Showing 20 articles starting at article 941
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Mathematics: Modeling
Published The economic life of cells
(via sciencedaily.com) A team has combined economic theory with biology to understand how natural systems respond to change. The researchers noticed a similarity between consumers' shopping behavior and the behavior of metabolic systems, which convert food into energy in our bodies. The team focused on predicting how different metabolic systems might respond to environmental change by using an economic tool called the Slutsky equation. Their calculations indicated that very different metabolic systems actually share previously unknown universal properties, and can be understood using tools from other academic fields. Metabolic processes are used in drug development, bioengineering, food production and other industries, so being able to predict how such systems will respond to change can offer many benefits.
Published Building a better forest tree with CRISPR gene editing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers use CRISPR techniques to modify lignin levels in poplar trees.
Published Plastic pollution on coral reefs increases with depth and mostly comes from fishing activities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers reveal the extent of plastic pollution on coral reefs, finding that debris increases with depth, largely stems from fishing activities, and is correlated with proximity to marine protected areas.
Published Supercomputer used to simulate winds that cause clear air turbulence
(via sciencedaily.com) Using Japan's most powerful supercomputer, researchers reproduced cases of clear air turbulence around Tokyo. They simulated the fine vortices responsible for this dangerous phenomenon. The usefulness of the simulation in predicting turbulence was confirmed by comparing simulation data with data from aircraft recordings. This research should improve the forecasting of turbulence.
Published Researcher turns one of the basic rules of construction upside down
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Structural engineers are familiar with seventeenth-century scientist Robert Hooke's theory that a hanging chain will mirror the shape of an upstanding rigid arch. However, new research now shows that this common-held belief is incorrect because, regardless of the similarities, the hanging chain and the arch are two incompatible mechanical systems.
Published Forest can adapt to climate change, but not quickly enough
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source America's forests have a tough time in store for them. Climate change is increasing temperatures and decreasing moisture levels across the country, not a winning combination for trees.
Published Conservation in Indonesia is at risk, a team of researchers who study the region argues
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Indonesia, home to the largest tropical rainforest in Southeast Asia and over 17,500 islands, is a country packed with biodiversity and endangered species. However, scientists studying the region's species and ecosystems are getting banned from Indonesia, and conservation plans are being blocked. A team of conservation researchers with long-term experience in Indonesia discuss scientific suppression and other research challenges they have witnessed while working in the region. They offer suggestions for how to promote nature conservation, protect data transparency, and share research with the public in this and other regions of the world.
Published Board games are boosting math ability in young children
(via sciencedaily.com) Board games based on numbers, like Monopoly, Othello and Chutes and Ladders, make young children better at math, according to a comprehensive review of research published on the topic over the last 23 years.
Published Machine learning takes materials modeling into new era
(via sciencedaily.com) The arrangement of electrons in matter, known as the electronic structure, plays a crucial role in fundamental but also applied research such as drug design and energy storage. However, the lack of a simulation technique that offers both high fidelity and scalability across different time and length scales has long been a roadblock for the progress of these technologies. Researchers have now pioneered a machine learning-based simulation method that supersedes traditional electronic structure simulation techniques. Their Materials Learning Algorithms (MALA) software stack enables access to previously unattainable length scales.
Published Arctic dust found to be a major source of particles that form ice crystals in Arctic low-level clouds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists in Japan have used a global climate model to show that dust from land without snow cover in the Arctic is a major source of particles that form ice crystals in Arctic low-level clouds. This finding could help improve predictions of Arctic warming, which is suggested to be much faster than in other parts of the world.
Published Queensland native forestry can help achieve global environment goals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has revealed that Queensland native forestry, including timber harvesting, could actually help conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate risks.
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.
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.
Published Deciphering the thermodynamic arrow of time in large-scale complex networks
(via sciencedaily.com) A solution for temporal asymmetry -- or entropy production -- in thermodynamics has been developed to further our understanding of the behavior of biological systems, machine learning, and AI tools. The researchers worked on the time-irreversible Ising model dynamics caused by asymmetric connections between neurons.
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.
Published Researchers teach an AI to write better chart captions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new tool helps scientists develop machine-learning models that generate richer, more detailed captions for charts, and vary the level of complexity of a caption based on the needs of users. This could help improve accessibility for people with visual disabilities.
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.
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.
Published Evaluating cybersecurity methods
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers created a generic framework that enables an engineer or scientist to evaluate the effectiveness of defense schemes that seek to limit a hacker's ability to learn secret information by observing the behavior of a victim computer program.
Published Turning old maps into 3D digital models of lost neighborhoods
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Imagine strapping on a virtual reality headset and 'walking' through a long-gone neighborhood in your city -- seeing the streets and buildings as they appeared decades ago. That's a very real possibility now that researchers have developed a method to create 3D digital models of historic neighborhoods using machine learning and historic Sanborn Fire Insurance maps.