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Categories: Engineering: Robotics Research, Environmental: General
Published Exploring options for the sustainable management of phosphorus



A new study assessed the feasibility of recovering phosphorus from municipal wastewater as an alternative sustainable source of this non-renewable mineral.
Published Researchers discover smarter way to recycle polyurethane



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.
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



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.
Published New research shows unprecedented atmospheric changes during May's geomagnetic superstorm



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.
Published Engineers design tiny batteries for powering cell-sized robots



A zinc-air microbattery could enable the deployment of cell-sized, autonomous robots for drug delivery within in the human body, as well as other applications such as locating leaks in gas pipelines.
Published Blood pressure levels impacted by chronic occupational noise exposure



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%.
Published Robot planning tool accounts for human carelessness



A new algorithm may make robots safer by making them more aware of human inattentiveness. In computerized simulations of packaging and assembly lines where humans and robots work together, the algorithm developed to account for human carelessness improved safety by about a maximum of 80% and efficiency by about a maximum of 38% compared to existing methods.
Published Intelligent soft robotic clothing for automatic thermal adaptation in extreme heat



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.
Published Warming waters and nutrient overload: A dangerous combination threatening our rivers and lakes



New international research found that food webs are becoming less complex in warmer, nutrient-rich waters.
Published Climate reporting standards insufficient, must be expanded, say experts



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.
Published A taste for carbon dioxide



The remarkable affinity of the microbial enzyme iron nitrogenase for the greenhouse gas CO2 makes it promising for future biotechnologies.
Published Fracking frenzy in India: A water crisis in the making?



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.
Published Hydrometeorology and location affect hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases in the US



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.
Published Revealing the mysteries within microbial genomes



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.
Published Tropical Atlantic mixing rewrites climate pattern rules



Changes in the Atlantic Ocean's mixed layer are the primary force behind the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV).
Published A belly full of jelly



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.
Published Season of birth is associated with the development of asthma and allergic rhinitis



Being born in autumn or winter is associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis in Finland, a new registry-based study shows.
Published Rising mercury pollution in soil could be related to climate change



In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury went into effect, designed to help curb mercury emissions and limit exposure across the globe. However, a new study of mercury levels in soil suggests that the treaty's provisions might not be enough. The study estimates that soil stores substantially more mercury than previously thought, and it predicts that increases in plant growth due to climate change may add even more.
Published Could manure and compost act like probiotics, reducing antibiotic resistance in urban soils?



Research suggests that, in some cases, boosting urban soil health with compost and treated manure may reduce the amount of pathogenic and anti-biotic resistant bacteria.
Published Nighttime light data shows inequities in restoring power after Hurricane Michael



Using nighttime lightdata from NASA, remote sensing, official outage records and census information, a study reveals notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities after Hurricane Michael in Florida's Panhandle. Block groups with higher proportions of minorities, multi-family housing units, rural locations, and households receiving public assistance experienced slower restoration of power compared to urban and more affluent neighborhoods.