The key to cooling ‘urban heat islands’ may lie in the countryside, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) and Southeast University (China).
New dawn for space storm alerts could help shield Earth’s tech
Space storms could soon be forecasted with greater accuracy than ever before thanks to a big leap forward in our understanding of exactly when a violent solar eruption may hit Earth. Scientists say it is now possible to predict the precise speed a coronal mass ejection (CME) is travelling at...
Chemists design novel method for generating sustainable fuel
Chemists have been working to synthesize high-value materials from waste molecules for years.
Converting wastewater to fertilizer with fungal treatment
Creating fertilizers from organic waste can help reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and promote sustainable production. One way of doing this is through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), which converts biomass into biocrude oil through a high-temperature, high-pressure process. Two studies explore the use of a fungal treatment to convert the...
Hundreds of new genome sequences fill gaps in the fruit fly tree of life
A multitude of new genomic sequence data fills major gaps in the fruit fly tree of life, researchers report.
Solar farms with stormwater controls mitigate runoff, erosion, study finds
As the number of major utility-scale ground solar panel installations grows, concerns about their impacts on natural hydrologic processes also have grown. However, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that excess runoff or increased erosion can be easily mitigated -- if these 'solar farms' are properly built.
How pollution may remain in water after oil spill cleanups
The way oil drops break up at the water's surface means some oil may not get cleaned up after a spill.
Secrets behind viral precision
New research is shedding light on how viruses ensure their survival by precisely timing the release of new viruses. The discovery offers a new theoretical framework for understanding these dynamic biological phenomena.
Although tiny, peatland microorganisms have a big impact on climate
Polyphenols are generally toxic to microorganisms. In peatlands, scientists thought microorganisms avoided this toxicity by degrading polyphenols using an oxygen-dependent enzyme, and thus that low-oxygen conditions inhibit microbes' carbon cycling. However, a new study found that Arctic peatland microorganisms used alternative enzymes, with and without oxygen, to break down polyphenols....
Loss of Oxygen in Lakes and Oceans a Major Threat to Ecosystems, Society, and Planet
Rensselaer researcher links aquatic deoxygenation with the broader stability of Earth’s systems.