Study finds that the mass extinction caused by an asteroid about 66 million years ago led to critical changes in bird genomes that ultimately sparked the incredibly diversity living birds.
Barriers designed to prevent saltwater intrusion may worsen inland flooding
Building protection barriers without accounting for potential inland flooding risks from groundwater can eventually worsen the very issues they aim to solve.
Scientists devise method to secure Earth’s biodiversity on the moon
New research led proposes a plan to safeguard Earth's imperiled biodiversity by cryogenically preserving biological material on the moon. The moon's permanently shadowed craters are cold enough for cryogenic preservation without the need for electricity or liquid nitrogen.
What’s the weather like in the deep sea?
A new study has revealed how even the deepest seafloors are affected by the daily back-and-forth of the tides, and the change of the seasons, and that currents at the bottom of the ocean are far more complicated than previously thought. These findings are helping us understand the deep-sea pathways...
California a Botanical and Climate Change Hot Spot
From coastal redwoods and Joshua trees to golden poppies and sagebrush, California is a global botanical hotspot.
Recent volcanic ‘fires’ in Iceland triggered by storage and melting in crust
Scientists have detected geochemical signatures of magma pooling and melting beneath the subsurface during the 'Fagradalsfjall Fires', that began on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in 2021. Samples show that the start of the eruption began with massive pooling of magma, contrasting initial hypothesis for magma ascent straight from the mantle.
Green hydrogen: ‘Artificial leaf’ becomes better under pressure
Hydrogen can be produced via the electrolytic splitting of water. One option here is the use of photoelectrodes that convert sunlight into voltage for electrolysis in so called photoelectrochemical cells (PEC cells). A research team has now shown that the efficiency of PEC cells can be significantly increased under pressure.
More electricity from the sun
A coating of solar cells with special organic molecules could pave the way for a new generation of solar panels. This coating can increase the efficiency of monolithic tandem cells made of silicon and perovskite while lowering their cost -- because they are produced from industrial, microstructured, standard silicon wafers.
Genes or environment? A new model for understanding disease risk factors
Researchers have developed a model that more accurately predicts how genetics and air pollution levels causally influence disease development.
Two Shark Species Documented in Puget Sound for First Time by Oregon State Researchers
Oregon State University researchers have made the first scientific confirmation in Puget Sound of two distinct shark species, one of them critically endangered.