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

At the end of the dry season: CO2 pulses over Australia      (via sciencedaily.com) 

End-of-dry-season CO2 pulses recur each year in the atmosphere above the Australian continent, a discovery made by an international research team led by an environmental physicist. To investigate the carbon fluxes over Australia, the researchers studied atmospheric CO2 measurements. Their analyses show that CO2 emissions spike when heavy rain falls on dried-out soil, thus activating microorganisms in that soil.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

How plants cope with the cold light of day -- and why it matters for future crops      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has discovered a cold 'coping' mechanism that is under the control of the plant biological clock and could offer solutions to breeding more resilience into crops less suited to cold climates.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Earth prefers to serve life in XXS and XXL sizes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Life comes in all shapes in sizes, but some sizes are more popular than others, new research has found. A survey of body sizes of all Earth's living organisms has uncovered an unexpected pattern. Contrary to what current theories can explain, our planet's biomass -- the material that makes up all living organisms -- is concentrated in organisms at either end of the size spectrum.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Mimicking biological enzymes may be key to hydrogen fuel production      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An ancient biological enzyme known as nickel-iron hydrogenase may play a key role in producing hydrogen for a renewables-based energy economy, researchers said. Careful study of the enzyme has led chemists to design a synthetic molecule that mimics the hydrogen gas-producing chemical reaction performed by the enzyme.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Most of world's salt marshes likely to be underwater by 2100, study concludes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Salt marshes are some of the most biologically productive ecosystems on Earth. They play an outsized role in nitrogen cycling, act as carbon sinks, protect coastal development from storm surge, and provide critical habitats and nurseries for many fish, shellfish, and coastal birds. According to new research, more than 90 percent of the world's salt marshes are likely to be underwater by the end of the century. These findings come from a 50-year study of ecosystem changes in Great Sippewissett Marsh in Falmouth, Mass.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Energy-efficient and customizable inorganic membranes for a cleaner future      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of researchers has developed a revolutionary technique for producing ultrathin inorganic membranes. These inorganic membranes are not just energy-efficient but also highly customizable for different applications, such as filtration, separation, energy conversion, catalysis and sensing. This ground-breaking achievement could potentially revolutionize the way many industries operate for greater sustainability.

Biology: Biochemistry Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Fermented coffee's fruity aromas demystified      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Fermented coffee could bring a fruity taste to your morning cup of joe. This new kind of beverage has a raspberry-like taste and aroma, but what causes these sensations has been a mystery. Scientists now report six compounds that contribute to the fermented coffee experience.

Biology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Three newly discovered sea worms that glow in the dark named after creatures from Japanese folklore and marine biologist      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered three new species of luminescent Polycirrus worms that emit blue-purple light. They named two of them after glowing creatures in Japanese folklore, and the other after the former director of Notojima Aquarium who helped find the worms.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New additives could turn concrete into an effective carbon sink      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Introducing additives to concrete manufacturing processes could reduce the sizeable carbon footprint of the material without altering its bulk mechanical properties, a study shows.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Team uses natural catalysts to develop low-cost way of producing green hydrogen      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a practical way to produce green hydrogen using sustainable catalysts and say their work is a major step towards production simpler, more affordable and more scalable.

Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Highly charged ions melt nano gold nuggets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Shooting ions is very different from shooting a gun: By firing highly charged ions onto tiny gold structures, these structures can be modified in technologically interesting ways. Surprisingly, the key is not the force of impact, but the electric charge of the projectiles.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
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Biomolecules: Trying nanometer measurement for size      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As part of a comparative international study, researchers have successfully tested and validated a method of investigating dynamic protein structures.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Probe where the protons go to develop better fuel cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered the chemical inner-workings of an electrolyte they developed for a new generation of solid oxide fuel cells. To uncover the location of the proton-introduction reaction, the team studied extensively the hydration reaction of their scandium-substituted barium zirconate perovskite through a combination of synchrotron radiation analysis, large-scale simulations, machine learning, and thermogravimetric analysis. The new data has the potential to accelerate the development of more efficient fuel cells.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Nanophysics: The right twist      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Stacked layers of ultrathin semiconductor materials feature phenomena that can be exploited for novel applications. Physicists have studied effects that emerge by giving two layers a slight twist.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

The Greenland Ice Sheet is close to a melting point of no return      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study using simulations identified two tipping points for the Greenland Ice Sheet: releasing 1000 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere will cause the southern portion of the ice sheet to melt; about 2500 gigatons of carbon means permanent loss of nearly the entire ice sheet. Having emitted about 500 gigatons of carbon, we're about halfway to the first tipping point.

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

Improved wastewater treatment could lead to significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has shown that methane emissions from urban areas are underestimated by a factor of three to four and that untreated wastewater may be a contributing factor.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Closed loop for circular economy: New polymer recycling strategy ensures both high stability and complete recyclability      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Large amounts of plastic waste are incinerated or deposited in landfills. This degrades the environment and depletes valuable resources. In this light, recycling plastics such as polymers is promising. However, recycling diminishes their quality. Recently, researchers have proposed a 'closed-loop' recycling process based on polymer microparticles. It produces fully recyclable polymer films with high mechanical stability and fracture energy, which they retain upon recycling.