Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate
Published

Shrinking Arctic glaciers are unearthing a new source of methane      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the Arctic warms, shrinking glaciers are exposing bubbling groundwater springs which could provide an underestimated source of the potent greenhouse gas methane, finds new research.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Tracking ships' icy paths amidst climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Understanding when and where ships are entering areas of Arctic sea ice can help elucidate the potential impacts of vessel traffic in the region.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Finding the flux of quantum technology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

We interact with bits and bytes everyday -- whether that's through sending a text message or receiving an email. There's also quantum bits, or qubits, that have critical differences from common bits and bytes. These photons -- particles of light -- can carry quantum information and offer exceptional capabilities that can't be achieved any other way. Unlike binary computing, where bits can only represent a 0 or 1, qubit behavior exists in the realm of quantum mechanics. Through "superpositioning," a qubit can represent a 0, a 1, or any proportion between. This vastly increases a quantum computer's processing speed compared to today's computers. Experts are now investigating the inside of a quantum-dot-based light emitter.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

An easier way to learn quantum processes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists show that even a few simple examples are enough for a quantum machine-learning model, the 'quantum neural networks', to learn and predict the behavior of quantum systems, bringing us closer to a new era of quantum computing.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Hedging strategy for coral restoration balances diversity, ecosystem benefits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers developed an innovative new strategy for choosing a set of key coral species that will best maintain ecosystem functions critical for reef health. Their hedging approach provides a simple framework for aiding restoration practitioners in selecting target species for their projects, depending on spatial scale and resources.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Scientists edge toward scalable quantum simulations on a photonic chip      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A system using photonics-based synthetic dimensions could be used to help explain complex natural phenomena.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Expanding large-scale agriculture is escalating flooding in the largest South American breadbasket      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Driven by soaring international demand, extensive areas of grasslands, and forests across South American plains have rapidly been converted to the production of annual crops, such as soybean and maize. This agricultural expansion has been taking place at a staggering rate of 2.1 million hectares a year. A new study shows how these shifts to annual crop agriculture, which relies on rainfall rather than irrigation, is also rapidly disrupting the water table across the large flat regions of the Pampas and Chaco plains and contributing to significantly increased risks of surface flooding.

Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

A seed survival story: How trees keep 'friends' close and 'enemies' guessing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study that included millions of tree-year observations worldwide for the first time documents and analyzes the intricate balance between seed defense and dispersal by forest trees at a global scale.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Research breakthrough could be significant for quantum computing future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists using one of the world's most powerful quantum microscopes have made a discovery that could have significant consequences for the future of computing. Researchers have discovered a spatially modulating superconducting state in a new and unusual superconductor Uranium Ditelluride (UTe2). This new superconductor may provide a solution to one of quantum computing's greatest challenges.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Researchers make a quantum computing leap with a magnetic twist      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists and engineers have announced a significant advancement in developing fault-tolerant qubits for quantum computing. In a pair of articles, they report that, in experiments with flakes of semiconductor materials -- each only a single layer of atoms thick -- they detected signatures of 'fractional quantum anomalous Hall' (FQAH) states. The team's discoveries mark a first and promising step in constructing a type of fault-tolerant qubit because FQAH states can host anyons -- strange 'quasiparticles' that have only a fraction of an electron's charge. Some types of anyons can be used to make what are called 'topologically protected' qubits, which are stable against any small, local disturbances.

Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New research finds that more than 90% of global aquaculture faces substantial risk from environmental change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many of the world's largest aquatic food producers are highly vulnerable to human-induced environmental change, with some of the highest-risk countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa demonstrating the lowest capacity for adaptation, a landmark study has shown.

Biology: Biochemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Worse than diesel and gasoline? Bioenergy as bad as fossils if there is no pricing of CO2 emissions from land-use change, experts argue      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Demand for modern biofuels is expected to grow substantially in order to mitigate climate emissions. However, they are far from being a climate neutral alternative to gasoline and diesel. A new study shows that under current land-use regulations, CO2 emission factors for biofuels might even exceed those for fossil diesel combustion due to large-scale land clearing related to growing biomass. Before bioenergy can effectively contribute to achieving carbon neutrality, international agreements need to ensure the effective protection of forests and other natural lands by introducing carbon pricing, the expert team argues.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Gray whales off Oregon Coast consume millions of microparticles per day      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers estimate that gray whales feeding off the Oregon Coast consume up to 21 million microparticles per day, a finding informed in part by feces from the whales.

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

'Toggle switch' can help quantum computers cut through the noise      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What good is a powerful computer if you can't read its output? Or readily reprogram it to do different jobs? People who design quantum computers face these challenges, and a new device may make them easier to solve.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Research questions value of sagebrush control in conserving sage grouse      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sagebrush reduction strategies, including mowing and herbicide application, are often employed to enhance habitat for the greater sage grouse and other sagebrush-dependent species.

Biology: Biochemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Investing in nature improves equity, boosts economy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows that current trends in environmental degradation will lead to large economic losses in the coming decades, hitting the poorest countries hardest. But there is hope: investing in nature can turn those losses into gains.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

How coral reefs can survive climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Similar to the expeditions of a hundred or two hundred years ago, the Tara Pacific expedition lasted over two years. The goal: to research the conditions for life and survival of corals. The ship crossed the entire Pacific Ocean, assembling the largest genetic inventory conducted in any marine system to date. The team's 70 scientists from eight countries took around 58,000 samples from the hundred coral reefs studied.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Human impact on wildlife even in protected areas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The largest long-term standardized camera-trap survey to date finds that human activity impacts tropical mammals living in protected areas and sheds light on how different species are affected based on their habitat needs and anthropogenic stressors.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Lessons in sustainability, evolution and human adaptation -- courtesy of the Holocene      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The El Gigante rockshelter in western Honduras is among only a handful of archaeological sites in the Americas that contain well-preserved botanical remains spanning the last 11,000 years. Considered one of the most important archaeological sites discovered in Central America in the last 40 years, El Gigante was recently nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Are viruses keeping sea lice at bay in wild salmon?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

More than 30 previously unknown RNA viruses in sea lice have been identified. Sea lice are parasitic copepods (small crustaceans) found in many fresh and saltwater habitats, and have been implicated in the decline of wild salmon populations. The research sheds greater light on the types of viruses being carried by sea lice, and how the viruses and host are interacting.