Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new metal-organic coating protects bacterial cells from damage without impeding their growth or function. The coated bacteria, which produce ammonia, could make it much easier for farmers to deploy microbes as fertilizers.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Water splitting reaction for green hydrogen gas production improved      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Electrochemical catalysts used in water splitting often show poor performance due to low electrical conductance of (oxy)hydroxide species produced in situ. To overcome this challenge, researchers have now designed an electrode with Schottky Junction formed at the interface of metallic Ni-W5N4 and semiconducting NiFeOOH. The proposed electrode shows excellent catalytic activity and can facilitate industrial seawater splitting continuously for 10 days.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Climate engineering could slow Antarctic ice loss, study suggests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study reports that scattering sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere -- a theoretical form of climate engineering known as 'stratospheric aerosol injection' -- has potential to slow rapid ice melt in Western Antarctica.

Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Printed robots with bones, ligaments, and tendons      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique. The new technology makes it possible to 3D print special plastics with elastic qualities in one go. This opens up completely new possibilities for the production of soft robotic structures.

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

Not so silver lining: Microplastics found in clouds could affect the weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

From the depths of the seas to snow on mountains and even the air above cities, microplastics are turning up increasingly often. Now, researchers have analyzed microplastics in clouds above mountains. They suggest that these tiny particles could play a role in cloud formation and, in turn, affect weather.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Previously unknown luminescence revealed in ten deep sea species and an order of sea cucumbers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers present evidence of previously unknown luminosity in 10 deep-sea species, suggesting underestimated diversity. These new discoveries include a member of the order Molpadia, which was previously thought not to be luminescent. The authors stress the importance of considering the ecological role of bioluminesence and the need for conservation.

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

Melting ice falling snow: Sea ice declines enhance snowfall over West Antarctica      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the world continues to warm, Antarctica is losing ice at an increasing pace, but the loss of sea ice may lead to more snowfall over the ice sheets, partially offsetting contributions to sea level rise.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New water treatment method can generate green energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have designed micromotors that move around on their own to purify wastewater. The process creates ammonia, which can serve as a green energy source. Now, an AI method will be used to tune the motors to achieve the best possible results.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

When we feel things that are not there      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The discovery of the phantom touch illusion provides insights into human perception and opens up new perspectives for interaction with virtual reality technology.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: General
Published

Study sheds light on how Earth cycles fossil-carbon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researches used rhenium as a proxy for fossil carbon in order to quantify the rate at which Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and found that high rates of carbon breakdown persist across the different geographical profiles of a river basin.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Forecasting microbiomes for sustainability and health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microbial communities, or microbiomes, are essential for safeguarding human and environmental health through the most widely used biotechnological process on our planet: biological wastewater treatment. However, the process itself is subject to constant changes, difficult to sustain over long periods of time and emits significant amounts of greenhouse gases.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Europe was not covered by dense forest before the arrival of modern humans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For decades, we believed that outside ice ages Europe was mostly covered by dense forest before the arrival of modern humans. Now, a new study shows that there was far more open and semi-open vegetation than conventionally expected.

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

Faster Arctic warming hastens 2C rise by eight years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Arctic is currently warming nearly four times faster than the global average rate. The new study aimed to estimate the impact of this faster warming on how quickly the global temperature thresholds of 1.5C and 2C, set down in the Paris Agreement, are likely to be breached.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

'Cooling glass' blasts building heat into space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers aiming to combat rising global temperatures have developed a new 'cooling glass' that can turn down the heat indoors without electricity by drawing on the cold depths of space. The new technology, a microporous glass coating, can lower the temperature of the material beneath it by 3.5 degrees Celsius at noon, and has the potential to reduce a mid-rise apartment building's yearly carbon emissions by 10 percent.

Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Ammonia for fertilizers without the giant carbon footprint      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Green ammonia has the potential to drastically reduce the carbon footprint needed to produce fertilizer vital for crop-growing.

Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

North Atlantic's marine productivity may not be declining, according to new study of older ice cores      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of declining phytoplankton in the North Atlantic may have been greatly exaggerated. Analysis of a Greenland ice core going back 800 years shows that atmospheric chemistry, not dwindling phytoplankton populations, explains the industrial-era ice core trends.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Ammonia fuel offers great benefits but demands careful action      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have identified the potential environmental risks of using ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel in order to develop an engineering roadmap to a sustainable ammonia economy.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

A 'fish cartel' for Africa could benefit the countries, and their seas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Banding together to sell fishing rights could generate economic benefits for African countries, which receive far less from access to their fisheries on the global market than other countries do from theirs. By joining forces, researchers say African fisheries would not just secure more competitive access fees, they could also protect their seas' biodiversity.