A key source of information underpinning the upcoming National Climate Assessment suggests that heavy precipitation days historically experienced once in a century by Americans could in the future be experienced on several occasions in a lifetime.
MIT Engineers Devise Technology to Prevent Fouling in Photobioreactors for CO2 Capture
Algae grown in transparent tanks or tubes supplied with carbon dioxide can convert the greenhouse gas into other compounds, such as food supplements or fuels. But the process leads to a buildup of algae on the surfaces that clouds them and reduces efficiency, requiring laborious cleanout procedures every couple of...
Gentle Method Allows for Environmentally Friendly Recycling of Solar Cells
By using a new method, precious metals can be efficiently recovered from thin-film solar cells.
Stronger Paper Bags, Reused Repeatedly Then Recycled for Biofuel Could Be Future
As the world searches for ways to reduce the use of plastics such as single-use plastic bags, a novel study by Penn State researchers demonstrates a process to make paper bags stronger — especially when they get wet — to make them a more viable alternative.
As Rising Temperatures Affect Alaskan Rivers, Effects Ripple Through Indigenous Communities
Streamflow is increasing in Alaskan rivers during both spring and fall seasons, primarily due to increasing air temperatures over the past 60 years, according to new CU Boulder-led research.
How skates learned to fly through water
Genes are not the only drivers of evolution. The iconic fins of skates are caused by changes in the non-coding genome and its three-dimensional structure, an international research team reports.
Increased droughts are disrupting carbon-capturing soil microbes, concerning ecologists
Soil stores more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined, and soil microbes are largely responsible for putting it there. However, the increasing frequency and severity of drought, such as those that have been impacting California, could disrupt this delicate ecosystem. Microbial ecologists warn that soil health and future greenhouse...
Humans need Earth-like ecosystem for deep-space living
Can humans endure long-term living in deep space? The answer is a lukewarm maybe, according to a new theory describing the complexity of maintaining gravity and oxygen, obtaining water, developing agriculture and handling waste far from Earth.
WISA’s Electric Plane Is Making Flying More Sustainable
On the slender wings of the tiny Pipistrel Velis Electro ride some of the greatest the hopes of the aviation industry — and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA).
Is This the Future of Farming?
New computer science study offers a radical new way to think about agriculture and its potential benefits for farming.