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Categories: Chemistry: General, Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published Multitasking microbes: Scientists engineer bacteria to make two valuable products from plant fiber
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have engineered bacteria that can produce two chemical products at the same time from underutilized plant fiber. And unlike humans, these multitasking microbes can do both things equally well. The discovery could help make biofuels more sustainable and commercially viable.
Published 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.
Published Scientists provide recipe to halve pollution from food production
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A major report has put forward solutions to halve nitrogen pollution from agriculture and the food system in Europe, including reducing meat and dairy consumption, fertilizer use and food waste. Inefficiencies in farms, retail and wastewater practices mean that the nitrogen use efficiency of the food system in Europe is only 18%, leaving most of the remainder leaking into air, water and soils. The new report, Appetite for Change, has been produced by a group of researchers coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the European Commission, Copenhagen Business School and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) of The Netherlands.
Published New strategy reveals 'full chemical complexity' of quantum decoherence
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a method to extract the spectral density for molecules in solvent using simple resonance Raman experiments -- a method that captures the full complexity of chemical environments.
Published Unveiling molecular origami: A breakthrough in dynamic materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has unveiled a remarkable breakthrough in the form of a two-dimensional (2D) Metal Organic Framework (MOF) that showcases unprecedented origami-like movement at the molecular level. This pioneering study represents a significant leap forward in the field of dynamic materials, while also hinting at futuristic applications in metamaterials and quantum computing.
Published Scientists tackle difficult-to-recycle thermoset polymers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of scientists has got a step closer to making several different types of plastic much easier to recycle, using a method that could be applied to a whole range of difficult-to-recycle polymers, including rubbers, gels and adhesives.
Published Genetic sequencing uncovers unexpected source of pathogens in floodwaters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that local rivers and streams were the source of the Salmonella enterica contamination along coastal North Carolina after Hurricane Florence in 2018 -- not the previously suspected high number of pig farms in the region.
Published Little bacterium may make big impact on rare-earth processing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A tiny, hard-working bacterium -- which weighs one-trillionth of a gram -- may soon have a large influence on processing rare earth elements in an eco-friendly way.
Published Researchers invent 'methane cleaner': Could become a permanent fixture in cattle and pig barns
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a spectacular new study, researchers have used light and chlorine to eradicate low-concentration methane from air. The result gets us closer to being able to remove greenhouse gases from livestock housing, biogas production plants and wastewater treatment plants to benefit the climate.
Published Some coral species might be more resilient to climate change than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some coral species can be resilient to marine heat waves by 'remembering' how they lived through previous ones, research suggests.
Published For this emergent class of materials, 'solutions are the problem'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Materials scientists developed a fast, low-cost, scalable method to make covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a class of crystalline polymers whose tunable molecular structure, large surface area and porosity could be useful in energy applications, semiconductor devices, sensors, filtration systems and drug delivery.
Published 15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and changing marine ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. This year, the 15th horizon scan included 31 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers who developed a list of 96 issues, which they eventually narrowed down to the fifteen most novel and impactful. Their findings include topics related to sustainable energy, declining invertebrate populations, and changing marine ecosystems.
Published Computational model captures the elusive transition states of chemical reactions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers developed a way to quickly calculate the transition state structure of a chemical reaction, using machine-learning models.
Published Upcycling leftover cardboard to make a new type of foam packaging
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With the holiday season in full swing, gifts of all shapes and sizes are being shipped around the world. But all that packaging generates lots of waste, including cardboard boxes and plastic-based foam cushioning. Rather than discard those boxes, researchers have developed a cushioning foam from cardboard waste. Their upcycled material was stronger and more insulating than traditional, plastic foam-based cushioning.
Published Beef farming that keeps cattle on lifelong grass diets may have higher carbon footprint
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Beef operations that keep cattle on lifelong grass-based diets may have an overall higher carbon footprint than those that switch cattle to grain-based diets partway through their lives, according to new findings.
Published Wildfires also impact aquatic ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shown that the effects of wildfires are not limited to terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems are also undergoing rapid changes. The study found that fire debris transforms lakes and other aquatic ecosystems, with implications for fisheries and water quality.
Published Pacific Northwest snowpack endangered by increasing spring heatwaves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even in the precipitation-heavy Pacific Northwest, more frequent heatwaves are threatening a key source of water supply. A Washington State University study that intended to look at snow melting under a single, extreme event, the 2021 'heat dome,' instead revealed an alarming, longer-term rising trend of successive heatwaves melting snowpack earlier in the year. From temperature records spanning from 1940 to 2021, springtime heatwaves in the region have doubled in frequency, intensity or both since the mid-1990s. The findings have implications for many areas worldwide that are dependent on snow-capped mountains to provide summer water since heatwaves have been on the rise globally.
Published Resource-efficient and climate-friendly with sodium-ion batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The transition to a society without fossil fuels means that the need for batteries is increasing at a rapid pace. At the same time, the increase will mean a shortage of the metals lithium and cobalt, which are key components in the most common battery types. One option is a sodium-ion battery, where table salt and biomass from the forest industry make up the main raw materials. Now, researchers show that these sodium-ion batteries have an equivalent climate impact as their lithium-ion counterparts -- without the risk of running out of raw materials.
Published How forests smell -- a risk for the climate?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants emit odors for a variety of reasons, such as to communicate with each other, to deter herbivores or to respond to changing environmental conditions. An interdisciplinary team of researchers carried out a study to investigate how biodiversity influences the emission of these substances. For the first time, they were able to show that species-rich forests emit less of these gases into the atmosphere than monocultures. It was previously assumed that species-rich forests release more emissions. The Leipzig team has now been able to disprove this assumption experimentally.
Published The solar forest
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What would be the most effective use of a certain plot of land in terms of the climate crisis: planting a forest, which is a natural means of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or erecting fields of solar panels, which reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? This dilemma has long been debated by decision-makers around the world. Now, for the first time -- based on findings from arid areas and on comprehensive measurements of the energy flow exchanged between the ground and the atmosphere -- we may have an answer to this question.