Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

From NYC to DC and beyond, cities on the East Coast are sinking      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: General Environmental: Water Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Electronic 'soil' enhances crop growth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. Researchers have now developed an electrically conductive 'soil' for soil-less cultivation, known as hydroponics.

Engineering: Graphene Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Laser-driving a 2D material      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers pair vibrating particles, called phonons, with particles of light, called photons, to enhance the nonlinear optical properties of hexagonal boron nitride.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Unconventional magnets: Stress reduces frustration      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team recently demonstrated how magnetism can be actively changed by pressure.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

World's smallest 'fanged' frogs found in Indonesia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have identified a species of frog new to science. The Indonesian amphibian is the size of a quarter, unlike its two-pound cousins, and has tiny fangs. Nearly uniquely among amphibians, they lay their eggs on the leaves of trees, and the males guard and tend to the nests. 

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New strategy reveals 'full chemical complexity' of quantum decoherence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a method to extract the spectral density for molecules in solvent using simple resonance Raman experiments -- a method that captures the full complexity of chemical environments.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Seals stay warm and hydrated in the Arctic with larger, more convoluted nasal passages      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Arctic seals have evolved many adaptations to cope with their frosty environment -- one that you might not immediately think of is the bones in their nasal cavity. Arctic seals have more convoluted nasal passages than seal species that live in milder environments, and researchers report that these structures help the seals more efficiently retain heat and moisture as they breathe in and out.

Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

A promising pairing: Scientists demonstrate new combination of materials for quantum science      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, scientists publish results on a new chip composed of diamond and lithium niobate. The results demonstrate the combination as a promising candidate for quantum devices.

Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Hallmark quantum behavior in bouncing droplets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a study that could help fill some holes in quantum theory, the team recreated a 'quantum bomb tester' in a classical droplet test.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Single-use e-cigarettes contain batteries that last hundreds of cycles despite being discarded      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While the lithium-ion batteries in disposable electronic cigarettes are discarded after a single use, they can continue to perform at high capacity for hundreds of cycles, according to a new study. The analysis highlights a growing environmental threat from these increasingly popular vape pens, which are not designed to be recharged.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

How a drought led to the rise of skateboarding in 1970s California      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Why did professional skateboarding arise in southern California in the 1970s? Was it a coincidence, or was it a perfect storm of multiple factors? It's fairly well-known that a drought in southern California in the mid-1970s led to a ban on filling backyard swimming pools, and these empty pools became playgrounds for freestyle skateboarders in the greater Los Angeles area. But a new cross-disciplinary study shows that beyond the drought, it was the entanglement of environmental, economic and technological factors that led to the explosive rise of professional skateboarding culture in the 1970s.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Have researchers found the missing link that explains the mysterious phenomenon known as fairy circles?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fairy circles, a nearly hexagonal pattern of bare-soil circular gaps in grasslands, initially observed in Namibia and later in other parts of the world, have fascinated and baffled scientists for years. New research suggests that all theories to date have overlooked the coupling between two robust mechanisms essential for understanding ecosystem response: phenotypic plasticity at the level of a single plant, and spatial self-organization in vegetation patterns at the level of a plant population.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

When is an aurora not an aurora?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While auroras occur at high latitude, the associated phenomena Steve and the picket fence occur farther south and at lower altitude. Their emissions also differ from aurora. A physics graduate student has proposed a physical mechanism behind these emissions, and a rocket launch to test the theory. She argues that an electric field in the upper atmosphere parallel to Earth's magnetic field could explain the green picket fence spectrum and perhaps Steve and the enhanced aurora.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Jays jump in while crows hold out for the treat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has found that two similar species of birds behave very differently around their favorite food when they have company. Biologists compared the behavior of two species of corvids, Eurasian jays and New Caledonian crows, both capable of displaying self-control through delayed gratification. The researchers found that jays will settle for an immediate, less preferred food option when another bird is present, while crows will always hold out for their favorite food, regardless of the social context.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Diamonds and rust help unveil 'impossible' quasi-particles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered magnetic monopoles -- isolated magnetic charges -- in a material closely related to rust, a result that could be used to power greener and faster computing technologies.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

New theory unites Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The prevailing assumption has been that Einstein's theory of gravity must be modified, or 'quantized', in order to fit within quantum theory. This is the approach of two leading candidates for a quantum theory of gravity, string theory and loop quantum gravity. But a new theory challenges that consensus and takes an alternative approach by suggesting that spacetime may be classical -- that is, not governed by quantum theory at all. 

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

Quantum physics: Superconducting Nanowires Detect Single Protein Ions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has achieved a breakthrough in the detection of protein ions: Due to their high energy sensitivity, superconducting nanowire detectors achieve almost 100% quantum efficiency and exceed the detection efficiency of conventional ion detectors at low energies by a factor of up to a 1,000. In contrast to conventional detectors, they can also distinguish macromolecules by their impact energy. This allows for more sensitive detection of proteins and it provides additional information in mass spectrometry.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: General
Published

More than a meteorite: New clues about the demise of dinosaurs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the traditional narrative that a meteorite alone delivered the final blow to the ancient giants.