Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Microneedle-based drug delivery technique for plants      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The agriculture industry is under pressure to adopt sustainable and precise agricultural practices that enable more efficient use of resources due to worsening environmental conditions resulting from climate change, an ever-expanding human population, limited resources, and a shortage of arable land. As a result, developing delivery systems that efficiently distribute micronutrients, pesticides, and antibiotics in crops is crucial to ensuring high productivity and high-quality produce while minimising resource waste. However, current and standard practices for agrochemical application in plants are inefficient. These practices cause significant detrimental environmental side effects, such as water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss and degraded ecosystems; and public health concerns, such as respiratory problems, chemical exposure and food contamination.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Understanding sound direction estimation in monaural hearing      (via sciencedaily.com) 

One of the fascinating features of human hearing is its ability to localize sound. While the human ear usually does this with binaural cues, it is, in fact, possible to locate sound direction with monaural hearing alone. Now, researchers have developed a method to estimate the direction of sound signals in 3D space using monaural cues based on monaural modulation spectrum that could help simplify sound surveillance techniques and enhance hearing aid instruments.

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

Switching to hydrogen fuel could prolong the methane problem      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Hydrogen is often heralded as the clean fuel of the future, but new research suggests that leaky hydrogen infrastructure could end up increasing atmospheric methane levels, which would cause decades-long climate consequences.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries revealed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have pioneered a technique to observe the 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries. This opens up a wide range of areas for the new technique from energy storage and chemical engineering to biomedical applications.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Thermal conductivity of metal organic frameworks      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, are kind of like plastic building block toys. The pieces are simple to connect, yet they're capable of building highly sophisticated structures.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists identify substance that may have sparked life on Earth      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of scientists dedicated to pinpointing the primordial origins of metabolism -- a set of core chemical reactions that first powered life on Earth -- has identified part of a protein that could provide scientists clues to detecting planets on the verge of producing life.

Biology: Marine Chemistry: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Assessing the potential risks of ocean-based climate intervention technologies on deep-sea ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of experts convened remotely as part of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative's Climate Working Group to consider the deep-sea impacts of ocean-based climate intervention (OBCI). A research team has analyzed the proposed approaches to assess their potential impacts on deep-sea ecosystems and biodiversity. Their findings raise substantial concern on the potential impacts of these technologies on deep-sea ecosystems and call for the need for an integrated research effort to carefully assess the cost and benefits of each intervention.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Researchers find access to new fluorescent materials      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Fluorescence is a fascinating natural phenomenon. It is based on the fact that certain materials can absorb light of a certain wavelength and then emit light of a different wavelength. Fluorescent materials play an important role in our everyday lives, for example in modern screens. Due to the high demand for applications, science is constantly striving to produce new and easily accessible molecules with high fluorescence efficiency.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New ultrasound method could lead to easier disease diagnosis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new ultrasound method that can measure the level of tension in human tissue -- a key indicator of disease -- has been developed.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Some stirring required: Fluid mixing enables scalable manufacturing of soft polymer structures      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed and demonstrated an efficient and scalable technique that allows them to manufacture soft polymer materials in a dozen different structures, or 'morphologies,' from ribbons and nanoscale sheets to rods and branched particles. The technique allows users to finely tune the morphology of the materials at the micro- and nano-scale.

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

Deconstructing tough, woody lignin      (via sciencedaily.com) 

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. In this case, the 'job' is the breakdown of lignin, the structural biopolymer that gives stems, bark and branches their signature woodiness. One of the most abundant terrestrial polymers on Earth, lignin surrounds valuable plant fibers and other molecules that could be converted into biofuels and other commodity chemicals -- if we could only get past that rigid plant cell wall.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

New biosensor reveals activity of elusive metal that's essential for life      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new biosensor offers scientists the first dynamic glimpses of manganese, an elusive metal ion that is essential for life.

Chemistry: General
Published

SCENTinel 1.1, second iteration of Monell's rapid smell test, discriminates between smell loss and smell distortions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team showed that the smell test SCENTinel 1.1 can successfully discriminate between different types of smell disorders. SCENTinel 1.1 can rapidly identify parosmia, the distorted perception of odors.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: Computers and Math Physics: General
Published

Viable superconducting material created, say researchers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report the creation of a superconducting material at both a temperature and pressure low enough for practical applications. In a new paper, the researchers describe a nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride that exhibits superconductivity at 69 degrees Fahrenheit and 10 kilobars (145,000 pounds per square inch, or psi) of pressure.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Enhancing at-home COVID tests with glow-in-the dark materials      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers are using glow-in-the-dark materials to enhance and improve rapid COVID-19 home tests.

Chemistry: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

An innovative twist on quantum bits: Tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes ideal home for spinning quantum bits      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists develop method for chemically modifying nanoscale tubes of carbon atoms, so they can host spinning electrons to serve as stable quantum bits in quantum technologies.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

Extreme fast charging capability in lithium-ion batteries      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Lithium-ion batteries dominate among energy storage devices and are the battery of choice for the electric vehicle industry. Improving battery performance is a constant impetus to current research in this field. Towards this end, a group of researchers has synthesized a lithium borate-type aqueous polyelectrolyte binder for graphite anodes. Their new binder helped improve Li-ion diffusion and lower impedance compared to conventional batteries.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

The future of touch      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Haptic holography promises to bring virtual reality to life, but a new study reveals a surprising physical obstacle that will need to be overcome.

Biology: Marine Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Coral-friendly sunscreen provides better UV protection than existing options      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a prototype for coral-reef-friendly sunscreens by using polymerization to create large molecules that still block UV radiation but are too big to penetrate our skin, coral, and algae. The polymeric UV filter was more effective at preventing sunburn in mice than existing sunscreens.