A new building material developed by engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute could change how the world builds. Made using an enzyme that turns carbon dioxide into solid minerals, the material cures in hours and locks away carbon instead of releasing it. It’s strong, repairable, recyclable, and far cleaner than concrete....
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The world’s mountains are warming faster than anyone expected
Mountain regions around the world are heating up faster than the lands below them, triggering dramatic shifts in snow, rain, and water supply that could affect over a billion people. A major global review finds that rising temperatures are turning snowfall into rain, shrinking glaciers, and making mountain weather more...
Exposure to Wildfire Smoke Late in Pregnancy May Raise Autism Risk in Children
Exposure to wildfire smoke during the final months of pregnancy may raise the risk that a child is later diagnosed with autism, according to a new study led by Tulane University researchers.
Air Pollution May Increase the Risk of ALS
Prolonged exposure to air pollution can be linked to an elevated risk for serious neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and seems to speed up the pathological process, report researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
New Method Predicts Asthma Attacks up to Five Years in Advance
Researchers at Mass General Brigham and Karolinska Institutet have identified a new method to predict asthma exacerbations with a high degree of accuracy.
The overlooked survival strategy that made us human
Long before humans became master hunters, our ancestors were already thriving by making the most of what nature left behind. New research suggests that scavenging animal carcasses wasn’t a desperate last resort, but a smart, reliable survival strategy that shaped human evolution. Carrion provided calorie-rich food with far less effort...
A 250-million-year-old fossil reveals the origins of mammal hearing
Sensitive hearing may have evolved in mammal ancestors far earlier than scientists once believed. By modeling how sound moved through the skull of Thrinaxodon, a 250-million-year-old mammal predecessor, researchers found it likely used an early eardrum to hear airborne sounds. This challenges the long-held idea that these animals mainly “listened”...
Nitrogen Is Key to Faster Regrowth in Deforested Areas, Say Researchers
Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research published today.
Tiny Earthquakes Reveal Hidden Faults Under Northern California
By tracking swarms of very small earthquakes, seismologists are getting a new picture of the complex region where the San Andreas fault meets the Cascadia subduction zone, an area that could give rise to devastating major earthquakes.
A Once-In-A-Generation Discovery Is Transforming a Michigan Dairy Farm
At first glance, the 400 acres of soybeans growing on the Preston family’s dairy farm in southern Michigan looks like a typical field. But these aren’t ordinary soybeans.