Researchers have found that one method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is available, affordable, and capable of being implemented right now. Nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance, could be readily abated with existing technology applied to industrial sources.
Hep C: Mystery of how deadly virus hides in humans is solved
With a new method for examining virus samples researchers have solved an old riddle about how Hepatitis C virus avoids the human body's immune defenses. The result may have an impact on how we track and treat viral diseases in general.
From atoms to materials: Algorithmic breakthrough unlocks path to sustainable technologies
New research could signal a step change in the quest to design the new materials that are needed to meet the challenge of net zero and a sustainable future. Researchers have shown that a mathematical algorithm can guarantee to predict the structure of any material just based on knowledge of...
World’s most threatened seabirds visit remote plastic pollution hotspots
Analysis of global tracking data for 77 species of petrel has revealed that a quarter of all plastics potentially encountered in their search for food are in remote international waters -- requiring international collaboration to address.
How mercury emissions from industry can be greatly reduced
Sulphuric acid is the world's most used chemical. It is an important reagent used in many industries and it is used in the manufacture of everything from paper, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to batteries, detergents and fertilizers. It is therefore a worldwide challenge that sulphuric acid often contains one of the...
Three things to know: Climate change’s impact on extreme-weather events
Researchers found that the effects of climate change on the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events, like wildfires, could lead to massive increases in all three.
New role for taste receptors
Taste receptors for bitter substances are not only found on the tongue but also on cells outside the oral cavity. As a new study now shows, extraoral bitter taste receptors could also serve as endogenous sensors for bile acids. This discovery suggests that, in addition to food components, endogenous substances...
Chemists discover why photosynthetic light-harvesting is so efficient
Chemists have measured the energy transfer between photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins. They discovered that the disorganized arrangement of light-harvesting proteins boosts the efficiency of the energy transduction.
Birds raise fewer young when spring arrives earlier in a warming world
A new study of North American songbirds finds that birds can't keep up with the earlier arrival of spring caused by climate change. As a result, they're raising fewer young. By the end of the 21st century, climate change will cause springlike weather to begin 25 days earlier, but birds...
New A.I. system can decode fruit fly behaviors: Why that’s ‘pivotal’ for future human genetics research
For more than a century, scientists have used fruit flies' simple genome and short lifespan to decode mysteries of genetic inheritance. Now a new machine-learning system can track fruit flies and interpret different behaviors.