There is extensive research on how a fixed-position flap affects lift in the realm of fluid-structure interaction. So, researchers conducted a bio-inspired study with a novel twist -- variable stiffness over time much like a bird can tense, or stiffen, the musculature and tendons connected to covert feathers -- to...
Fully recyclable printed electronics ditch toxic chemicals for water
Engineers have produced fully recyclable printed electronics that replace the use of chemicals with water in the fabrication process. By bypassing the need for hazardous chemicals, the demonstration points down a path industry could follow to reduce its environmental footprint and human health risks.
Case for Candida auris wastewater surveillance
Researchers say tracking methodology in Southern Nevada fungal outbreak provides blueprint for monitoring and responding to emerging global public health threat.
US forests face an unclear future with climate change
Climate change might compromise how permanently forests are able to store carbon and keep it out of the air. In a new study, researchers found that the regions most at risk to lose forest carbon through fire, climate stress or insect damage are those regions where many forest carbon offset...
Newly discovered probiotic could protect Caribbean corals threatened by deadly, devastating disease
Researchers have discovered the first effective bacterial probiotic for treating and preventing stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a mysterious ailment that has devastated Florida's coral reefs since 2014 and is rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean. The probiotic treatment provides an alternative to the use of the broad-spectrum antibiotic amoxicillin,...
Underground water could be the solution to green heating and cooling
About 12% of the total global energy demand comes from heating and cooling homes and businesses. A new study suggests that using underground water to maintain comfortable temperatures could reduce consumption of natural gas and electricity in this sector by 40% in the United States. The approach, called aquifer thermal...
Surprising science behind bumblebee superfood
It's the spines. New research shows that the spiny pollen from plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) both reduces infection of a common bee parasite by 81 -- 94% and markedly increases the production of queen bumble bees. The research provides much-needed food for thought in one of the most...
Gone for good? California’s beetle-killed, carbon-storing pine forests may not come back
Ponderosa pine forests in the Sierra Nevada that were wiped out by western pine beetles during the 2012-2015 megadrought won't recover to pre-drought densities, reducing an important storehouse for atmospheric carbon.
Complex assembly process involved in DNA virus replication
In a twist on the question, 'Which came first, the chicken or the egg?', scientists have long faced a similar question about how human adenovirus replicates: 'Which comes first, assembly of the viral particle, or packaging of the viral genome?' Now, in a new study, scientists have answered that question,...
Ice sheets can collapse faster than previously thought possible
Ice sheets can retreat up to 600 meters a day during periods of climate warming, 20 times faster than the highest rate of retreat previously measured. An international team of researchers used high-resolution imagery of the seafloor to reveal just how quickly a former ice sheet that extended from Norway...