Flowers emit scented chemicals to attract pollinators, but this perfume — and how pollinators interact with the plant — can go through profound changes as a crop becomes domesticated.
In Hunt for Rare Earths, Companies Are Scouring Mining Waste
Over many decades, coal mining in West Virginia has exposed sulfur-bearing rocks to oxygen, creating a widespread problem that continues to plague the region: the draining of highly acidic water into streams and creeks, which are then rendered lifeless.
Magnetic Avalanches Power Solar Flares, Finds Solar Orbiter
Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become more violent.
Safeguarding the Winter Olympics-Paralympics Against Climate Change
Study reveals changes International Olympic and Paralympic Committees could implement to keep Games viable and safer for athletes.
How Social Animals Can Spread Diseases
Whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are highly social, but those social ties can also help diseases spread through populations of rare or threatened species.
World-Leading Rare Earth Magnet Recycling Facility Launches in West Midlands
The University of Birmingham today (15 Jan) launched a new West Midlands-based facility for separating and recycling rare earth magnets that will help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of rare earth metals, alloys, and magnets.
New Technology Enters the Race to Decarbonise Commercial Buildings
University of Birmingham researchers have designed a novel energy storage system that could pave the way for decarbonisation of commercial buildings by charging from surplus renewable power that would otherwise be wasted, and delivering heat or cooling when required.
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.
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.
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.