Chemistry: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

'Fossilizing' cracks in infrastructure creates sealing that can even survive earthquakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, a team of researchers used research on fossilizing techniques to create a new method for sealing cracks and fractures in rocks and bedrock using a 'concretion-forming resin'. This innovative technique has applications in a wide range of industries, from tunnel construction to long-term underground storage of hazardous materials.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene
Published

Scientists develop new battery-free lactic acid sensor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have created a new type of chemosensor (demonstrated for lactic acid sensing) which functions with electricity but without the need for reference electrodes or battery power.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Genetics Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Roots are a key to drought-tolerant maize      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Maize can grow successfully in very different local conditions. An international study has now demonstrated the important role of the plant root system. The researchers analyzed more than 9,000 varieties in the study and were able to show that their roots varied considerably -- depending on how dry the location is where each variety was cultivated. They were also able to identify an important gene that plays a role in the plant's ability to adapt. This gene could be the key to developing varieties of maize that cope better with climate change.

Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published

Flexible film senses nearby movements -- featured in blink-tracking glasses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

I'm not touching you! When another person's finger hovers over your skin, you may get the sense that they're touching you, feeling not necessarily contact, but their proximity. Similarly, researchers have designed a soft, flexible film that senses the presence of nearby objects without physically touching them. The study features the new sensor technology to detect eyelash proximity in blink-tracking glasses.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New insights into the degradation dynamics of organic material in the seafloor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many processes in the deep sea are not yet well understood, and the role of microbial communities in particular is often a big unknown. This includes, for example, how organic material that sinks from the water surface to the ocean floor is metabolised -- an important building block for a better understanding of the global carbon cycle.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General
Published

Ethylene from CO2: Building-kit catalyst      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Use of the greenhouse gas CO2 as a chemical raw material would not only reduce emissions, but also the consumption of fossil feedstocks. A novel metal-free organic framework could make it possible to electrocatalytically produce ethylene, a primary chemical raw material, from CO2. Nitrogen atoms with a particular electron configuration play a critical role for the catalyst.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Sewage overflows linked to increase in gastrointestinal illnesses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has found that residents living in the downstream communities that border the Merrimack River are at a substantially increased risk of developing acute gastrointestinal illnesses (AGI) in the four days following large-volume combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Conservation of nature's strongholds needed to halt biodiversity loss      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To achieve global biodiversity targets, conservationists and governments must prioritize the establishment and effective management of large, interconnected protected areas with high ecological integrity, researchers argue in a new essay.

Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Recycling carbon dioxide into household chemicals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists report a family of tin-based catalysts that efficiently converts CO2 into ethanol, acetic acid and formic acid. These liquid hydrocarbons are among the most produced chemicals in the U.S and are found in many commercial products.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Batteries
Published

Batteries: Modeling tomorrow's materials today      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Which factors determine how quickly a battery can be charged? Microstructural models have helped researchers discover and investigate new electrode materials. When sodium-nickel-manganese oxide is used as cathode material in sodium-ion batteries, simulations reveal modifications of the crystal structure during charging. These modifications lead to an elastic deformation, as a result of which capacity decreases.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

Researchers introduce programmable materials to help heal broken bones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Natural materials like bone, bird feathers and wood have an intelligent approach to physical stress distribution, despite their irregular architectures. However, the relationship between stress modulation and their structures has remained elusive. A new study that integrates machine learning, optimization, 3D printing and stress experiments allowed engineers to gain insight into these natural wonders by developing a material that replicates the functionalities of human bone for orthopedic femur restoration.

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

Green infrastructure plans need to consider historical racial inequalities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Urban greening projects should consider historical development patterns and past discriminatory practices to avoid exacerbating the unequal distribution of environmental benefits, says an urban and regional planning professor.

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

Warming climate intensifies flash droughts worldwide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sudden, severe dry spells known as flash droughts are rising in intensity around the world, with a notable exception in mountainous Central Asia, where flash drought extent is shrinking, according to new research. Heat and changes to precipitation patterns caused by a warming climate are driving these trends, the study found.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

By listening, scientists learn how a protein folds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By converting their data into sounds, scientists discovered how hydrogen bonds contribute to the lightning-fast gyrations that transform a string of amino acids into a functional, folded protein. Their report offers an unprecedented view of the sequence of hydrogen-bonding events that occur when a protein morphs from an unfolded to a folded state.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology
Published

Can coal mines be tapped for rare earth elements?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of geologists analyzed 3,500 samples taken in and around coal mines in Utah and Colorado. Their findings open the possibility that these mines could see a secondary resource stream in the form of rare earth metals used in renewable energy and numerous other high-tech applications.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Electric school buses may yield significant health and climate benefits, cost savings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Replacing diesel school buses with electric school buses may yield up to $247,600 in climate and health benefits per individual bus, according to a new study. The researchers found that these benefits -- including fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced rates of adult mortality and childhood asthma -- and their associated savings are strongest in large cities and among fleets of old (2005 and before) buses.

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

'Vigorous melting' at Antarctica's Thwaites 'Doomsday' Glacier      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Glaciologists show evidence of warm ocean water intruding kilometers beneath grounded ice at Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. The findings suggest that existing climate models are underestimating the impact of ocean and ice interactions in future sea level rise projections.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

The impacts of climate change on food production      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows that climate change has led to decreased pollen production from plants and less pollen diversity than previously thought, which could have a significant impact on food production.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Digging up good news for microbial studies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Findings indicate that soil stored under refrigerated or air-dried conditions can still retain the needed information for understanding microbial community composition and structure for many years.