146 articles from TUESDAY 14.2.2023
Snow algae: Investigating how algal blooms impact mountain snowpack
Scott Hotaling, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Watershed Sciences in the Quinney College of Natural Resources, is exploring how the watermelon-tinted blooms of snow algae impact mountain snowpack—where they come from, what triggers a bloom, and what factors influence the size, scale and magnitude of snow algal blooms.
Could solar geoengineering cool the planet? U.S. gets serious about finding out
Any work on solar geoengineering—the notion of artificially making the atmosphere more reflective to cool an overheated planet—is fraught with controversy. Last year, for example,
a tech entrepreneur
claimed he launched two weather balloons from Baja California into the stratosphere, where they may have released a puff of sulfur dioxide that gave rise to a...
Plasmid-host manipulation discovery challenges biology textbooks
Bacteria can pass genetic information among themselves to gain an advantage over competitors in their environment.
How does a drying Great Salt Lake affect carbon cycling?
As water levels at the lake continue to decline, the complex natural systems the lake supports are shifting, too. Ecohydrologist Erin Rivers from the Quinney College of Natural Resources is investigating how shifting water levels at the Great Salt Lake are altering the way it captures and stores carbon.
New study of continental margins could provide better understanding on the way to a carbon-neutral economy
Pangaea was the name Alfred Wegener gave to the supercontinent that existed on Earth 250 million years ago. Over the course of many millions of years, this supercontinent broke into different pieces, which became the landmasses we see on the globe today. Extensional forces on the tectonic plates causes continents to break apart—as Pangaea once did—creating new ocean basins. Large parts of...
Scientists find world's oldest European hedgehog
The world's oldest scientifically-confirmed European hedgehog has been found in Denmark by a citizen science project involving hundreds of volunteers. The hedgehog lived for 16 years, 7 years longer than the previous record holder.
Organizations should change cultures to support excellence and dismantle barriers created by systemic racism: Report
To increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEMM fields, higher education institutions and STEMM organizations should go beyond a focus on simply increasing the numeric participation of minoritized racial and ethnic groups and act to change their organizational cultures and environments, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
7 new spider species discovered in caves in Israel
In a new study conducted by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and University of Madison-Wisconsin, seven new species of funnel web spiders (Agelenidae, Tegenaria), unique to caves in Israel, were discovered. These species join a large number of invertebrates recently found in Israeli caves that are new to science.
Complex subsurface of Mars imaged by Chinese rover Zhurong
Ground-penetrating radar from China's Martian rover Zhurong reveals shallow impact craters and other geologic structures in the top five meters of the Red Planet's surface. The images of the Martian subsurface are presented in a paper published in Geology.
Securing supply chains with quantum computing
The Russo-Ukrainian conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic have shown how vulnerable global supply chains can be. International events can disrupt manufacturing, delay shipping, induce panic buying and send energy costs soaring.
U.S. scientific leaders need to address structural racism, report urges
Leaders in the U.S. scientific community must dismantle the power structures that lead to racial inequities within their organizations and create an environment in which everyone feels supported,
says a report released today by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
. The 359-page report includes 12 recommendations for leaders who want to foster...
Securing supply chains with quantum computing
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
New research in quantum computing is moving science closer to being able to overcome supply-chain challenges and restore global security during future periods of unrest.
Snakes can hear more than you think
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
A new study has found that as well as ground vibrations, snakes can hear and react to airborne sound.
How to make hydrogen straight from seawater -- no desalination required
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Researchers have developed a cheaper and more energy-efficient way to make hydrogen directly from seawater, in a critical step towards a truly viable green hydrogen industry. The new method splits the seawater directly into hydrogen and oxygen -- skipping the need for desalination and its associated cost, energy consumption and carbon emissions.
Whale warning as clock ticks towards deep-sea mining
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Seabed mining could soon begin in the deep ocean -- but the potential impact on animals including whales is unknown, researchers have warned.
Antibiotic consumption is currently not the main driver of aminoglycoside resistance spread, study suggests
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
The spread of antibiotic resistance, where infectious bacteria are able to defeat the drugs intended to kill them, may not be primarily driven by antibiotic consumption, according to a new study.
Oral bacteria may increase heart disease risk
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Infection with a bacterium that causes gum disease and bad breath may increase the risk of heart disease.
When the light is neither 'on' nor 'off' in the nanoworld
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Scientists detect the quantum properties of collective optical-electronic oscillations on the nanoscale. The results could contribute to the development of novel computer chips.
Four classes of planetary systems
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Astronomers have long been aware that planetary systems are not necessarily structured like our solar system. Researchers have now shown that there are in fact four types of planetary systems.
Upsurge in rocket launches could impact the ozone layer
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Researchers have summarized the threats that future rocket launches would pose to Earth's protective ozone layer.
Kangaroo fecal microbes could reduce methane from cows
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:40
Baby kangaroo feces might help provide an unlikely solution to the environmental problem of cow-produced methane. A microbial culture developed from the kangaroo feces inhibited methane production in a cow stomach simulator. After researchers added the baby kangaroo culture and a known methane inhibitor to the simulated stomach, it produced acetic acid instead of methane. Unlike methane, which...
Bacteria communicate like us -- and we could use this to help address antibiotic resistance
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:39
Like the neurons firing in human brains, bacteria use electricity to communicate and respond to environmental cues. Now, researchers have discovered a way to control this electrical signalling in bacteria, to better understand resistance to antibiotics.
Rats trade initial rewards for long-term learning opportunities
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:39
Scientists have provided evidence for the cognitive control of learning in rats, showing they can estimate the long-term value of learning and adapt their decision-making strategy to take advantage of learning opportunities.
New technique maps large-scale impacts of fire-induced permafrost thaw in Alaska
- ScienceDaily
- 23/2/14 21:39
Researchers have developed a machine learning-based ensemble approach to quantify fire-induced thaw settlement across the entire Tanana Flats in Alaska, which encompasses more than 3 million acres. They linked airborne repeat lidar data to time-series Landsat products (satellite images) to delineate thaw settlement patterns across six large fires that have occurred since 2000. The six fires...