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Categories: Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry, Ecology: Extinction
Published Some plastic straws degrade quicker than others
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Not all plastics are created the same, and some last longer in the ocean than others. Scientists have been working for years to quantify the environmental lifetimes of a wide range of plastic goods to see which have the shortest and longest lifespans in the ocean. To determine what plastics persist in the ocean, the team tests different products in large tanks that recreate the natural ocean environment.
Published Endangered seabird shows surprising individual flexibility to adapt to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research finds that individual behavioural flexibility and not evolutionary selection is driving the northward shift of Balearic shearwaters. The findings were revealed through a decade-long study which tagged individual birds. The results indicate that individual animals may have greater behavioural flexibility to respond to climate change impacts than previously thought.
Published High-efficiency carbon dioxide electroreduction system reduces our carbon footprint and progressing carbon neutrality goals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Global warming continues to pose a threat to human society and the ecological systems, and carbon dioxide accounts for the largest proportion of the greenhouse gases that dominate climate warming. To combat climate change and move towards the goal of carbon neutrality, researchers have developed a durable, highly selective and energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction system that can convert CO2 into ethylene for industrial purposes to provide an effective solution for reducing CO2 emissions.
Published Scientists develop novel method to estimate biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have employed novel statistical methods to reveal the extent of biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries. The study paints the most accurate picture to date of the ecological impact of deforestation and urban development in the tropical city-state. From a comprehensive dataset, the study estimated that Singapore has lost 37 per cent of its species.
Published Utilizing active microparticles for artificial intelligence
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Artificial intelligence using neural networks performs calculations digitally with the help of microelectronic chips. Physicists have now created a type of neural network that works not with electricity but with so-called active colloidal particles.The researchers describe how these microparticles can be used as a physical system for artificial intelligence and the prediction of time series.
Published How to shift gears in a molecular motor
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have long strived to develop artificial molecular motors that can convert energy into directed motion. Researchers have now presented a solution to a challenging problem: how motion can be transferred in a controlled manner from one place to another through a 'molecular gear'. Molecular motors have the potential for use in, for example, energy storage applications and medicine.
Published Polymer power: Researchers enhance the safety of lithium batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Lithium-ion batteries face safety concerns as a result of internal separator issues which often lead to short circuits. Scientists have now developed a method to improve the stability and properties of separators with a layer of silicon dioxide and other functional molecules. Batteries employing these separators demonstrated improved performance and reduced growth of disruptive root-like structures, paving the way for high-safety batteries that can aid the adoption of electric vehicles and advanced energy storage systems.
Published Deep learning reveals molecular secrets of explosive perchlorate salts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Perchlorate compounds are known for their explosive nature. To understand what makes these compounds so explosive, a team of researchers developed a novel deep learning-based method that analyses their crystal structure and molecular interactions to elucidate their physical properties. This novel technique avoids dangerous laboratory-based experiments and uses data to study the nature of compounds. Overall, the study marks a significant step towards data-driven and artificial intelligence-based methods for chemical research.
Published Cellular scaffolding rewired to make microscopic railways
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers were able to control the growth of thin, branching networks that support cellular structure and help cells function. The networks, called microtubules, can exert force and precisely transport chemicals at a subcellular level.
Published Autonomous synthesis robot uses AI to speed up chemical discovery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have developed an autonomous chemical synthesis robot with an integrated AI-driven machine learning unit. Dubbed 'RoboChem', the benchtop device can outperform a human chemist in terms of speed and accuracy while also displaying a high level of ingenuity. As the first of its kind, it could significantly accelerate chemical discovery of molecules for pharmaceutical and many other applications.
Published Teaching nature to break human-made chemical bonds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly evolved enzyme could one day make silicone compounds biodegradable.
Published Unexpected biodiversity on the ocean floor
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hydrothermal vents and manganese nodule fields in the deep oceans contain more biodiversity than expected.
Published New method flips the script on topological physics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The branch of mathematics known as topology has become a cornerstone of modern physics thanks to the remarkable -- and above all reliable -- properties it can impart to a material or system. Unfortunately, identifying topological systems, or even designing new ones, is generally a tedious process that requires exactly matching the physical system to a mathematical model. Researchers have demonstrated a model-free method for identifying topology, enabling the discovery of new topological materials using a purely experimental approach.
Published Researchers add a 'twist' to classical material design
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers grew a twisted multilayer crystal structure for the first time and measured the structure's key properties. The twisted structure could help researchers develop next-generation materials for solar cells, quantum computers, lasers and other devices.
Published A new design improves water decontamination via plasma jet
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two research groups design a plasma (an ionized gas) reactor maintained by microwaves that makes it possible to decontaminate waters with high concentrations of dye.
Published Ancient brown bear genomes sheds light on Ice Age losses and survival
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The brown bear is one of the largest living terrestrial carnivores, and is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Unlike many other large carnivores that went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age (cave bear, sabretoothed cats, cave hyena), the brown bear is one of the lucky survivors that made it through to the present. The question has puzzled biologists for close to a century -- how was this so?
Published Hacking DNA to make next-gen materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a universal method for producing a wide variety of designed metallic and semiconductor 3D nanostructures -- the potential base materials for next-generation semiconductor devices, neuromorphic computing, and advanced energy applications. The new method, which uses a 'hacked' form of DNA that instructs molecules to organize themselves into targeted 3D patterns, is the first of its kind to produce robust nanostructures from multiple material classes.
Published Research of water droplet interfaces that offer the secret ingredient for building life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have experimental evidence that the key step in protein formation can occur in droplets of pure water.
Published Study offers rare long-term analysis of techniques for creating standing dead trees for wildlife habitat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ecologists have long known that standing dead trees, commonly referred to as snags, are an important habitat element for forest dwellers and act as a driver of biodiversity. They're so important that in some managed forests, snag creation is part of the conservation tool kit -- i.e., crews sometimes convert a percentage of live trees into dead ones through techniques ranging from sawing off their tops to wounding their trunks to injecting them with disease-causing fungi.
Published Three-year population study supports fight to save Cameroon's Kordofan giraffe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Crucial new data about the numbers of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe living within Cameroon's B nou National Park has been released, supporting conservation efforts to save the subspecies from extinction.