Showing 20 articles starting at article 1021
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Engineering: Robotics Research, Geoscience: Earth Science
Published Ocean ecosystem: Mixotrophic microorganisms play key role
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean. They are significantly involved in the biogeochemical cycle in the marine layer between 200 and 1000 meters.
Published Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world's oceans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Roboticists have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling safe interactions in delicate environments such as coral reefs. Jellyfish-Bot could become an important tool for environmental remediation.
Published Vaccine printer could help vaccines reach more people
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have designed a tabletop-sized vaccine printer that could be scaled up to produce hundreds of vaccine doses in a day and deployed anywhere vaccines are needed. The vaccine doses are contained within microneedle patches that can be stored long-term at room temperature and applied to the skin, avoiding the need for injections.
Published Massive iceberg discharges during the last ice age had no impact on nearby Greenland, raising new questions about climate dynamics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New findings suggest that Heinrich Events had no discernible impact on temperatures in Greenland, which could have repercussions for scientists' understanding of past climate dynamics.
Published New programmable smart fabric responds to temperature and electricity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new smart material is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli.
Published A more precise model of the Earth's ionosphere
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ionosphere -- the region of geospace spanning from 60 to 1000 kilometers above the Earth -- impairs the propagation of radio signals from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) with its electrically charged particles. This is a problem for the ever higher precision required by these systems -- both in research and for applications such as autonomous driving or precise orbit determination of satellites. Models of the ionosphere and its uneven, dynamic charge distribution can help correct the signals for ionospheric delays, which are one of the main error sources in GNSS applications. Researchers have presented a new model of the ionosphere, developed on the basis of neural networks and satellite measurement data from 19 years. In particular, it can reconstruct the topside ionosphere, the upper, electron-rich part of the ionosphere much more precisely than before. It is thus also an important basis for progress in ionospheric research, with applications in studies on the propagation of electromagnetic waves or for the analysis of certain space weather events, for example.
Published Algae in Swedish lakes provide insights to how complex life on Earth developed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By studying green algae in Swedish lakes, a research team has succeeded in identifying which environmental conditions promote multicellularity. The results give us new clues to the amazing paths of evolution.
Published Arctic ice algae heavily contaminated with microplastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The alga Melosira arctica, which grows under Arctic sea ice, contains ten times as many microplastic particles as the surrounding seawater. This concentration at the base of the food web poses a threat to creatures that feed on the algae at the sea surface. Clumps of dead algae also transport the plastic with its pollutants particularly quickly into the deep sea -- and can thus explain the high microplastic concentrations in the sediment there.
Published Ridgecrest faults increasingly sensitive to solid Earth tides before earthquakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Faults in the Ridgecrest, California area were very sensitive to solid earth tidal stresses in the year and a half before the July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence.
Published The climate crisis and biodiversity crisis can't be approached as two separate things
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Anthropogenic climate change has, together with the intensive use and destruction of natural ecosystems through agriculture, fishing and industry, sparked an unprecedented loss of biodiversity that continues to worsen. In this regard, the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis are often viewed as two separate catastrophes. An international team of researchers calls for adopting a new perspective.
Published Using solar farms to generate fresh desert soil crust
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biocrusts play a crucial role in maintaining soil health and ecosystem sustainability, but they are currently under assault. Human activities including agriculture, urbanization, and off-road vehicle use can lead to the degradation of biocrusts, which have long-term consequences for these fragile environments. Climate change is also placing stress on biocrusts, which struggle to adapt to sunlight and searing heat in arid landscapes like the Sonoran Desert.
Published Turkey's next quake: Research shows where, how bad -- but not 'when'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using remote sensing, geophysicists have documented the massive Feb. 6 quake that killed more than 50,000 people in Eastern Turkey and toppled more than 100,000 buildings. Alarmingly, researchers found that a section of the fault remains unbroken and locked -- a sign that the plates there may, when friction intensifies, generate another magnitude 6.8 earthquake when it finally gives way.
Published Water arsenic including in public water is linked to higher urinary arsenic totals among the U.S. population
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that water arsenic levels are linked to higher urinary arsenic among the U.S. population for users of both private wells and public water systems.
Published New USGS-FEMA report updates economic risk from earthquakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even though most of the economic losses are concentrated in California and along the West Coast due to that region's high seismic hazard levels, significant population, and building exposure, earthquake risk is spread throughout the country. For example, there is a combined $3.1 billion per year in projected losses across the central U.S., Rocky Mountain region, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Published Versatile, high-speed, and efficient crystal actuation with photothermally resonated natural vibrations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mechanically responsive molecular crystals are extremely useful in soft robotics, which requires a versatile actuation technology. Crystals driven by the photothermal effect are particularly promising for achieving high-speed actuation. However, the response (bending) observed in these crystals is usually small. Now, scientists address this issue by inducing large resonated natural vibrations in anisole crystals with UV light illumination at the natural vibration frequency of the crystal.
Published Research collaboration aims to improve nationwide water quality, restore wetlands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The new classification system demonstrates the effects wetlands have on water quality at a continental scale -- invaluable data that can be used to better define whether wetlands are federally regulated under the U.S. Clean Water Act.
Published Polar ice sheet melting records have toppled during the past decade
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The seven worst years for polar ice sheets melting and losing ice have occurred during the past decade, according to new research, with 2019 being the worst year on record. The seven worst years for polar ice sheets melting and losing ice have occurred during the past decade, according to new research, with 2019 being the worst year on record. The melting ice sheets now account for a quarter of all sea level rise -- a fivefold increase since the 1990's -- according to researchers who have combined 50 satellite surveys of Antarctica and Greenland taken between 1992 and 2020, funded by NASA and the European Space Agency.
Published Immediate carbon cuts, common marine heatwave terminology urged
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Oceanographers provide a reality check on the limitations of carbon dioxide removal and a warning that marine heatwaves need clear definitions so communities can adapt.
Published A once-stable glacier in Greenland is now rapidly disappearing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As climate change causes ocean temperatures to rise, one of Greenland's previously most stable glaciers is now retreating at an unprecedented rate, according to a new study.
Published Plate tectonic processes in the Pacific and Atlantic during the Cretaceous period have shaped the Caribbean region to this day
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Earthquakes and volcanism occur as a result of plate tectonics. The movement of tectonic plates themselves is largely driven by the process known as subduction. The question of how new active subduction zones come into being, however, is still under debate. An example of this is the volcanic Lesser Antilles arc in the Caribbean. A research team recently developed models that simulated the occurrences in the Caribbean region during the Cretaceous, when a subduction event in the Eastern Pacific led to the formation of a new subduction zone in the Atlantic. The computer simulations show how the collision of the old Caribbean plateau with the Greater Antilles arc contributed to the creation of this new Atlantic subduction zone. Some 86 million years ago, the triggered processes subsequently resulted in a major mantle flow and thus to the development of the Caribbean large igneous province.