Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Scientists discover phenomenon impacting Earth's radiation belts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two scientists discovered a new type of 'whistler,' an electromagnetic wave that carries a substantial amount of lightning energy to the Earth's magnetosphere.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology
Published

Decoding mysterious seismic signals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Geophysicists find link between seismic waves called PKP precursors and anomalies in Earth's mantle that are associated with hotspots associated with volcanism on the surface.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Right on schedule: Physicists use modeling to forecast a black hole's feeding patterns with precision      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The dramatic dimming of a light source ~ 870 million light years away from Earth confirms the accuracy of a detailed model.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Scottish and Irish rocks confirmed as rare record of 'snowball Earth'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The study found that the Port Askaig Formation, composed of layers of rock up to 1.1 km thick, was likely laid down between 662 to 720 million years ago during the Sturtian glaciation -- the first of two global freezes thought to have triggered the development of complex, multicellular life.

Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

It's a rave: Underground acoustics amplify soil health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Barely audible to human ears, healthy soils produce a cacophony of sounds in many forms -- a bit like an underground rave concert of bubble pops and clicks. Special recordings made by ecologists show this chaotic mixture of soundscapes can be a measure of the diversity of tiny living animals in the soil, which create sounds as they move and interact with their environment.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Exploring options for the sustainable management of phosphorus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study assessed the feasibility of recovering phosphorus from municipal wastewater as an alternative sustainable source of this non-renewable mineral.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Researchers discover smarter way to recycle polyurethane      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a better method to recycle polyurethane foam from items like mattresses: They are not only able to break down PUR and separate the two main components -- they can do it in one go. This is great news for the budding industry that aims to chemically recover the original components of the material -- making their products cheaper and better.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Why isn't Colorado's snowpack ending up in the Colorado River? New research suggests the problem might be the lack of spring rainfall      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for hydropower, irrigation and drinking water in seven U.S. states and Mexico. But since 2000, water managers have struggled to predict how much water will come from the snowpack. The problem lies with the lack of rainfall in the spring, according to new research.

Chemistry: General Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

New research shows unprecedented atmospheric changes during May's geomagnetic superstorm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

On May 11, a gorgeous aurora surprised stargazers across the southern United States. That same weekend, a tractor guided by GPS missed its mark. What do the visibility of the northern lights have in common with compromised farming equipment in the Midwest? A uniquely powerful geomagnetic storm, according to new research.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Blood pressure levels impacted by chronic occupational noise exposure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study found in adult power loom weavers, chronic noise exposure not only increased their blood pressure overall, but also each year of exposure increased their odds of having high blood pressure by 10%.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Intelligent soft robotic clothing for automatic thermal adaptation in extreme heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As global warming intensifies, people increasingly suffer from extreme heat. For those working in a high-temperature environment indoors or outdoors, keeping thermally comfortable becomes particularly crucial. A team has now developed thermally-insulated and breathable soft robotic clothing that can automatically adapt to changing ambient temperatures, thereby helping to ensure worker safety in hot environments.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate reporting standards insufficient, must be expanded, say experts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article concludes that current climate standards are not sufficiently incentivizing the big picture innovations necessary to deliver net zero, and must be expanded to include a company's broader influence on climate action.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

A taste for carbon dioxide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The remarkable affinity of the microbial enzyme iron nitrogenase for the greenhouse gas CO2 makes it promising for future biotechnologies.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Fracking frenzy in India: A water crisis in the making?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

India's plans to scale up fracking operations without robust regulations could spell disaster for the country's finely balanced water security, according to research.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Galaxies in dense environments tend to be larger, settling one cosmic question and raising others      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has found galaxies with more neighbors tend to be larger than their counterparts that have a similar shape and mass, but reside in less dense environments. The team, which used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze millions of galaxies, reports that galaxies found in denser regions of the universe are as much as 25% larger than isolated galaxies. The findings resolve a long-standing debate among astrophysicists over the relationship between a galaxy's size and its environment, but also raise new questions about how galaxies form and evolve over billions of years.

Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Hydrometeorology and location affect hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases in the US      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Revealing the mysteries within microbial genomes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique will make it much easier for researchers to discover the traits or activities encoded by genes of unknown function in microbes, a key step toward understanding the roles and impact of individual species within the planet's diverse microbiomes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Environmental: General
Published

A belly full of jelly      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For a long time, scientists assumed that jellies (commonly known as jellyfish) were a dead-end food source for predatory fish. However, a team has now discovered that fish in Greenland waters do indeed feed on jellyfish. In two of the analyzed species, they even made up the majority of the food. The results suggest that the role of jellyfish as prey in marine food webs should be reconsidered, especially in regards to the fact that they could be profiting from climate change and spreading farther and farther north.