Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Yucatán's underwater caves host diverse microbial communities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With help from an experienced underwater cave-diving team, researchers have constructed the most complete map to date of the microbial communities living in the submerged labyrinths beneath Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Researchers found the cave system's microbiome is distinct from the nearby sea, and microbial communities vary between cave systems forming distinct 'neighborhoods.'  

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Low-intensity fires reduce wildfire risk by 60%      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

High-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S. Researchers quantified the value of managed low-intensity burning to dramatically reduce the risk of such fires for years at a time.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Bacteria-virus arms race provides rare window into rapid and complex evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rather than a slow, gradual process as Darwin envisioned, biologists can now see how evolutionary changes unfold on much more accelerated timescales. Using an accelerated arms race between bacteria and viruses, researchers are documenting rapid evolutionary processes in simple laboratory flasks in only three weeks.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Engineers are on a failure-finding mission      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers developed a technique to quickly identify a range of potential failures in a system before they are deployed in the real world.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

How human faces can teach androids to smile      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team used 125 physical markers to understand the detailed mechanics of 44 different human facial motions. The aim was to better understand how to convey emotions with artificial faces. Beyond helping with the design of robots and androids, this research can also benefit computer graphics, facial recognition, and medical diagnoses.

Chemistry: General Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Plastics treaty must tackle problem at source      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The new Global Plastics Treaty must tackle the problem at source, researchers say. They say the treaty must prioritize 'upstream' issues: cutting total production and consumption of plastics, phasing out hazardous chemicals and tackling fossil fuel subsidies.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Zooplankton in ocean and freshwater are rapidly escalating the global environmental threat of plastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative research team has recently revealed that rotifers, a kind of microscopic zooplankton common in both fresh and ocean water around the world, are able to chew apart microplastics, breaking them down into even smaller, and potentially more dangerous, nanoplastics -- or particles smaller than one micron. Each rotifer can create between 348,000 -- 366,000 per day, leading to uncountable swarms of nanoparticles in our environment.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Experts predict 'catastrophic ecosystem collapse' of UK forests within the next 50 years if action not taken      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Experts predict 'catastrophic ecosystem collapse' of UK forests within the next 50 years if action not taken. Other threats to UK forests include competition with society for water, viral diseases, and extreme weather affecting forest management.

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

'Alien' wasps thriving in tropical forests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers say they have discovered high diversity of Darwin wasps in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, wasps which were previously thought to thrive more in cooler habitats.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Marine Chemistry: Biochemistry Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Device 'smells' seawater to discover, detect novel molecules      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Under the ocean's surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as medications. Now, researchers report a proof-of-concept device that 'sniffs' seawater, trapping dissolved compounds for analyses. The team showed that the system could easily concentrate molecules that are present in underwater caves and holds promise for drug discovery in fragile ecosystems, including coral reefs.

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

Maps reveal biochar's potential for mitigating climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Twelve countries have the technical ability to sequester over 20% of their current total greenhouse gas emissions by converting crop residues to biochar. Bhutan leads the way with the potential to sequester 68% of its emissions in the form of biochar, followed by India, at 53%.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Machine learning gives users 'superhuman' ability to open and control tools in virtual reality      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a virtual reality application where a range of 3D modelling tools can be opened and controlled using just the movement of a user's hand.

Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

A database unifies the information on damage to European forests over the last 60 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are creating a database that harmonizes the recording of disturbances caused by insects and diseases in forests in 8 European countries by combining remote sensing, satellite images and field data.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Neuromorphic computing will be great... if hardware can handle the workload      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists believe they may have discovered a way to rework the hardware of AI. By mimicking the synapses of the human brain.