Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Adult fish struggle to bounce back in marine protected areas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many marine protected areas are falling short of their most basic purpose: to rebuild struggling fish populations. In a new study, scientists looked at the age breakdown of reef fish in marine protected areas for the first time. They discovered in almost all of them, adult fish populations -- vital to spawning the next generation -- have either flatlined or declined.

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

Fans are not a magic bullet for beating the heat!      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study throws cold water on the idea that fans can effectively cool you down during extremely hot weather events.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate change impacts terrorist activity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Changing weather patterns induced by climate change are contributing to shifts in the location of terrorist activity, according to new research.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Out of the park: New research tallies total carbon impact of tourism at Yellowstone      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research makes a case study of Yellowstone National Park -- calculating surplus carbon that visitors from across the world add to the atmosphere each year as a direct result of a park visit.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology
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'Tug of war' tactic enhances chemical separations for critical materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lanthanide elements are important for clean energy and other applications. To use them, industry must separate mixed lanthanide sources into individual elements using costly, time-consuming, and waste-generating procedures. An efficient new method can be tailored to select specific lanthanides. The technique combines two substances that do not mix and that prefer different types of lanthanides. The process would allow for smaller equipment, less use of chemicals, and less waste production.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
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Experiencing extreme weather predicts support for policies to mitigate effects of climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Most Americans report having personally experienced the effects of extreme weather, according to new survey data. An analysis finds that a reported exposure to extreme weather is associated with support for a half-dozen pro-environmental government policies that are intended to mitigate the effects of climate change and are contained in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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NASA's Webb probes an extreme starburst galaxy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of astronomers has used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to survey the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82). Located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, this galaxy is relatively compact in size but hosts a frenzy of star formation activity. For comparison, M82 is sprouting new stars 10 times faster than the Milky Way galaxy.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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For mining in arid regions to be responsible, we must change how we think about water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In an unprecedented study of the South American 'Lithium Triangle,' hydrologists discover that not all water responds the same way to environmental change and human use.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Animals Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General
Published

Demand for critical minerals puts African Great Apes at risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study shows that the threat of mining to the great ape population in Africa has been greatly underestimated.

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

Machine learning enables viability of vertical-axis wind turbines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have used a genetic learning algorithm to identify optimal pitch profiles for the blades of vertical-axis wind turbines, which despite their high energy potential, have until now been vulnerable to strong gusts of wind.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Unleashing disordered rocksalt oxides as cathodes for rechargeable magnesium batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have made a groundbreaking advancement in battery technology, developing a novel cathode material for rechargeable magnesium batteries that enables efficient charging and discharging even at low temperatures.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

California leads U.S. emissions of little-known greenhouse gas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

California, a state known for its aggressive greenhouse gas reduction policies, is ironically the nation's greatest emitter of one: sulfuryl fluoride. As much as 17% of global emissions of this gas, a common pesticide for treating termites and other wood-infesting insects, stem from the United States. The majority of those emissions trace back to just a few counties in California, finds a new study.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Magnetic fields boost clean energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers show that using magnetic fields can boost electrocatalysis for sustainable fuel production by enhancing the movement of the reactants, which improves the efficiency of energy-related reactions.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Testing environmental water to monitor COVID-19 spread in unsheltered encampments      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To better understand COVID-19's spread during the pandemic, public health officials expanded wastewater surveillance. These efforts track SARS-CoV-2 levels and health risks among most people, but they miss people who live without shelter, a population particularly vulnerable to severe infection. To fill this information gap, researchers tested flood-control waterways near unsheltered encampments, finding similar transmission patterns as in the broader community and identifying previously unseen viral mutations.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Water-based paints: Less stinky, but some still contain potentially hazardous chemicals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Choosing paint for your home brings a lot of options: What kind of paint, what type of finish and what color? Water-based paints have emerged as 'greener' and less smelly than solvent-based options. And they are often advertised as containing little-to-no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But, according to new research, some of these paints do contain compounds that are considered VOCs, along with other chemicals of emerging concern.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Are universities connected to local sustainability? A new study suggests yes...and no.      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study finds that universities scoring strongly on measures of sustainability are associated with innovation and economic growth in their surrounding communities. However, the study did not find similar connections between university sustainability performance and environmental sustainability in their home communities.

Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water
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A simple way to harvest more 'blue energy' from waves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As any surfer will tell you, waves pack a powerful punch. Now, we are one step closer to capturing the energy behind the ocean's constant ebb and flow with an improved 'blue energy' harvesting device. Researchers report that simply repositioning the electrode -- from the center of a see-sawing liquid-filled tube to the end where the water crashes with the most force -- dramatically increased the amount of wave energy that could be harvested.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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First results from BREAD experiment demonstrate a new approach to searching for dark matter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

One of the great mysteries of modern science is dark matter. We know dark matter exists thanks to its effects on other objects in the cosmos, but we have never been able to directly see it. And it s no minor thing currently, scientists think it makes up about 85% of all the mass in the universe.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
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Elastocaloric cooling: Refrigerator cools by flexing artificial muscles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There is room for just one small bottle in the world's first refrigerator that is cooled with artificial muscles made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. But the mini-prototype is groundbreaking: it shows that elastocalorics is becoming a viable solution for practical applications. This climate-friendly cooling and heating technology is far more energy-efficient and sustainable than current methods.