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Categories: Geoscience: Environmental Issues, Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published How climate change could be affecting your brain
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new element of the catastrophic impacts of climate change is emerging -- how global warming is impacting the human brain.
Published Wildfire, drought cause $11.2 billion in damage to private timberland in three Pacific states, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires and drought have led to $11.2 billion in damages to privately held timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades, a new Oregon State University study found.
Published New research maps 14 potential evolutionary dead ends for humanity and ways to avoid them
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Humankind risks getting stuck in 14 evolutionary dead ends, ranging from global climate tipping points to misaligned artificial intelligence, chemical pollution, and accelerating infectious diseases, finds a new major assessment by scientists from multiple different disciplines. To break these trends, humans must become self-aware of our common futures.
Published Capture or reuse CO2 as a chemical source for the production of sustainable plastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have developed a new polyurethane production technique using CO2 to create new types of easily recyclable plastics that uses more sustainable materials to produce plastics with properties similar to conventional petro-sourced plastics. This new technology is emerging as a potential solution for the development of sustainable plastics with a wide range of properties that can easily meet the needs of most of our everyday applications.
Published Aerosols: When scents influence our climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tiny particles that form from molecules in the air play an important role for climate change. But until now, the have been poorly understood. Scientists have now analyzed how these particles form.
Published Endangered turtle population under threat as pollution may lead to excess of females being born
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers find exposure to heavy metals cadmium and antimony and certain organic contaminants, accumulated by the mother and transferred to her eggs, may cause embryos to be feminized in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), a species already at risk of extinction from a current lack of male hatchlings.
Published Forming ice: There's a fungal protein for that
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research explores how proteins produced by a common fungus trigger ice nucleation at warm temperatures. The study holds potential implications for improving our understanding of how life affects precipitation and climate.
Published Naturally regrowing forests are helping to protect the remaining old forests in the Amazon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Secondary forests that have regrown naturally on land abandoned from agriculture are important in counteracting the effects of forest fragmentation across the Amazon basin, according to new findings.
Published New study indicates C4 crops less sensitive to ozone pollution than C3 crops
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have studied the effects of elevated O3 on five C3 crops (chickpea, rice, snap bean, soybean, wheat) and four C4 crops (sorghum, maize, Miscanthus × giganteus, switchgrass). Their findings indicate that C4 crops are much more tolerant of high O3 concentrations than C3 crops.
Published Diverse forests hold huge carbon potential, as long as we cut emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New study estimates that natural forest recovery could capture approximately 226 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon, but only if we also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving these results requires community-driven efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity. In brief: Forests have the potential to capture 226 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon in areas where they would naturally exist. This forest potential can only be achieved alongside emissions cuts. Sixty-one percent of the forest potential can be achieved by protecting existing forests and allowing them to regrow to maturity. Thirty-nine percent can be achieved by reconnecting fragmented landscapes through community-driven ecosystem restoration and management. A natural diversity of species is needed to maximize the forest carbon potential.
Published Solar-powered device produces clean water and clean fuel at the same time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A floating, solar-powered device that can turn contaminated water or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and purified water, anywhere in the world, has been developed by researchers.
Published Designing cities for 21st-century weather
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have investigated how changes in urban land and population will affect future populations' exposures to weather extremes under climate conditions at the end of the 21st century. They used a data-driven model to predict how urban areas across the country will grow by 2100, and found that how a city is laid out or organized spatially has the potential to reduce population exposures to future weather extremes.
Published Low-intensity fires reduce wildfire risk by 60%
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source High-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S. Researchers quantified the value of managed low-intensity burning to dramatically reduce the risk of such fires for years at a time.
Published Scientists found hundreds of toxic chemicals in recycled plastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When scientists examined pellets from recycled plastic collected in 13 countries they found hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Because of this, the scientists judge recycled plastics unfit for most purposes and a hinder in the attempts to create a circular economy.
Published New cooling ceramic can enhance energy efficiency for the construction sector and help combat global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in developing a passive radiative cooling (PRC) material. The material, known as cooling ceramic, has achieved high-performance optical properties for energy-free and refrigerant-free cooling generation. Its cost-effectiveness, durability and versatility make it highly suitable for commercialization in numerous applications, particularly in building construction.
Published How to use AI for discovery -- without leading science astray
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the same way that chatbots sometimes 'hallucinate,' or make things up, machine learning models designed for scientific applications can sometimes present misleading or downright false results. Researchers now present a new statistical technique for safely using AI predictions to test scientific hypotheses.
Published New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.
Published Scientists caution against a reliance on mechanical devices to clear water bodies of plastic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international group of scientists has called for the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution to focus more on measures to reduce the production and consumption of plastics and the prevention of future plastic waste, rather than on the unselective removal of waste already in the water.
Published 'Indoor solar' to power the Internet of Things
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source From Wi-Fi-connected home security systems to smart toilets, the so-called Internet of Things brings personalization and convenience to devices that help run homes. But with that comes tangled electrical cords or batteries that need to be replaced. Now, researchers have brought solar panel technology indoors to power smart devices. They show which photovoltaic (PV) systems work best under cool white LEDs, a common type of indoor lighting.
Published Barnacle bends shape to fend off warm-water sea snails on the move
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some barnacles are 'morphing' to protect themselves from predatory warm-water sea snails, which are expanding into their territory due to climate change.