Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Human activity facilitates invasive plants' colonization in Mediterranean ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some invasive plants can form persistent banks of seeds that remain under the soil for years, and this makes their eradication practically impossible. Over time, this invisible population of large quantities of living, buried plants -- in seed form -- will reoccupy ecosystems and displace the typical flora of the natural environment.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Beaches and dunes globally squeezed by roads and buildings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Beaches and dunes globally squeezed by roads and buildings. Beaches and dunes are becoming increasingly trapped between rising sea levels and infrastructure. Researchers found that today, when dropped on a random beach anywhere in the world, you only need to walk 390 meters (on average) to find the nearest road or building. And while that short walking distance may seem convenient if you want a day at the beach, it's bad news for our protection against rising sea levels, drinking water supplies and biodiversity.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Thermal vision shows endangered numbats feel the heat of warming climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research using thermal imaging of numbats in Western Australia has found that during hot weather the endangered animals are limited to as little as ten minutes of activity in the sun before they overheat to a body temperature of greater than 40 C.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Paleontology: Climate
Published

Ancient cities provide key datasets for urban planning, policy and predictions in the Anthropocene      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows how state-of-the-art methods and perspectives from archaeology, history, and palaeoecology are shedding new light on 5,500 years of urban life.

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

Generating stable qubits at room temperature      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Quantum bits, or qubits, can revolutionize computing and sensing systems. However, cryogenic temperatures are required to ensure the stability of qubits. In a groundbreaking study, researchers observed stable molecular qubits of four electron spins at room temperature for the first time by suppressing the mobility of a dye molecule within a metal-organic framework. Their innovative molecular design opens doors to materials that could drive the development of quantum technologies capable of functioning in real-world conditions.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Graphene Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

First direct imaging of small noble gas clusters at room temperature      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have succeeded in the stabilization and direct imaging of small clusters of noble gas atoms at room temperature. This achievement opens up exciting possibilities for fundamental research in condensed matter physics and applications in quantum information technology. The key to this breakthrough was the confinement of noble gas atoms between two layers of graphene.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Only 18% of the global land area that is needed for human well-being and biodiversity is currently protected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international group of researchers finds that conserving about half of global land area could maintain nearly all of nature's contributions to people and still meet biodiversity targets for tens of thousands of species. But the same priority areas are at risk of conflict with human development with only 18% of that land area protected.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

'Carbon vault' peat suffers greatly from drought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Peatlands are affected more by drought than expected. This is concerning, as these ecosystems are an important ally in the fight against climate change. Following long periods of drought, peat is able to absorb little to no extra carbon (CO2). Increasing biodiversity also does little to make peat more drought-resilient.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

Scientists name the most common tropical tree species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found almost identical patterns of tree diversity across the world's tropical forests. The study of over one million trees across 1,568 locations found that just 2.2% of tree species make up 50% of the total number of trees in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent consists of the same proportion of a few common species and many rare species.

Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Unveiling the reproductive secrets of red-swamp crayfish      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The red-swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is a highly invasive species native to American freshwaters but has also invaded many freshwater ecosystems around the world. Now, researchers conducted a comparative analysis to compare reproductive characteristics of American crayfish with Japanese crayfish. They identified morphological characteristics which can aid in distinguishing the invasive properties of crayfish at the peak of their reproductive form, ultimately assisting in their effective population control.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Researchers demonstrate that quantum entanglement and topology are inextricably linked      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated the remarkable ability to perturb pairs of spatially separated yet interconnected quantum entangled particles without altering their shared properties.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New study uses machine learning to bridge the reality gap in quantum devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has used the power of machine learning to overcome a key challenge affecting quantum devices. For the first time, the findings reveal a way to close the 'reality gap': the difference between predicted and observed behavior from quantum devices.

Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study describes nine new species of carnivorous land snails, all of which are so small they could fit together on a U.S. nickel. They present a rare opportunity to study a group that in many other places is disappearing fast. Worldwide, mollusks account for more than 50% of all recorded extinctions since the year 1500, and many of these were land snails from Pacific islands.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists outline a bold solution to climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists has used a novel 500-year dataset to frame a 'restorative' pathway through which humanity can avoid the worst ecological and social outcomes of climate change.

Ecology: Animals Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Use of habitat for agricultural purposes puts primate infants at risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Frequent visits to oil palm plantations are leading to a sharp increase in mortality rates among infant southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the wild, according to a new study. In addition to increased risk from predators and human encounters, exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals in this environment may negatively affect infant development.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Protected areas for elephants work best if they are connected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The largest analysis yet of African savannah elephant populations shows that conservationists have successfully protected elephants in southern Africa for the last 25 years. However, the pattern varies regionally, with some elephant populations soaring and others still facing large declines. The key to long-term stability appears to be connecting large core areas with neighboring buffer zones, as opposed to well-protected but isolated protected areas known as 'fortress conservation.'

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Monitoring the well-being of reservoir water through an uncrewed surface vehicle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a recent tragic incident, approximately 100 elephants in Africa perished due to inadequate access to water. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issues a warning that around 2.5 billion people worldwide could face water scarcity by 2025. In the face of water shortages affecting not only human society but also the entire ecological community due to the climate crisis, it becomes crucial to adopt comprehensive measures for managing water quality and quantity to avert such pressing challenges.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Non-toxic quantum dots pave the way towards CMOS shortwave infrared image sensors for consumer electronics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have fabricated a new high-performance shortwave infrared (SWIR) image sensor based on non-toxic colloidal quantum dots. They report on a new method for synthesizing functional high-quality non-toxic colloidal quantum dots integrable with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology.