3,027 articles from FEBRUARY 2023

Wastewater sector emits nearly twice as much methane as previously thought

Municipal wastewater treatment plants emit nearly double the amount of methane into the atmosphere than scientists previously believed, according to new research from Princeton University. And since methane warms the planet over 80 times more powerfully than carbon dioxide over 20 years, that could be a big problem.

People spend 1/6th of their lifetimes enhancing their appearance, says study

An international team including HSE researchers has conducted the largest ever cross-cultural study of appearance-enhancing behaviors. They have found that people worldwide spend an average of four hours a day on enhancing their beauty. Caring for one's appearance does not depend on gender, and older people worry as much about looking their best as the young do. The strongest predictor of...

Social media provides space for 'digital cosmopolitanism,' argue researchers

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have repeatedly been the subject of negative news coverage. As a result, the positive aspects associated with digital platforms have been overlooked. In light of this, a recent study has explored the social media activity of a carefully selected group of individuals who use the microblogging platform Twitter.

Passage of laws preempting local action on transgender rights and race and racism in schools accelerates since 2019

The pace of states using preemption to control local authority has quickened and expanded in the United States around issues related to rights of student athletes who are transgender, and the ways race and racism may be taught in US classrooms, according to new data capturing preemption across 15 domains published today by the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research with the...

Framework structure with nanoscopic insulation enables components for soft robotics and flexible electronics

Classical robots, such as those used for manufacturing, can lift heavy loads and repeat automated processes precisely. But they are too rigid and bulky for delicate work and interaction with humans. The research field of soft robotics works on the development of robots made of soft, organic materials and flexible technical components. Materials researchers at Kiel University have now developed a...

Defect engineering for advanced electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen-containing molecules

The nitrogen cycle, one of the most important biochemical cycles in all ecosystems, plays a key role in human survival and development. It describes the interconversion process between elementary nitrogen substances and nitrogen-containing compounds in nature. Undoubtedly, the redox reactions between these nitrogen-containing molecules maintain the balance of the nitrogen cycle. However, over the...

Shark from the Jurassic period was already highly evolved

Cartilaginous fish have changed much more in the course of their evolutionary history than previously believed. Evidence for this thesis has been provided by new fossils of a ray-like shark, Protospinax annectans, which demonstrate that sharks were already highly evolved in the Late Jurassic. This is the result of a recent study by an international research group led by paleobiologist Patrick L....