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Categories: Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry, Ecology: Extinction
Published Looking to the past to prevent future extinction



Anthropologists created a computational model to predict the likelihood of animal extinctions based on the complex interaction of hunting and environmental change.
Published Biologists uncover new species of tiger beetle: Eunota houstoniana



Evolutionary biologists have unearthed a new species of tiger beetle, deemed Eunota houstoniana, honoring the Houston region where it predominantly resides.
Published New method to measure entropy production on the nanoscale



Entropy, the amount of molecular disorder, is produced in several systems but cannot be measured directly. A new equation sheds new light on how entropy is produced on a very short time scale in laser excited materials.
Published Micro-Lisa! Making a mark with novel nano-scale laser writing



High-power lasers are often used to modify polymer surfaces to make high-tech biomedical products, electronics and data storage components. Now researchers have discovered a light-responsive, inexpensive sulfur-derived polymer is receptive to low power, visible light lasers -- promising a more affordable and safer production method in nanotech, chemical science and patterning surfaces in biological applications.
Published Research lights up process for turning CO2 into sustainable fuel



Researchers have successfully transformed CO2 into methanol by shining sunlight on single atoms of copper deposited on a light-activated material, a discovery that paves the way for creating new green fuels.
Published 'Winners and losers' as global warming forces plants uphill



Some plant species will 'win' and others will 'lose' as global warming forces them to move uphill, new research shows.
Published Bees need food up to a month earlier than provided by recommended pollinator plants



Plant species which are recommended as 'pollinator friendly' in Europe begin flowering up to a month too late for bees, resulting in low colony survival and low production of queens. This research has quantified the decline in colony survival and queen production due to a shortage of early season food. Enhancing existing hedgerows with early blooming species has the potential to increase the probability that a bee colony survives from 35% to 100%.
Published Major environmental benefits recycling gold with biodiesel



Researchers have developed an environmentally friendly method for recycling and purifying metals. Using gold earrings from a pawnshop in Gothenburg and biodiesel from the nearest filling station, the discovery could change an industry that is currently dependent on large amounts of fossil oil.
Published Product that kills agricultural pests also deadly to native Pacific Northwest snail



A product used to control pest slugs on farms in multiple countries is deadly to least one type of native woodland snail endemic to the Pacific Northwest, according to scientists who say more study is needed before the product gains approval in the United States.
Published Say hello to biodegradable microplastics



Finding viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics and microplastics has never been more important. New research shows that their plant-based polymers biodegrade -- even at the microplastic level -- in under seven months.
Published Rays were more diverse 150 million years ago than previously thought



Scientists have explored the puzzling world of rays that lived 150 million years ago and discovered a previously hidden diversity -- including a new ray species. This study significantly expands the understanding of these ancient cartilaginous fish and provides further insights into a past marine ecosystem.
Published N-channel diamond field-effect transistor



A research team has developed an n-channel diamond MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). The developed n-channel diamond MOSFET provides a key step toward CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor: one of the most popular technologies in the computer chip) integrated circuits for harsh-environment- applications as well as the development of diamond power electronics.
Published Species diversity promotes ecosystem stability



What maintains stability within an ecosystem and prevents a single best competitor from displacing other species from a community? Does ecosystem stability depend upon the presence of a wide variety of species, as early ecologists believed, or does diversity do the exact opposite, and lead to instability, as modern theory predicts? A new study suggests an answer to this question that has been a subject of debate among ecologists for half a century.
Published New reactor could save millions when making ingredients for plastics and rubber from natural gas



A new way to make an important ingredient for plastics, adhesives, carpet fibers, household cleaners and more from natural gas could reduce manufacturing costs in a post-petroleum economy by millions of dollars, thanks to a new chemical reactor.
Published New route to recyclable polymers from plants



Cellulose, abundantly available from plant biomass, can be converted into molecules used to make a new class of recyclable polymers, to sustainably replace some plastics.
Published Cleaning up environmental contaminants with quantum dot technology



The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was focused on quantum dots -- objects so tiny, they're controlled by the strange rules of quantum physics. Quantum dots used in electronics are often toxic, but their nontoxic counterparts are being explored for uses in medicine and in the environment, including water decontamination. One team of researchers has specially designed carbon- and sulfur-based dots for these environmental applications.
Published Recyclable reagent and sunlight convert carbon monoxide into methanol



Scientists have demonstrated the selective conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol using a cascade reaction strategy. The two-part process is powered by sunlight, occurs at room temperature and at ambient pressure, and employs a recyclable organic reagent that's similar to a catalyst found in natural photosynthesis.
Published Ancient giant dolphin discovered in the Amazon



Measuring between 3 to 3.5 meters, 16 million years old: Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new species of freshwater dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon region. Surprisingly, its closest living relatives can be found in the river dolphins of South Asia.
Published Toxic metal particles can be present in cannabis vapes even before the first use, study finds



Though vapes have been heralded as a 'safer' way to consume either nicotine or cannabis, they present their own suite of risks that are being revealed through increasing regulation. Now, scientists have discovered that nano-sized toxic metal particles can be present in cannabis vaping liquids even before any heating occurs, and the effect is worse in illicit products.
Published Molecular crystal motors move like microbes when exposed to light



At first glance, Rabih Al-Kaysi's molecular motors look like the microscopic worms you'd see in a drop of pond water. But these wriggling ribbons are not alive; they're made from crystallized molecules that perform coordinated movements when exposed to light. With continued development, these tiny machines could be used as drug-delivery robots or engineered into arrays that direct the flow of water around submarines.