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

Discovery of massive undersea water reservoir could explain New Zealand's mysterious slow earthquakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers working to image New Zealand's Hikurangi earthquake fault have uncovered a sea's worth of water buried in the Earth's crust. The water was carried down by eroding volcanic rocks and is believed to be dampening the earthquake fault, allowing it to release most of the pent-up tectonic stress through harmless slow slip earthquakes.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Energy: Technology Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Insect cyborgs: Towards precision movement      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Insect cyborgs may sound like something straight out of the movies, but hybrid insect computer robots, as they are scientifically called, could pioneer a new future for robotics. It involves using electrical stimuli to control an insect’s movement. Now, an international research group has conducted a study on the relationship between electrical stimulation in stick insects' leg muscles and the resulting torque (the twisting force that causes the leg to move). 

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Power of rhythm as a design element in evolution and robotics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the internet quickly fills with viral videos of futuristic robots darting and racing around like the animals they’re built to mimic, researchers say that there’s an element of their movement’s programming that should not be overlooked: rhythm.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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Instant evolution: AI designs new robot from scratch in seconds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed the first AI to date that can intelligently design robots from scratch by compressing billions of years of evolution into mere seconds. It's not only fast but also runs on a lightweight computer and designs wholly novel structures from scratch — without human-labeled, bias-filled datasets.

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

Dense measurement network links air pollution and common agricultural practice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The annual burning of crop residue in India causes widespread air pollution, particularly in the northwestern regions. A group of international researchers has used low-cost yet reliable instruments to gauge the effects of air pollution in these areas.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Climate
Published

Ancient plant wax reveals how global warming affects methane in Arctic lakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, researchers examined the waxy coatings of leaves preserved as organic molecules within sediment from the early-to-middle Holocene, a period of intense warming that occurred due to slow changes in Earth's orbit 11,700 to 4,200 years ago. They found that warming potentially could lead to a previously under-appreciated flux in methane emissions from lakes.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Biological particles play crucial role in Arctic cloud ice formation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists has presented research findings that reveal a crucial role of biological particles, including pollen, spores, and bacteria, in the formation of ice within Arctic clouds. These findings have far-reaching implications for climate science and our understanding of the rapidly changing Arctic climate.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Space: General
Published

Novel bacterial proteins from seafloor shine light on climate and astrobiology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unveiled a remarkable discovery: the identification of novel bacterial proteins that play a vital role in the formation and stability of methane clathrates, which trap gigatons of greenhouse gas beneath the seafloor. These newfound proteins not only suppress methane clathrate growth as effectively as toxic chemicals used in drilling but also prove to be eco-friendly and scalable. This innovative breakthrough not only promises to enhance environmental safety in natural gas transportation but also sheds light on the potential for similar biomolecules to support life beyond Earth.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Protecting lands slows biodiversity loss among vertebrates by five times      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Protecting large swaths of Earth's land can help stem the tide of biodiversity loss -- especially when those protected areas are in less disturbed landscapes and in countries with effective national governance. A new study looked at how amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds fared in protected versus unprotected areas worldwide. Vertebrate abundance decreased five times more slowly inside protected areas, offering much-needed support for the United Nations' '30 by 30' conservation initiative.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Unleashing the power of AI to track animal behavior      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have created a non-invasive movement tracking method called GlowTrack that uses fluorescent dye markers to train artificial intelligence to capture movement, from a single mouse digit to the human hand. GlowTrack has applications spanning biology, robotics, medicine, and beyond.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Exploring the effect of water on seismic wave attenuation in the upper mantle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The mechanism facilitating the smooth movement of the oceanic lithosphere over the underlying asthenosphere (upper mantle) remains poorly understood. Recently, researchers from Japan investigated the effect of water on the seismic properties of olivine rocks, finding that water retention in the asthenosphere can induce sharp drops in shear wave velocity. This also explained other seismic changes observed at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. These findings provide invaluable insights into the diverse seismic activities on Earth.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

One-hour training is all you need to control a third robotic arm, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has found that people can learn to use supernumerary robotic arms as effectively as working with a partner in just one hour of training.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists reveal what fuels wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wildfires in California, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, are getting more severe. To better manage them, there's a growing need to know exactly what fuels the blazes after they ignite. Scientists now report that one of the chief fuels of wildfires in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is the decades-old remains of large trees.

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

Glaciers becoming smaller and disappearing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers show that some glaciers have disappeared entirely, some no longer show movement, some are too small to meet the 0.01 square kilometer minimum and some are actually rock glaciers -- rocky debris with ice in the pore spaces.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How weather patterns will change in the future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a warming Pacific Northwest, summers are getting hotter and winters less cold, but the atmospheric patterns that influence the weather aren't necessarily expected to become stronger or more frequent by the end of the century, according to a new study.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New study definitively confirms Gulf Stream weakening, understanding the changes could help predict future trends in extreme events      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Gulf Stream transport of water through the Florida Strait has slowed by 4% over the past four decades, with a 99% certainty that this weakening is more than expected from random chance, according to a new study.