A new study finds that decarbonization pathways need to incorporate more efficient electric heating technologies and more renewable energy sources to minimize strain on the U.S. electric grid during increased electricity usage from heating in December and January. Otherwise, harmful fossil fuels will continue to power these seasonal spikes in energy demand.

For the generations who grew up watching Finding Nemo, it might not come as a surprise that the North American West Coast has its own version of the underwater ocean highway—the California Current marine ecosystem (CCME). The CCME extends from the southernmost tip of California up through Washington. Seasonal upward currents of cold, nutrient-rich water are the backbone to a larger food web of...

The enzymes found in living organisms have impressive catalytic power. Thanks to enzymes, the chemical reactions that sustain life happen millions of times faster than they would occur without them. Enzymes speed up reactions by helping to lower the activation energy needed to start them, but for more than 70 years, how enzymes achieve this has been the subject of intense debate.

The catastrophic debris flow that affected Montecito, Calif., in early January, 2018 was the result of a rare confluence of severe events. The Thomas Fire had been raging for weeks in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and an unusually strong winter storm dumped half an inch of rain in five minutes on the newly-charred hills above the suburban enclave. With the tough vegetation that holds the...

Previously, it has been impossible to capture the high-resolution images of nitrogenase, the only enzyme capable of reducing nitrogen into ammonia, during catalytic action. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of California San Diego report near-atomic-resolution snapshots of nitrogenase during catalysis using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM). The results were published in...

The crucial role of insects in the pollination of flowering plants is well known, but algal fertilization assisted by marine animals was hitherto deemed non-existent. A team led by a CNRS researcher from the Franco-Chilean Evolutionary Biology and Ecology of Algae research unit at Roscoff Marine Station has discovered that small crustaceans known as idoteas contribute to the reproductive cycle of...

Scientists at the University of Nottingham have made a major breakthrough in understanding how malaria parasites divide and transmit the disease, which could be a major step forwards in helping to prevent one of the biggest killer infections in the world.

Poll after poll shows Americans' trust in government and one another is historically low. Faith in institutions is abysmal and interpersonal confidence has worsened. Ratings of scientists have now fallen below where they were before the pandemic, according to the Pew Research Center. Confidence in Congress, the Supreme Court, newspapers and the criminal justice system has sunk to its lowest levels...

An "exceptional" marine heatwave is gripping the western Mediterranean with surface temperatures up to five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than average, according to experts contacted by AFP.

The first skeleton of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur to go under the hammer sold for $6.1 million at auction in New York Thursday, Sotheby's said.

Russia will withdraw from the International Space Station project after 2024 to focus on forming its own space station, the head of the Russian space agency said Tuesday.

A novel bioremediation technology for cleaning up per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, chemical pollutants that threaten human health and ecosystem sustainability, has been developed by Texas A&M AgriLife researchers. The material has potential for commercial application for disposing of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals."

University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Matthew Toohey (Ph.D.) and University of Bern researcher Dr. Michael Sigl (Ph.D.) were part of the research team that developed an updated, more accurate reconstruction of volcanic eruptions that can help scientists understand future climate risks.

The U.S. Forest Service team that arrived in the Santa Fe National Forest on April 6 had a plan. They would set a small fire and burn away accumulated brush that might fuel a more destructive blaze. Such controlled burns are a key tool in minimizing the risk of raging wildfires, and the Forest Service reported success in 99.84% of its prescribed fires.

Executives who regularly promote themselves on social media may have a leg up when it comes to landing high-paying job offers that help to advance their careers.

A permeable reactive barrier, or "PRB," is a wall constructed below ground to clean up contaminated groundwater. The wall is "permeable," which means that contaminated groundwater can flow through the PRB to be treated. The reactive materials that make up the wall either trap harmful contaminants or make them less harmful. The treated groundwater flows out the other side of the wall. PRB has...

A new copper coating that kills bacteria quicker and in greater amounts than current formulations could soon be available for hospitals and other high-traffic facilities.

Uncontrolled debris from a Chinese rocket could come crashing back to Earth as soon as Saturday, according to The Aerospace Corporation, a federally-funded space research center that tracks orbital debris reentry.

The North Pacific Blob, a marine heatwave that began in late 2013 and continued through 2015, was the largest and longest-lasting marine heatwave on record. A new study using data collected by elephant seals reveals that in addition to the well documented surface warming, deeper warm-water anomalies associated with the Blob were much more extensive than previously reported.

A new study in AGU's Geophysical Research Letters reports on the first detection of a large, distant earthquake in a network of balloon-bound pressure sensors in the stratosphere. The technique could one day be applied on Venus, whose hot, dense and corrosive atmosphere limits our ability to sense Venus-quakes from the planet's surface. The balloons could also be used on Earth in hard-to-reach...

New research by a team at Queen Mary University of London shows that bumblebees can modify their response to 'noxious' (painful) stimuli in a manner that is viewed in other animals as consistent with the ability to feel pain.

A trio of researchers at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission has shown promising evidence of deuterium forming into a metallic state at high pressure. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, Paul Loubeyre, Florent Occelli, and Paul Dumas describe the process they used to pressurize a deuterium sample and test it for a transition state.

New evidence from Antarctica shows that toxic 'fluorinated forever chemicals' have increased markedly in the remote environment in recent decades and scientists believe CFC-replacements could be among likely sources.

Invasions by amphibians and reptiles—when species spread beyond the regions they are native to—are estimated to have cost the global economy at least US$17.0 billion between 1986 and 2020, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The findings highlight the need for more effective policies to limit the spread of current and future amphibian and reptile invasions.