Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

A 2D device for quantum cooling      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have created a device that can efficiently convert heat into electrical voltage at temperatures lower than that of outer space. The innovation could help overcome a significant obstacle to the advancement of quantum computing technologies, which require extremely low temperatures to function optimally.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Cool roofs are best at beating cities' heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered 'green roofs,' street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Retreating glaciers: Fungi enhance carbon storage in young Arctic soils      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Melting Arctic glaciers are in rapid recession, and microscopic pioneers colonize the new exposed landscapes. Researchers revealed that yeasts play an important role in soil formation in the Arctic.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Study illuminates cues algae use to 'listen' to their environment      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows how a small group of single-celled algae are able to use chemical cues to communicate stress information. Understanding this ability, once thought unique to plants, helps illuminate the complex evolutionary history of plants and algae.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Shrinking glaciers: Microscopic fungi enhance soil carbon storage in new landscapes created by shrinking Arctic glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Shrinking glaciers expose new land in the Arctic, creating unique ecosystems. Researchers studied how microbes colonize these barren landscapes. The study reveals a crucial role for specific fungal species in capturing and storing carbon in the newly formed soil. These findings suggest fungi are essential for future carbon storage in the Arctic as glaciers continue to recede.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Scientists probe chilling behavior of promising solid-state cooling material      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has bridged a knowledge gap in atomic-scale heat motion. This new understanding holds promise for enhancing materials to advance an emerging technology called solid-state cooling.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Ecologists reconstruct the history of biodiversity in the Indo-Australian archipelago and its rise as a hotspot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Coral Triangle, also known as the Indo-Australian Archipelago, is renowned for having the greatest marine biodiversity on our planet. Despite its importance, the detailed evolutionary history of this biodiversity hotspot has remained largely a mystery. An international research team has now shed light on this history, reconstructing how biodiversity in the region has developed over the past 40 million years.

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

Drowning in waste: Pollution hotspots in aquatic environments      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study explores waste management systems and reveals that achieving zero waste leakage by 2030 is unlikely, potentially jeopardizing related Sustainable Development Goals. The authors emphasize the need for global cooperation, particularly across four regions, to responsibly manage waste disposal.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Climate change to shift tropical rains northward      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Atmospheric scientists predict that unchecked carbon emissions will force tropical rains to shift northward in the coming decades, which would profoundly impact agriculture and economies near the Earth's equator. The northward rain shift would be spurred by carbon emissions that influence the formation of the intertropical convergence zones that are essentially atmospheric engines that drive about a third of the world's precipitation.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Projected loss of brown macroalgae and seagrasses with global environmental change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers predict that climate change will drive a substantial redistribution of brown seaweeds and seagrasses at the global scale. The projected changes are alarming due to the fundamental role seaweeds and seagrasses in coastal ecosystems and provide evidence of the pervasive impacts of climate change on marine life.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

To protect corals from summer heatwaves, we should help their microbial symbionts evolve heat tolerance in the lab      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Most coral reef restoration efforts involve restocking reefs with nursery-grown corals. However, if these corals are of the same stock as their wild counterparts, they will be equally vulnerable to the heat stress that caused the bleaching event in the first place. Researchers discuss the potential of improving corals' chances by inducing the evolution of heat tolerance in their symbionts -- the mutualistic microbes that provide corals with nutrients in exchange for shelter and that are expelled during coral bleaching.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather Physics: Optics
Published

Common plastics could passively cool and heat buildings with the seasons      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By restricting radiant heat flows between buildings and their environment to specific wavelengths, coatings engineered from common materials can achieve energy savings and thermal comfort that goes beyond what traditional building envelopes can achieve.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Wolves reintroduced to Isle Royale temporarily affect other carnivores, humans have influence as well      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a rare opportunity to study carnivores before and after wolves were reintroduced to their ranges, researchers found that the effects of wolves on Isle Royale have been only temporary. And even in the least-visited national park, humans had a more significant impact on carnivores' lives.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Characterization of the extraordinary thermoelectric properties of cadmium arsenide thin films      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If there's one thing we humans are good at, it's producing heat. Significant amounts, and in many cases most of the energy we generate and put into our systems we lose as heat, whether it be our appliances, our transportation, our factories, even our electrical grid.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Future risk of coral bleaching set to intensify globally      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have projected future marine heatwaves will cause coral reefs to be at severe risk of bleaching for longer periods than previously seen.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Paleontology: Climate
Published

Ocean's loss of oxygen caused massive Jurassic extinction: Could it happen again?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a chemical clue in Italian limestone that explains a mass extinction of marine life in the Early Jurassic period, 183 million years ago. Volcanic activity pumped out CO2, warming oceans and lowering their oxygen levels. The findings may foretell the impact climate change and oxygen depletion might have on today's oceans.