Computer Science: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Information overload is a personal and societal danger      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

We are all aware of the dangers of pollution to our air, water, and earth. In a recently published letter, scientists are advocating for the recognition and mitigation of another type of environmental pollution that poses equivalent personal and societal dangers: information overload.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Researchers can reveal illegal timber exports      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new method of timber analysis can confidently identify the location in which the tree was harvested. The method has been developed with the aim of combating illegal timber imports from Russia and Belarus.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Landslides Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
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Surprising insights about debris flows on Mars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The period that liquid water was present on the surface of Mars may have been shorter than previously thought. Channel landforms called gullies, previously thought to be formed exclusively by liquid water, can also be formed by the action of evaporating CO2 ice, according to a new study.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
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Drought, soil desiccation cracking, and carbon dioxide emissions: an overlooked feedback loop exacerbating climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Soil stores 80 percent of carbon on earth, yet with increasing cycles of drought, that crucial reservoir is cracking and breaking down, releasing even more greenhouse gases creating an amplified feedback loop that could accelerate climate change.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Multiple air pollutants linked to asthma symptoms in children      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Exposure to several combinations of toxic atmospheric pollutants may be triggering asthma symptoms among children, a recent analysis suggests. The study showed that 25 different combinations of air pollutants were associated with asthma symptoms among 269 elementary school children diagnosed with asthma.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Sustainable plastics from agricultural waste      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a sustainable method to make high-performance plastics from agricultural leftovers, turning them into valuable materials.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: Quantum Computers Mathematics: General Mathematics: Puzzles Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Exploration Space: General
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Satellites for quantum communications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Through steady advances in the development of quantum computers and their ever-improving performance, it will be possible in the future to crack our current encryption processes. To address this challenge, researchers are developing encryption methods that will apply physical laws to prevent the interception of messages. To safeguard communications over long distances, the QUICK space mission will deploy satellites.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Federal housing programs protect residents from lead exposure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Americans already living in housing supported by federal housing assistance programs have significantly lower blood lead levels than counterparts who would later join these programs, according to new research.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Curbing coal-burning emissions translates to health gains for children      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research finds a nearly 40% decline in the annual average concentration of respirable particulate matter (PM2.5) in Krakow, Poland, between 2010 and 2019 following the implementation of clean air policies. Air quality improvements translated to substantial benefits for children's outcomes, including fewer cases of asthma and better birth outcomes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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High resolution imagery advances the ability to monitor decadal changes in emperor penguin populations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emperor penguin populations have been exceedingly difficult to monitor because of their remote locations, and because individuals form breeding colonies on seasonal sea ice fastened to land (known as fast ice) during the dark and cold Antarctic winter. New research that incorporates very high-resolution satellite imagery with field-based validation surveys and long-term data has provided the first multi-year time series that documents emperor penguin global population trends.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Molecular simulations of ammonia mixtures support search for renewable fuels      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ammonia is an important molecule with many applications. The end product of the famed Haber-Bosch process, it is commonly synthesized to capture nitrogen for fertilizers, and is used for refrigeration, in cleaning products, and in the production of pharmaceuticals. Recently, this modest molecule has also attracted interest as a potential resource for addressing one of today's most pressing challenges -- the need for reliable and abundant renewable fuels.

Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Optics
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New high-performance solar cell material      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reports the discovery of an entirely new stable, earth-abundant, high-performance material for solar absorbers -- the central part of a solar cell that turns light into electricity. While identifying new solar materials is typically very time-consuming, the researchers used a unique high-throughput computational screening method to quickly evaluate around 40,000 candidate materials.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
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Grounding zone discovery explains accelerated melting under Greenland's glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have conducted the first large-scale observation and modeling study of northwest Greenland's Petermann Glacier. Their findings reveal the intrusion of warm ocean water beneath the ice as the culprit in the accelerated melting it has experienced since the turn of the century, and their computer predictions indicate that potential sea level rise will be much worse than previously estimated.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
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AI analysis of historical satellite images show USSR collapse in 1990s increased methane emissions, despite lower oil and gas production      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An AI-powered analysis of 25 years of satellite images yields the surprising finding that methane emissions in Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic and major oil-producing region, actually increased in the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Exploring arctic plants and lichens: An important conservation baseline for Nunavut's newest and largest territorial park      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A comprehensive study of the floristic diversity of Agguttinni Territorial Park, Nunavut's newest and largest Territorial Park, has documented 141 vascular plant, 69 bryophyte, and 93 lichen species from this unique protected area on northern Baffin Island. Through a combination of extensive fieldwork in 2021 and examination of hundreds of existing herbarium specimens, the authors have documented species newly reported for Baffin Island and have crafted a biodiversity baseline important for park management and conservation.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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New study quantifies health impacts from oil and gas flaring in U.S.      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study finds that pollution from oil and gas venting and flaring results in $7.4 billion in health damages, more than 700 premature deaths, and 73,000 asthma exacerbations among children annually. Researchers also conclude that emissions are underreported and controlling emissions is not only profitable for operators, but also can significantly improve public health in surrounding communities.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Vehicle brakes produce charged particles that may harm public health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists know relatively little about particles released into the air when a vehicle driver brakes, though evidence suggests those particles may be more harmful to health than particles exiting the tailpipe.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

AI making waves in marine data collection      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Numerous measurement stations around the world provide us with data about air quality, allowing us to enhance it. Although we are increasingly collecting data from marine areas, access to such data is considerably more challenging. Signals are poorly transmitted through water, differences in both pressure and currents hinder measurement devices and there is an absence of pre-constructed computing infrastructure. Could intelligent technologies help us improve marine data collection?