Researchers discover a cause of rapid ice melting in Greenland
While conducting a study of Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory uncovered a previously unseen way in which the ice and ocean interact. The glaciologists said their findings could mean that the climate community has been vastly underestimating the magnitude of future sea level rise caused by polar ice...
Atmospheric research provides clear evidence of human-caused climate change signal associated with CO2 increases
New research provides clear evidence of a human "fingerprint" on climate change and shows that specific signals from human activities have altered the temperature structure of Earth's atmosphere.
The underrepresentation of women coaches in high-performance sports
In recent years, the popularity of professional women's sports has soared. We've seen the expansion of women's AFL, the creation of the women's Indian Premier League in cricket, as well as things like the 2023 FIFA women's world cup and the 2023 women's rugby league season added to the prime-time television schedule.
A new twist on chirality: Researchers extend the concept of directionality and propose a new class of materials
It is often desirable to restrict flows—whether of sound, electricity, or heat—to one direction, but naturally occurring systems almost never allow this. However, unidirectional flow can indeed be engineered under certain conditions, and the resulting systems are said to exhibit chiral behavior.
Fame-seeking mass shooters more likely to plan 'surprise' attacks, finds study
Mass shooters pursuing fame often plan their attacks as "surprises," carefully crafting them in ways that set them apart from previous incidents, which makes them uniquely challenging to prevent.
Maximizing extracellular vesicles: A new protocol on isolation and quantification to optimize patient care
It's a big step forward in using extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a diagnostic tool. Lead study author, J. Nathaniel Diehl, Ph.D., at the UNC School of Medicine, led research showing how a new protocol in handling extracellular vesicles can improve significant diagnostic and therapeutic potential in disease development.
Western Canada seeks urgent help to fight wildfires
Canada struggled on Monday to control wildfires that have forced thousands to flee, halted oil production and threaten to raze towns, with the western province of Alberta calling for federal help.
Researchers explore effect of Instagram, TikTok on psychological well-being
Instagram and TikTok are two of the fastest-growing social media outlets in the U.S., offering entertainment and connection to a world-wide community with the ease of a finger swipe. Despite their growing popularity, little research has focused on the association between the specific use of Instagram and TikTok and a person's psychological well-being.
Modeling study shows plastic can drift far away from its starting point as it sinks into the sea
Discarded or drifting in the ocean, plastic debris can accumulate on the water's surface, forming floating islands of garbage. Although it's harder to spot, researchers suspect a significant amount also sinks. In a new study in Environmental Science & Technology, one team used computer modeling to study how far bits of lightweight plastic travel when falling into the Mediterranean Sea. Their...
US agency plans deeper study of sea turtles, dredging threat
A U.S. agency has agreed to an in-depth environmental study into whether dredging a Georgia shipping channel in the spring and summer would threaten rare sea turtles nesting on nearby beaches—a review demanded by conservationists who sued to stop the project.
Virgin to launch commercial spaceflights in June
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic announced Monday that it is resuming flights with a mission this month, its first in nearly two years, and the launch of commercial trips in June.
Scientists develop gene silencing DNA enzyme that can target a single molecule
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have developed a DNA enzyme—or DNAzyme—that can distinguish between two RNA strands inside a cell and cut the disease-associated strand while leaving the healthy strand intact. This breakthrough "gene silencing" technology could revolutionize the development of DNAzymes for treating cancer, infectious diseases and neurological disorders.
Drug industry's carbon impact could be cut by half
In a first-of-its-kind analysis, Cornell researchers and partners at the Clinton Health Access Initiative found that pharmaceutical producers could reduce their environmental impact by roughly half by optimizing manufacturing processes and supply chain networks and by switching to renewable energy sources.
Research into bacteria may lead to new ways of treating infections, improving human health
New research from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is working towards understanding human infections and unlocking how bacteria "work together" to make these infections much more difficult to treat. Understanding this symbiotic relationship can lead to better ways to treat various ailments.
Cover crop management: Study finds trade-off between carbon benefits, crop yield
A study led by researchers at the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign quantifies the soil organic carbon (SOC) benefits from cover crops in maize-soybean rotations in Midwestern U.S. agroecosystems.
Viruses could reshuffle the carbon cycle in a warming world
Microbes play important roles in ecosystems, and these roles are changing with global warming. Scientists also now know that most types of microbes are infected by viruses, but they know relatively little about how these viral infections could change how microbes react to warming.
Research team explores the mechanism of tropical expansion under changing climate
Scientific evidence shows that the tropical belt around the middle of the globe is expanding. For years scientists have proposed different mechanisms that might explain this expansion. A team of researchers has now determined that the poleward advancing mid-latitude meridional temperature gradient plays a leading role in the tropical expansion.
Migrating birds set to risk their lives flying over Chicago, most dangerous city for migratory birds in North America
Migratory bird movement is in full swing, and experts are urging Chicagoans to turn off their lights at night to help protect the birds over the next few days from fatal window collisions.
Tropical fruits are vulnerable to climate change. Can we make them resilient in time?
Plants provide almost every calorie of food we eat. Grains like rice, wheat and corn make civilization possible. For millennia, farmers have bred grains, fruit and vegetable varieties to get larger harvests and plants better able to tolerate different climates.
Endangered Dupont's lark population declined by 66% after the storm Filomena
A study published in the journal Bird Conservation International warns of a decline of more than 66% in the population of the Dupont's lark (Chersophilus duponti) after the storm Filomena. This meteorological phenomenon was the biggest snowstorm to hit Spain in the last 50 years and was preceded by a week of extreme cold that left temperatures of between -5ºC and -15ºC in the affected areas and...
Smallest species shifting the fastest: Bird body size predicts rate of change in a warming world
Birds across the Americas are getting smaller and longer-winged as the world warms, and the smallest-bodied species are changing the fastest.
Thirsty on the moon? Just throw some regolith in the microwave
No matter where we go in the universe, we're going to need water. Thus far, human missions to Earth orbit and the moon have taken water with them. But while that works for short missions, it isn't practical in the long term. Water is heavy, and it would take far too much fuel to bring sufficient water to sustain long-term bases on the moon or Mars. So we'll have to use the water we can extract...
Galactic bubbles are more complex than imagined, researchers say
Astronomers have revealed new evidence about the properties of the giant bubbles of high-energy gas that extend far above and below the Milky Way galaxy's center.
Study uncovers toll of economic abuse on rural women
Blocked from pursuing their careers and left without any source of income. Isolated from friends, coworkers and community. Low credit scores or resumé gaps that dog them for years after the abuse.
Warmer climate could cause Puerto Rico's frogs to croak
The coqui frog is one of Puerto Rico's most iconic animals. It gets its name from its distinctive two-note call, "co-qui," which can be heard throughout the island every night. The males of the species produce these calls to mark their territory and ward away rivals, but scientists can also use them to study the changing climate.