Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Pilot study uses recycled glass to grow plants for salsa ingredients      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tortilla chips and fresh salsa are tasty, but they could be even more appealing if you grow the ingredients yourself. Now, researchers report that some salsa ingredients -- cilantro, bell pepper and jalapeno -- can be more sustainably cultivated with recycled glass. Their pilot study found that partially substituting soil in a planter with recycled glass fragments speeds up plant development and reduces unwanted fungal growth.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Research shows reducing future global flooding hinges on cutting greenhouse gas emissions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Pioneering research forecasts worldwide flooding is likely to be significantly worse in future decades if countries fail to meet official pledges to cut carbon emissions.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Eco-friendly cooling device with record-breaking efficiency      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed an eco-friendly refrigeration device with record-breaking cooling performance in the world, setting to transform industries reliant on cooling and reduce global energy use. With a boost in efficiency of over 48%, the new elastocaloric cooling technology opens a promising avenue for accelerating the commercialization of this disruptive technology and addressing the environmental challenges associated with traditional cooling systems.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New theory could improve the design and operation of wind farms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new model accurately represents the airflow around rotors, even under extreme conditions. The first comprehensive model of rotor aerodynamics could improve the way turbine blades and wind farms are designed and how wind turbines are controlled.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

A new pandemic could ride in on animals we eat, researchers warn      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers warn the animals we eat could be the gateway for a pandemic in the form of antimicrobial resistance, unleashing a wave of deadly superbugs. The World Health Organization estimates that drug-resistant diseases could cause up to 10 million deaths each year by 2050.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

The power of face time: Insights from zebra finch courtship      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study on songbirds sheds light on the power of social interaction to facilitate learning, insights that potentially apply to human development. Researchers discovered that zebra finches deprived of early social experiences could still form strong bonds with a partner later in life. Once placed into cohabitation with a male, females that had never heard a mating song before could quickly develop a preference for his melody.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Occupational exposure to particles may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Exposure to dust and particles at work may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease, a new study shows. Among Swedish construction workers, followed since the 1970s, the risk was 15% higher among exposed.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

AI approach to drought zoning      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study shows that climate change may cause many areas in Canada to experience significant droughts by the end of the century. In response, the researchers have introduced an advanced AI-based method to map drought-prone regions.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Sharing risk to avoid power outages in an era of extreme weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Heat waves, droughts, and fires place growing stress on the West's electric grid. New research suggests that more integrated management of electricity resources across the region could significantly reduce the risk of power outages and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Renewable energy policies provide benefits across state lines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research suggests U.S. states with clean energy policies provide benefits to their neighbors, including states without their own renewable energy policies.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Environmental laws failing to slow deforestation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Australia's environmental laws are failing to stop high rates of tree clearing to make way for agriculture, development and mining.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Incorporating humidity improves estimations of climate impacts on health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Governments, medical institutions and other bodies require accurate models on health-related matters in order to better organize their activities. Climate change has measurable impacts on society, including on human mortality. However, current models to assess the health impacts of climate change do not account for every environmental parameter, especially humidity, which could influence heat stress perceived by the human body, leaving room for improvement. Researchers have now incorporated humidity data from hundreds of cities into so-called heat stress indicators (HSIs) and assessed their performances in predicting heat-related deaths.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

'Masters of shape-shifting': How darkling beetles conquered the world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Large-scale genomic analysis of darkling beetles, a hyper-diverse insect group of more than 30,000 species worldwide, rolls back the curtain on a 150-million-year evolutionary tale of one of Earth's most ecologically important yet inconspicuous creatures, according to new research.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Demand for low-quality credits undermines the voluntary carbon market, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shown that the 20 companies retiring the most offsets from the voluntary carbon market -- or VCM -- over the past four years have largely relied on low-quality, low-cost credits. These include major oil companies, airlines and aircraft makers, automotive manufacturers, logistics operators, and others.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Action plan to help patients with lung disease cope with wildfire smoke      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A multidisciplinary team has developed an action plan to help patients with respiratory diseases mitigate the consequences of poor air quality from wildfires.

Biology: Biochemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Researchers develop index to quantify circular bioeconomy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the world faces the challenges of mitigating climate change and providing resources for a growing population, there is increasing focus on developing circular economies for sustainable production. But to evaluate strategies and impacts, it is necessary to have reliable metrics. Researchers have now developed a Circularity Index that provides a comprehensive method to quantify circularity in bioeconomic systems. In a new paper, they outline the method and apply it to two case studies -- a corn/soybean farming operation and the entire U.S. food and agriculture system.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

How 'winner and loser effects' impact social rank in animals -- and humans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article provides a narrative review of the relevant similarities and distinctions between nonhumans and humans to assess the causes and consequences of winner and loser effects in humans.

Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Forest loss intensifies climate change by increasing temperatures and cloud level, which leads to decrease of water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that deforestation during the last two decades induced a higher warming and cloud level rise than that caused by climate change, which threatens biodiversity and water supply in African montane forests.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

New insights on how bird flu crosses the species barrier      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The avian influenza virus needs to mutate to cross the species barrier and to infect and replicate within mammalian cells. Scientists have now deciphered the structure of the avian influenza virus's polymerase when it interacts with a human protein essential for the virus to replicate within the cell. The structure of this replication complex provides important information about the mutations that avian influenza polymerase must undergo to adapt to mammals, including humans. These results can help scientists monitor the evolution and adaptability of bird flu strains, such as H5N1 or H7N9, towards infecting other species.