Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Nuclear
Published

Fusion model hot off the wall      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Heat load mitigation is critical to extending the lifetime of future fusion device. Researchers have found a way to explain the rotational temperatures measured in three different experimental fusion devices in Japan and the United States. Their model evaluates the surface interactions and electron-proton collisions of hydrogen molecules.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists vacuum animal DNA from air in a Danish forest      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over 60 animal species in three days. That is how many mammals, birds and amphibians researchers found DNA traces from in the air in a Danish forest. The results can pave the way for a new and innovative way of mapping biodiversity.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New study reveals that tree species diversity increases spider density      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The link between tree diversity and spider populations can help homeowners and other land managers better plan tree plantings to naturally mitigate the effects of climate change.

Environmental: Ecosystems Paleontology: General
Published

Genome analysis of 46,000-year-old roundworm from Siberian permafrost reveals novel species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some organisms, such as tardigrades, rotifers, and nematodes, can survive harsh conditions by entering a dormant state known as 'cryptobiosis.' In 2018, researchers found two roundworms (nematode) species in the Siberian Permafrost. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the nematode individuals have remained in cryptobiosis since the late Pleistocene, about 46,000 years ago. Researchers have now used genome sequencing, assembly, and phylogenetic analysis and found that the permafrost nematode belongs to a previously undescribed species, Panagrolaimus kolymaensis.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Global wildlife trade risks altering evolutionary history and ecosystem function, study suggests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some of the world's most distinct and ancient animal species, which play crucial roles in our planet's ecosystems, are exploited for the wildlife trade across large parts of the world, according to new research.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Earlier and earlier high-Arctic spring replaced by 'extreme year-to-year variation'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

About 15 years ago, researchers reported that the timing of spring in high-Arctic Greenland had advanced at some of the fastest rates of change ever seen anywhere in the world. But, according to new evidence, that earlier pattern has since been completely erased. Instead of coming earlier and earlier, it seems the timing of Arctic spring is now driven by tremendous climate variability with drastic differences from one year to the next.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Arctic terns may navigate climate dangers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Arctic terns -- which fly on the longest migrations of any animal on Earth -- may be able to navigate the dangers posed by climate change, new research suggests.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Research supports use of managed and prescribed fires to reduce fire severity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists found that fires in America's dry conifer forests are burning hotter and killing more trees today than in previous centuries. The main culprit? Paradoxically, a lack of fires.

Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Brown widow spiders: Invasive species prosper in favorable habitats and from a lack of local predators      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lower parasitism and predation in urban habitats may contribute to the invasion success of brown widow spiders, according to new research.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Novel thermal sensor could help drive down the heat      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Excess heat from electronic or mechanical devices is a sign or cause of inefficient performance. In many cases, embedded sensors to monitor the flow of heat could help engineers alter device behavior or designs to improve their efficiency. For the first time, researchers exploit a novel thermoelectric phenomenon to build a thin sensor that can visualize heat flow in real time. The sensor could be built deep inside devices where other kinds of sensors are impractical. It is also quick, cheap and easy to manufacture using well-established methods.

Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Miocene period fossil forest of Wataria found in Japan      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An exquisitely preserved fossil forest from Japan provides missing links and helps reconstruct a whole Eurasia plant from the late Miocene epoch.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Catalyst can control methane emissions in natural gas engines      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A catalyst using a single or just a few palladium atoms removed 90% of unburned methane from natural gas engine exhaust at low temperatures in a recent study. While more research needs to be done, the advance in single atom catalysis has the potential to lower exhaust emissions of methane, one of the worst greenhouse gases that traps heat at about 25 times the rate of carbon dioxide. Researchers showed that the single-atom catalyst was able to remove methane from engine exhaust at lower temperatures, less than 350 degrees Celsius (662 degrees Fahrenheit), while maintaining reaction stability at higher temperatures.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Picturing where wildlands and people meet at a global scale      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created the first tool to map and visualize the areas where human settlements and nature meet on a global scale. The tool could improve responses to environmental conflicts like wildfires, the spread of zoonotic diseases and loss of ecosystem biodiversity.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Nuclear
Published

A non-covalent bonding experience      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Putting a suite of new materials synthesis and characterization methods to the test, a team of scientists has developed 14 organic-inorganic hybrid materials, seven of which are entirely new.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Some corals may survive climate change without paying a metabolic price      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If, as the saying goes, 'nothing in life is free,' then corals might pay a price for being resilient to climate change. Indeed, the prevailing belief among scientists has been that corals must suffer reduced growth or other tradeoffs when they partner with symbiotic algae that help them tolerate warmer water. Yet, new research demonstrates that certain corals can have their cake and eat it too, and as a result, these coral-symbiont partnerships may come to dominate reef ecosystems in a climate-changed future.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Droplet levitation is a new way to explore airborne viruses and microorganisms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report achieving self-sustaining and long-term levitation of millimeter-sized droplets of several different liquids without any external forces. To get the droplets to levitate, they use solutocapillary convection, which occurs when a surface tension gradient is formed by nonuniform distribution of vapor molecules from the droplet at the pool surface. Further exploring the effects of various external conditions on self-sustained droplet levitation will reveal whether it can be harnessed and adapted for microbiology and biochemistry applications.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

The legacy of past disturbance shapes coastal forest soil stability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Coastal forests are increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. New experimental research examined how soils change when transplanted between parts of a tidal creek that differed in salinity. Scientists found that soils with a history of salinity and inundation by seawater were more resistant to changes in water conditions, suggesting that soils learn from their history of inundation.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

How to track animal of legend? Look to the poop      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers applied genetic and isotopic analyses to jaguar scat to investigate the habitat needs of the big cats in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Preserve of Belize in Central America. The study demonstrates a novel and noninvasive technique for identifying the landscape use and conservation needs of elusive wildlife.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

How do microbes spread globally? A study clarifies how they travel from end to end of the world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study compiles the scope of the problem of the global dispersal of harmful microorganisms through the upper layers of the atmosphere.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Space: Exploration
Published

Into the unknown: NASA space laser provides answers to a rainforest canopy mystery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The space laser GEDI has allowed researchers to 3D map Earth's rainforests for the first time ever, helping us understand the forest canopy and providing vital information for understanding Earth's carbon cycle and how it is changing.