Showing 20 articles starting at article 341

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Geoscience: Environmental Issues, Offbeat: Space

Return to the site home page

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Small, adsorbent 'fins' collect humidity rather than swim through water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Clean, safe water is a limited resource and access to it depends on local bodies of water. But even dry regions have some water vapor in the air. To harvest small amounts of humidity, researchers developed a compact device with absorbent-coated fins that first trap moisture and then generate potable water when heated. They say the prototype could help meet growing demands for water, especially in arid locations.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Underwater mountains have a big impact on ocean circulation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Colossal undersea mountains, towering up to thousands of metres high, stir up deep sea currents: impacting how our ocean stores heat and carbon. An international team used numerical modelling to quantify how underwater turbulence around these mountains, called seamounts, influences ocean circulation; finding it is an important mechanism in ocean mixing and one that is missing from climate models used in policymaking.

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

Surprising phosphate finding in NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Early analysis of the asteroid Bennu sample returned by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has revealed dust rich in carbon, nitrogen, and organic compounds, all of which are essential components for life as we know it. Dominated by clay minerals, particularly serpentine, the sample mirrors the type of rock found at mid-ocean ridges on Earth. The magnesium-sodium phosphate found in the sample hints that the asteroid could have splintered off from an ancient, small, primitive ocean world.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

For many urban residents, it's even hotter than their weather app says      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There's a strong chance that last week's scorching temperatures were even hotter than reported for those living in underserved urban areas. New research from environmental engineers has shown that citizen science tools used to gauge heat in these urban areas likely understate the problem of heat islands due to a lack of weather stations. The researchers also suggest a statistical method to improve estimates of urban heat.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Team aims to improve safety of fertilizers made from wastewater sludge      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fertilizers manufactured from the sludgy leftovers of wastewater treatment processes can contain traces of potentially hazardous organic chemicals, according to a new study. The research provides one of the most comprehensive looks at the chemical composition of so-called biosolids across the country and is the first step toward identifying common chemical contaminants that may need government regulation.

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

Telltale greenhouse gases could signal alien activity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If aliens modified a planet in their solar system to make it warmer, we'd be able to tell. A new study identifies the artificial greenhouse gases that would be giveaways of a terraformed planet.

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

First of its kind detection made in striking new Webb image      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to directly image has been captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.

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

Geologists expect Chang'e-6 lunar surface samples to contain volcanic rock and impact ejecta      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

On June 25, China's Chang'e-6 (CE-6) lunar probe is set to return to Earth, carrying the first surface samples collected from the farside of the Moon. In anticipation of this historic event, scientists are publishing their predictions for the unique materials that may be found in the CE-6 samples.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Mashed up purple marine bacteria makes an excellent eco-friendly fertilizer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research reports that biomass made from the purple photosynthetic marine bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum is an excellent nitrogen fertilizer. The biomass fertilizer proved to be just as effective as common inorganic synthetic fertilizers but avoids several side effects that harm the environment, making it an eco-friendly alternative.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

A hidden treasure in the Milky Way -- Astronomers uncover ultrabright x-ray source      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers uncovered that a well-known X-ray binary, whose exact nature has been a mystery to scientists until now, is actually a hidden ultraluminous X-ray source.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Carbon dioxide's heavy stamp on temperature: Doubling CO2 may mean 7 to 14 degree increase      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A doubling of the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere could cause an increase in the average temperature on earth from 7 to even a maximum of 14 degrees. That is shown in the analysis of sediments from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

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

Star clusters observed within a galaxy in the early Universe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The history of how stars and galaxies came to be and evolved into the present day remains among the most challenging astrophysical questions to solve yet, but new research brings us closer to understanding it. New insights about young galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization have been revealed. Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of the galaxy Cosmic Gems arc (SPT0615-JD) have confirmed that the light of the galaxy was emitted 460 million years after the big bang. What makes this galaxy unique is that it is magnified through an effect called gravitational lensing, which has not been observed in other galaxies formed during that age.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Boosting biodiversity without hurting local economies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Protected areas, like nature reserves, can conserve biodiversity without harming local economic growth, countering a common belief that conservation restricts development. A new study outlines what is needed for conservation to benefit both nature and people.

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

Up to 30 percent more time: Climate change makes it harder for women to collect water, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By 2050, climate change could increase the amount of time women in households without running water spend collecting water by up to 30 percent on global average, according to a new study. In regions of South America and Southeast Asia, the time spent collecting water could double due to higher temperatures. Scientists estimate the large welfare losses that could result from climate impacts and highlights how women are particularly vulnerable to changing future climate conditions.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Restoring the Great Salt Lake would have environmental justice as well as ecological benefits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Inland seas around the world are drying up due to increasing human water use and accelerating climate change, and their desiccation is releasing harmful dust that pollutes the surrounding areas during acute dust storms. Using the Great Salt Lake in Utah as a case study, researchers show that dust exposure was highest among Pacific Islanders and Hispanic people and lower in white people compared to all other racial/ethnic groups, and higher for individuals without a high school diploma. Restoring the lake would benefit everyone in the vicinity by reducing dust exposure, and it would also decrease the disparities in exposure between different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

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

Iron meteorites hint that our infant solar system was more doughnut than dartboard      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Iron meteorites are remnants of the metallic cores of the earliest asteroids in our solar system. Iron meteorites contain refractory metals, such as iridium and platinum, that formed near the sun but were transported to the outer solar system. New research shows that for this to have happened, the protoplanetary disk of our solar system had to have been doughnut-shaped because the refractory metals could not have crossed the large gaps in a target-shaped disk of concentric rings. The paper suggests that the refractory metals moved outward as the protoplanetary disk rapidly expanded, and were trapped in the outer solar system by Jupiter.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Supermassive black hole appears to grow like a baby star      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Supermassive black holes pose unanswered questions for astronomers around the world, not least 'How do they grow so big?' Now, an international team of astronomers has discovered a powerful rotating, magnetic wind that they believe is helping a galaxy's central supermassive black hole to grow. The swirling wind, revealed with the help of the ALMA telescope in nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, suggests that similar processes are involved both in black hole growth and the birth of stars.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Changing climate will make home feel like somewhere else      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The impacts of climate change are being felt all over the world, but how will it impact how your hometown feels? An interactive web application allows users to search 40,581 places and 5,323 metro areas around the globe to match the expected future climate in each city with the current climate of another location, providing a relatable picture of what is likely in store.