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Categories: Environmental: Water, Space: The Solar System

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Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Arsenic may raise diabetes risk for males      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chronic exposure to arsenic, often through contaminated groundwater, has been associated with Type 2 diabetes in humans, and there are new clues that males may be more susceptible to the disease when exposed.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans and other creatures, with unknown potential health and ecosystem effects. One big focus of research: bottled water, which has been shown to contain tens of thousands of identifiable fragments in each container. Now, using newly refined technology, researchers have entered a whole new plastic world: the poorly known realm of nanoplastics, the spawn of microplastics that have broken down even further. For the first time, they counted and identified these minute particles in bottled water. They found that on average, a liter contained some 240,000 detectable plastic fragments -- 10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates, which were based mainly on larger sizes.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Three iron rings in a planet-forming disk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have detected a three-ringed structure in the nursery of planets in the inner planet-forming disk of a young star. This configuration suggests two Jupiter-mass planets are forming in the gaps between the rings. The detailed analysis is consistent with abundant solid iron grains complementing the dust composition. As a result, the disk likely harbors metals and minerals akin to those in the Solar System's terrestrial planets. It offers a glimpse into conditions resembling the early Solar System over four billion years ago during the formation of rocky planets such as Mercury, Venus, and Earth.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

Building on carbon dioxide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The construction industry as a carbon dioxide sink? Researchers are working on this. By incorporating biochar into concrete, they are exploring the potential of CO2-neutral or even CO2-negative concrete. For optimal applicability, they process the biochar into pellets and use them to replace conventional aggregates.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Revolutionizing stable and efficient catalysts with Turing structures for hydrogen production      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hydrogen energy has emerged as a promising alternative to fossil fuels, offering a clean and sustainable energy source. However, the development of low-cost and efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction remains a crucial challenge. Scientists have recently developed a novel strategy to engineer stable and efficient ultrathin nanosheet catalysts by forming Turing structures with multiple nanotwin crystals. This innovative discovery paves the way for enhanced catalyst performance for green hydrogen production.

Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

No win-win? Input-efficient technologies might not be so efficient after all      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To address natural resource scarcity, pollution, and other harmful effects of climate change, some scientists and policymakers emphasize the adoption of input-efficient technologies like water-saving devices and fuel-saving stoves. Proponents often refer to these input-efficient technologies as 'win-win,' for the benefits to their users and to the environment, and lament their low adoption rates by consumers, in what they call an 'efficiency paradox.' A new paper examines this paradox and finds that the benefits to consumers from input-efficiency adoption are, on average, negative.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

Feathers from deceased birds help scientists understand new threat to avian populations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Animal ecologists developed an analytical approach to better understand one of the latest threats to feathered creatures: the rise of wind and solar energy facilities.

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

Monitoring the well-being of reservoir water through an uncrewed surface vehicle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a recent tragic incident, approximately 100 elephants in Africa perished due to inadequate access to water. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issues a warning that around 2.5 billion people worldwide could face water scarcity by 2025. In the face of water shortages affecting not only human society but also the entire ecological community due to the climate crisis, it becomes crucial to adopt comprehensive measures for managing water quality and quantity to avert such pressing challenges.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

New images reveal what Neptune and Uranus really look like      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Neptune is fondly known for being a rich blue and Uranus green -- but a new study has revealed that the two ice giants are actually far closer in color than typically thought. The correct shades of the planets have now been confirmed.

Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Is oxygen the cosmic key to alien technology?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astrophysicists outline the links between atmospheric oxygen and the potential rise of advanced technology on distant planets.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Designing the 'perfect' meal to feed long-term space travelers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Imagine blasting off on a multiyear voyage to Mars, fueled by a diet of bland, prepackaged meals. As space agencies plan for longer missions, they're grappling with the challenge of how to best feed people. Now, researchers have designed the optimal 'space meal': a tasty vegetarian salad. They chose fresh ingredients that meet male astronauts' specialized nutritional needs and can be grown in space.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

A carbon-lite atmosphere could be a sign of water and life on other terrestrial planets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Best chance of finding liquid water, and even life on other planets, is to look for the absence of carbon dioxide in their atmospheres.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: General Environmental: Water Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Electronic 'soil' enhances crop growth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. Researchers have now developed an electrically conductive 'soil' for soil-less cultivation, known as hydroponics.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Organic compounds in asteroids formed in colder regions of space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Analysis of organic compounds -- called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) -- extracted from the Ryugu asteroid and Murchison meteorite has found that certain PAHs likely formed in the cold areas of space between stars rather than in hot regions near stars as was previously thought. The findings open new possibilities for studying life beyond Earth and the chemistry of objects in space.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

NASA's Hubble watches 'spoke season' on Saturn      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new photo of Saturn was taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on October 22, 2023, when the ringed planet was approximately 850 million miles from Earth. Hubble's ultra-sharp vision reveals a phenomenon called ring spokes.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
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Reduced air pollution during pandemic points to way to preserve Himalayan glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the coronavirus pandemic could protect the glaciers in the Himalayas and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team analyzing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.