of their heads learned to maneuver a robotic surgery tool in virtual reality and then in a real setting much more easily than people who didn't receive those nudges, a new study shows.
Published Millions of mysterious pits in the ocean decoded



The world's ocean are a vast habitat for countless creatures that settle, spawn, dig or feed on the seafloor. They also influence the shape of the ocean floor. How exactly this takes place has been scarcely investigated so far. In an interdisciplinary study, geoscientists, biologists and oceanographers, have examined crater-like depressions on the seafloor of the North Sea. They were able to show that these directly relate to the habitats of porpoises and sand eels, and for the first time provide a conclusive explanation for the importance of vertebrates in shaping the seafloor.
Published Scientists uncover link between the ocean's weather and global climate



Scientists outline the first direct evidence linking seemingly random weather systems in the ocean with climate on a global scale. The team's work creates a promising framework for better understanding the climate system.
Published Reduced air pollution during pandemic points to way to preserve Himalayan glaciers



Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the coronavirus pandemic could protect the glaciers in the Himalayas and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team analyzing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Published Genetic sequencing uncovers unexpected source of pathogens in floodwaters



Researchers report that local rivers and streams were the source of the Salmonella enterica contamination along coastal North Carolina after Hurricane Florence in 2018 -- not the previously suspected high number of pig farms in the region.