High-severity wildfire in California's Sierra Nevada forests has nearly quintupled compared to before Euro-American settlement, rising from less than 10% per year then to up to 43% today, a new study finds.
New ‘whipping jet’ sprayer controls how aerosols move
Scientists have invented a new 'whipping jet' sprayer that allows for greater control over how aerosols move. The device could benefit pharmaceutical, automotive, food processing, carbon capture and other industries.
Texas Scientists Rescue Record-High Numbers of Stranded Loggerhead Turtles, Investigate Causes
More than 100 people gathered recently along the Padre Island shore in Texas to witness eight healed and robust sea turtles being released into the waters of the Gulf Coast.
Vulnerability of red sea urchins to climate change depends on location
A new study of red sea urchins, a commercially valuable species, investigated how different populations respond to changes in their environments. The results show that red sea urchin populations in Northern and Southern California are adapted to their local conditions but differ in their vulnerability to the environmental changes expected...
Magnetic Method to Clean PFAS Contaminated Water
Researchers at The University of Queensland have pioneered a simple, fast and effective technique to remove PFAS chemicals from water.
Speeding Up Sugar’s Conversion into Fuel
University of Queensland researchers have found a way to more efficiently convert sugarcane into a building block of aviation fuel and other products.
First computational reconstruction of a virus in its biological entirety
A researcher has created a computer reconstruction of a virus, including its complete native genome. Although other researchers have created similar reconstructions, this is believed to be the first to replicate the exact chemical and 3D structure of a 'live' virus.
Mixture of crops provide ecological benefits for agricultural landscapes
There are often too few flowering plants in agricultural landscapes, which is one reason for the decline of pollinating insects. Researchers ave now investigated how a mixture of crops of faba beans (broad beans) and wheat affects the number of pollinating insects. They found that areas of mixed crops compared...
Bioenergy: Precision gene editing in miscanthus
Researchers have successfully demonstrated precision gene editing in miscanthus, a promising perennial crop for sustainable bioenergy production. Biologists edited the genomes of three miscanthus species using CRISPR/Cas9 -- a far more targeted and efficient way to develop new varieties than prior methods. The results will accelerate efforts to tap the...
Three ‘Super-Leverage Points’ Offer Hope for Climate Breakthrough
Three “super-leverage points” could trigger a cascade of decarbonisation in sectors covering 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report presented today at the World Economic Forum in Davos.