Showing 20 articles starting at article 441

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Ecology: General

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The space laser GEDI has allowed researchers to 3D map Earth's rainforests for the first time ever, helping us understand the forest canopy and providing vital information for understanding Earth's carbon cycle and how it is changing.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, researchers have found that the restoration efforts of the critically endangered species elkhorn coral depend largely on the animal's location, microbiome, and the right conditions to provide an abundance of food.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Oceanic islands provide useful models for ecology, biogeography and evolutionary research. Many ground-breaking findings -- including Darwin's theory of evolution -- have emerged from the study of species on islands and their interplay with their living and non-living environment. Now, an international research team has investigated the flora of the Canary Island of Tenerife. The results were surprising: the island's plant-life exhibits a remarkable diversity of forms. But the plants differ little from mainland plants in functional terms. However, unlike the flora of the mainland, the flora of Tenerife is dominated by slow-growing, woody shrubs with a 'low-risk' life strategy.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many landscapes in the tropics consist of a mosaic of different types of land use. How people make use of these different ecosystems, with their particular plant communities, was unclear until now. Researchers, many of them from Madagascar, have now investigated this. When considering biodiversity, forests often get the most attention. But this research shows that rural households use a wide range of plant species and services provided by many nearby ecosystem types.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Small-winged and lighter colored butterflies likely to be at greatest threat from climate change. The family, wing length and wing colour of tropical butterflies all influence their ability to withstand rising temperatures, say ecologists. The researchers believe this could help identify species whose survival is under threat from climate change.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biological invasions are a major threat to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being, resulting in ecosystem degradation and causing economic costs in the multi-trillions of euros globally. A study sheds light on the stark economic cost resulting from biological invasions in the European Union (EU).

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking study reveals the critical yet severely understudied factor of salinity changes in ocean and coastlines caused by climate change.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A project involving 79 researchers belonging to the international Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) finds that concentrations of plastic found in freshwater environments are actually higher than those found in so-called 'garbage patches' in the ocean.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

When an electric vehicle is parked outside, its temperature can swing wildly from day to night and season to season, which can lead to deterioration of the battery. To dampen these fluctuations and extend the battery's lifespan, researchers have designed an all-season thermal cloak that can cool an electric vehicle by 8°C on a hot day and warm it by 6.8°C at night. The cloak, made predominantly of silica and aluminum, can do so passively without outside energy input and operates without any modification between hot or cold weather.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has linked underground climate change to the shifting ground beneath urban areas. The phenomenon is affecting all major urban areas around the globe, causing civil structures and infrastructures to crack.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Wearable sensors are becoming a promising tool in personalized healthcare and exercise monitoring. In a recent study, researchers develop a novel wearable chemical sensor capable of measuring the concentration of chloride ions in sweat. By using a heat-transfer printing technique, the proposed sensor can be applied to the outer surface of common textiles to prevent skin irritation and allergies, and could also be useful in the early detection of heat stroke and dehydration.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The climate control used by termites in their mounds could inspire tomorrow's climate-smart buildings. New research shows that future buildings inspired by the termites could achieve the same effect as traditional climate control, but with greater energy efficiency and without its carbon dioxide footprint.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a metallic gel that is highly electrically conductive and can be used to print three-dimensional (3D) solid objects at room temperature.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in predicting how to change the optimum temperature of an enzyme using large computer calculations. A cold-adapted enzyme from an Antarctic bacterium was used as a basis.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Overheating of wearable skin-like electronic devices increases the risk of skin burning and results in performance degradation. A research team has now invented a photonic material-based 'soft, ultrathin, radiative-cooling interface' that greatly enhances heat dissipation in devices, with temperature drops more than 56°C, offering an alternative for effective thermal management in advanced wearable electronics.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With a flick of a switch, current technologies allow you to quickly change materials from being dark to light, or cold to hot, just by blocking or transmitting specific wavelengths. But now, inspired by squid skin, researchers report a soft film that can regulate its transparency across a large range of wavelengths -- visible, infrared and microwave -- simultaneously. They demonstrated the material in smart windows and in health monitoring and temperature management applications.

     (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.

     (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.

     (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.

     (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.