Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Are viruses keeping sea lice at bay in wild salmon?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

More than 30 previously unknown RNA viruses in sea lice have been identified. Sea lice are parasitic copepods (small crustaceans) found in many fresh and saltwater habitats, and have been implicated in the decline of wild salmon populations. The research sheds greater light on the types of viruses being carried by sea lice, and how the viruses and host are interacting.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Physicists discover a new switch for superconductivity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study sheds surprising light on how certain superconductors undergo a 'nematic transition' -- unlocking new, superconducting behavior. The results could help identify unconventional superconducting materials.

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

Antarctic ice shelves experienced only minor changes in surface melt since 1980      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of glaciologists set out to quantify how much ice melt occurred on Antarctica's ice shelves from 1980 to 2021. The results might seem to be good news for the region, but the researchers say there's no cause for celebration just yet.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Caribbean seagrasses provide services worth $255B annually, including vast carbon storage, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Caribbean seagrasses provide about $255 billion in services to society annually, including $88.3 billion in carbon storage, according to a new study. The study has put a dollar value on the many services -- from storm protection to fish habitat to carbon storage -- provided by seagrasses across the Caribbean, which holds up to half the world's seagrass meadows by surface area and contains about one-third of the carbon stored in seagrasses worldwide.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Scientists unearth 20 million years of 'hot spot' magmatism under Cocos plate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has observed past episodic intraplate magmatism and corroborated the existence of a partial melt channel at the base of the Cocos Plate. Situated 60 kilometers beneath the Pacific Ocean floor, the magma channel covers more than 100,000 square kilometers, and originated from the Galápagos Plume more than 20 million years ago, supplying melt for multiple magmatic events -- and persisting today.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Massive underwater plateau near Solomon Islands is younger and its eruption was more protracted than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Ontong Java Plateau, a volcanically-formed underwater plateau located in the Pacific Ocean north of the Solomon Islands, is younger and its eruption was more protracted than previously thought, new research suggests.

Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Terahertz-to-visible light conversion for future telecommunications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study demonstrates that graphene-based materials can be used to efficiently convert high-frequency signals into visible light, and that this mechanism is ultrafast and tunable. These outcomes open the path to exciting applications in near-future information and communication technologies.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Metaverse could put a dent in global warming      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For many technology enthusiasts, the metaverse has the potential to transform almost every facet of human life, from work to education to entertainment. Now, new research shows it could have environmental benefits, too.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Hotter sand from microplastics could affect sea turtle development      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has found that extreme concentrations of microplastics could increase the temperature of beach sand enough to threaten the development of incubating sea turtles.

Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

A step toward safe and reliable autopilots for flying      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed a machine-learning technique that can autonomously drive a car or fly a plane through a very difficult 'stabilize-avoid' scenario, in which the vehicle must stabilize its trajectory to arrive at and stay within some goal region, while avoiding obstacles.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Four-legged robot traverses tricky terrains thanks to improved 3D vision      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new model that trains four-legged robots to see more clearly in 3D. The advance enabled a robot to autonomously cross challenging terrain with ease -- including stairs, rocky ground and gap-filled paths -- while clearing obstacles in its way.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Geologists challenge conventional view of Earth's continental history, stability with new study      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The seemingly stable regions of the Earth's continental plates -- the so-called stable cratons -- have suffered repetitive deformation below their crust since their formation in the remote past, according to new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This hypothesis defies decades of conventional plate tectonics theory and begs to answer why most cratons have remained structurally stable while their underbellies have experienced significant change.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Mori3: A polygon shape-shifting robot for space travel      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By combining inspiration from the digital world of polygon meshing and the biological world of swarm behavior, the Mori3 robot can morph from 2D triangles into almost any 3D object. The research shows the promise of modular robotics for space travel.

Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Liquid metal sticks to surfaces without a binding agent      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Everyday materials such as paper and plastic could be transformed into electronic 'smart devices' by using a simple new method to apply liquid metal to surfaces, according to scientists. The study demonstrates a technique for applying a liquid metal coating to surfaces that do not easily bond with liquid metal. The approach is designed to work at a large scale and may have applications in wearable testing platforms, flexible devices, and soft robotics.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Eddies: Circular currents and their influence on the world's hottest ocean      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Water from the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean via the Indonesia Archipelago thanks to a vast network of currents that act as a conveyor belt, transporting warmth and nutrients. Currents can sometimes form circular motions and these are known as eddies. An international group of researchers has modeled the impacts of eddies on the currents that carry water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Water Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

When water temperatures change, the molecular motors of cephalopods do too      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Working with live squid hatchlings, scientists find the animals can tune their proteome on the fly in response to changes in ocean temperature via the unique process of RNA recoding. The findings inspire new questions about basic protein function.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Schrödinger's cat makes better qubits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Drawing from Schrodinger's cat thought experiment, scientists have built a 'critical cat code' qubit that uses bosons to store and process information in a way that is more reliable and resistant to errors than previous qubit designs.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Chatgpt designs a robot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Poems, essays and even books -- is there anything the OpenAI platform ChatGPT can't handle? These new AI developments have inspired researchers to dig a little deeper: For instance, can ChatGPT also design a robot? And is this a good thing for the design process, or are there risks?