Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Thousands of birds and fish threatened by mining for clean energy transition, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our increasing demand for metals and minerals is putting over four thousand vertebrate species at risk, with the raw materials needed for clean energy infrastructure often located in global biodiversity hotspots, a study has found.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Nuclear Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Fresh light on the path to net zero      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have used magnetic fields to reveal the mystery of how light particles split. Scientists are closer to giving the next generation of solar cells a powerful boost by integrating a process that could make the technology more efficient by breaking particles of light photons into small chunks.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Geoscience: Geography
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New Zealand's flightless birds are retreating to moa refuges      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found New Zealand's endangered flightless birds are seeking refuge in the locations where six species of moa last lived before going extinct.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Physics: Optics
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Engineer develops technique that enhances thermal imaging and infrared thermography for police, medical, military use      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new method to measure the continuous spectrum of light is set to improve thermal imaging and infrared thermography.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Energy: Technology Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Next-gen cooling system to help data centers become more energy efficient      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is hot right now. Also hot: the data centers that power the technology. And keeping those centers cool requires a tremendous amount of energy. The problem is only going to grow as high-powered AI-based computers and devices become commonplace. That's why researchers are devising a new type of cooling system that promises to dramatically reduce energy demands.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Water Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Researchers record images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have captured what they believe is the first ever video of a shark or any large marine animal being struck by a boat.

Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Whale shark tracked for record-breaking four years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have been tracking a 26-foot endangered whale shark -- named 'Rio Lady' -- with a satellite transmitter for more than four years -- a record for whale sharks and one of the longest tracking endeavors for any species of shark.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Researchers develop more environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for soil remediation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have developed a rapid electrothermal mineralization (REM) process, which in seconds can remediate the accumulation of synthetic chemicals that can contaminate soil and the environment.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: General
Published

3D-printed microstructure forest facilitates solar steam generator desalination      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Faced with the world's impending freshwater scarcity, researchers turned to solar steam generators, which are emerging as a promising device for seawater desalination. The team sought design inspiration from trees and harnessed the potential of 3D printing. They present technology for producing efficient SSGs for desalination and introduces a novel method for printing functional nanocomposites for multi-jet fusion. Their SSGs were inspired by plant transpiration and are composed of miniature tree-shaped microstructures, forming an efficient, heat-distributing forest.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

A window of opportunity for climate change and biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

World leaders must take advantage of a pivotal window of opportunity for forging a much-needed joined-up approach to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, say scientists. Without this, work on tackling either crisis could inadvertently harm progress on the other.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Tropical plant species are as threatened by climate change as widely feared, study confirms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists who set out to better understand the effects of climate change on plant species in tropical mountain regions found that even small variations in temperature and moisture can have massive impacts, threatening not only plants that live there, but also the ecosystems they support. A study based on labor-intensive fieldwork and analysis in tropical mountain regions shows that a warmer and drier climate will lead to massive losses of plant species.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
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Aluminum scandium nitride films: Enabling next-gen ferroelectric memory devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Aluminum scandium nitride thin films could pave the way for the next generation of ferroelectric memory devices, according to a new study. Compared to existing ferroelectric materials, these films maintain their ferroelectric properties and crystal structure even after heat treatment at temperatures up to 600 C in both hydrogen and argon atmospheres. This high stability makes them ideal for high-temperature manufacturing processes under the H2-included atmosphere used in fabricating advanced memory devices.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Physics: Optics
Published

3D printing of light-activated hydrogel actuators      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers has embedded gold nanorods in hydrogels that can be processed through 3D printing to create structures that contract when exposed to light -- and expand again when the light is removed. Because this expansion and contraction can be performed repeatedly, the 3D-printed structures can serve as remotely controlled actuators.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Groundcherry gets genetic upgrades: Turning a garden curiosity into an agricultural powerhouse      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Imagine a small fruit that tastes like a cross between a tomato and a pineapple, wrapped in its own natural paper lantern. That's the groundcherry (Physalis grisea) -- a little-known relative of tomatoes that's been quietly growing in gardens and small farms across North America for centuries. Now, this humble fruit is getting a 21st-century upgrade thanks to some cutting-edge genetic research.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

The courtship of leopard seals off the coast of South America      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A pioneering study has unveiled the first paired observations of sexual behavior and vocalizations in wild leopard seals. The study on the mysterious leopard seal represents a major advance in understanding the behavior of one of the most difficult apex predators to study on Earth.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Optics
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New technique pinpoints nanoscale 'hot spots' in electronics to improve their longevity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers engineered a new technique to identify at the nanoscale level what components are overheating in electronics and causing their performance to fail.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Capturing carbon with energy-efficient sodium carbonate-nanocarbon hybrid material      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Carbon capture is a promising approach for mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Different materials have been used to capture CO2 from industrial exhaust gases. Scientists developed hybrid CO2 capture materials containing sodium carbonate and nanocarbon prepared at different temperatures, tested their performance, and identified the optimal calcination temperature condition. They found that the hybrid material exhibits and maintains high CO2 capture capacity for multiple regeneration cycles at a lower temperature, making it cost- and energy-effective.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research
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History shows that humans are good for biodiversity... sometimes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Humans have been an important driver of vegetation change over thousands of years, and, in some places, had positive impacts on biodiversity, according to a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature
Published

Building a roadmap to bioengineer plants that produce their own nitrogen fertilizer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nitrogen fertilizers make it possible to feed the world's growing population, but they are also costly adn harm ecosystems. However, a few plants have evolved the ability to acquire their own nitrogen with the help of bacteria, and a new study helps explain how they did it, not once, but multiple times.