Scientists develop new approach to understanding massive volcanic eruptions
A geosciences team led by the University of South Florida (USF) has developed a new way to reconstruct the sizes of volcanic eruptions that occurred thousands of years ago, creating a first-of-its kind tool that can aid scientists in understanding past explosive eruptions that shaped the earth and improve the way of estimating hazards of future eruptions.
Uncovering how plants see blue light
Plants can perceive and react to light across a wide spectrum. New research from Prof. Nitzan Shabek's laboratory in the Department of Plant Biology, College of Biological Sciences shows how plants can respond to blue light in particular.
Study resolves long-running controversy over critical step in gene silencing
A long-running debate over how an important gene-silencing protein identifies its targets has been resolved by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Their findings, reported in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, also explain certain mysteries about the behavior of this protein, known as Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2).
Gas pressure depletion and seismicity
Europe's largest gas field, the Groningen field in the Netherlands, is widely known for induced subsidence and seismicity caused by gas pressure depletion and associated compaction of the sandstone reservoir. Whether compaction is elastic or partly inelastic, as implied by recent experiments, is key to forecasting system behavior and seismic hazard.
Traditional stereotypes about masculinity may help explain support for Trump
American politicians have long been expected to uphold a certain veneer: powerful, influential and never vulnerable. New Penn State research has found that these idealized forms of masculinity may also help explain support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and in the days leading up to the 2020 election.
Reawakened geyser does not foretell Yellowstone volcanic eruptions, study shows
When Yellowstone National Park's Steamboat Geyser—which shoots water higher than any active geyser in the world—reawakened in 2018 after three and a half years of dormancy, some speculated that it was a harbinger of possible explosive volcanic eruptions within the surrounding geyser basin. These so-called hydrothermal explosions can hurl mud, sand and rocks into the air and release hot steam,...
First glimpse of polarons forming in a promising next-gen energy material
Polarons are fleeting distortions in a material's atomic lattice that form around a moving electron in a few trillionths of a second, then quickly disappear. As ephemeral as they are, they affect a material's behavior, and may even be the reason that solar cells made with lead hybrid perovskites achieve extraordinarily high efficiencies in the lab.
Fluoride to the rescue? Addressing the challenge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Scientists have long been aware of the dangerous overuse of antibiotics and the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant microbes that have resulted. While over-prescription of antibiotics for medicinal use has unsettling implications for human health, so too does the increasing presence of antibiotics in the natural environment. The latter may stem from the improper disposal of medicines, but...
Lake Washington sockeye hit record low, another signature Seattle fish at brink of extinction
They are as Seattle as the Space Needle. But Lake Washington sockeye, once the largest run of sockeye in the Lower 48, are failing.
Astronomers agree: Universe is nearly 14 billion years old
From an observatory high above Chile's Atacama Desert, astronomers have taken a new look at the oldest light in the universe.
Experiment to precisely measure electrons moves forward
A new probe of the humble electron may provide insight into the forces at work inside the heart of matter. Now, the MOLLER experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is one step closer to carrying out an experiment to gain that new insight. The experiment has just received a designation of Critical Decision 1, or CD-1, from the DOE, which is a...
A robotic revolution for urban nature
Drones, robots and autonomous systems can transform the natural world in and around cities for people and wildlife.
Chemists succeed in synthesis of aminoalcohols by utilizing light
Whether in beta-blockers to treat high blood pressure or in natural products, so-called vicinal aminoalcohols are high-quality organic compounds that are found in many everyday items. However, their production is difficult, and for a long time, chemists have been trying to develop efficient methods of synthesizing them. In their recent study published in the journal Nature Catalysis, scientists...
Fires, flooding before settlement may have formed the Amazon's rare patches of fertility
Phosphorous, calcium and charcoal in spotty patches of fertile soil in the Amazon rainforest suggest that natural processes such as fires and river flooding, not the ingenuity of indigenous populations, created rare sites suitable for agriculture, according to new research.
Pandas' popularity not protecting neighbors
Forgive Asiatic black bear if they're not impressed with their popular giant panda neighbors.
Powerful graphene hybrid material for highly efficient supercapacitors
A team working with Roland Fischer, Professor of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry at the Technical University Munich (TUM) has developed a highly efficient supercapacitor. The basis of the energy storage device is a novel, powerful and also sustainable graphene hybrid material that has comparable performance data to currently utilized batteries.
Better together: Scientists discover applications of nanoparticles with multiple elements
An emerging type of alloy nanoparticle proves more stable, durable than single-element nanoparticles.
Scientists discover how mother-of-pearl self-assembles into a perfect structure
In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers from the B CUBE—Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TU Dresden and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble describe, for the first time, that structural defects in self-assembling nacre attract and cancel each other out, eventually leading to a perfect periodic structure.
Researchers discover a new tool for reconstructing ancient sea ice to study climate change
Sea ice is a critical indicator of changes in the Earth's climate. A new discovery by Brown University researchers could provide scientists a new way to reconstruct sea ice abundance and distribution information from the ancient past, which could aid in understanding human-induced climate change happening now.
New data-driven global climate model provides projections for urban environments
Cities only occupy about 3% of the Earth's total land surface, but they bear the burden of the human-perceived effects of global climate change, researchers said. Global climate models are set up for big-picture analysis, leaving urban areas poorly represented. In a new study, researchers take a closer look at how climate change affects cities by using data-driven statistical models combined with...
Elephant ivory continues to be disguised and sold on eBay
Research from the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) has found that elephant ivory is still being sold on the online marketplace eBay, despite its 10-year-old policy banning the trade in ivory.
New uses for dead ash, fir and tamarack trees could help restore Minnesota's forests
One invasive beetle is ready to devour just about every ash tree left in Minnesota's woods. A caterpillar has killed more than 200,000 acres worth of balsam fir trees in just the last year. Another beetle, a native in the midst of a population boom, has already destroyed about half of the state's tamaracks.
Greener chemistry through new approach to catalysis
Researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have developed a catalyst that is effective in negligible amounts. Due to its form and durability, the catalyst lasts much longer in reactions, saving a great deal of energy, preventing waste and reducing costs. The results have been published in Nature Communications.
In kefir, microbial teamwork makes the dream work
To make kefir, it takes a team. A team of microbes.
Convex to concave: More metasurface moiré results in wide-range lens
The odd, wavy pattern that results from viewing certain phone or computer screens through polarized glasses has led researchers to take a step toward thinner, lighter-weight lenses. Called moiré, the pattern is made by laying one material with opaque and translucent parts at an angle over another material of similar contrast.