146 articles from TUESDAY 9.5.2023
'Regenerative agriculture' is all the rage—but it's not going to fix our food system, says researcher
Decades of industrial agriculture have caused environmental and social damage across the globe. Soils have deteriorated and plant and animal species are disappearing. Landscapes are degraded and small-scale farmers are struggling. It's little wonder we're looking for more sustainable and just ways of growing food and fiber.
Scientists streamline a widely used chemical reaction, creating new manufacturing opportunities
A team of scientists from the University of Ottawa has developed an innovative technique to manufacture complex chemical structures from easily accessible substrates, making it one of the simplest and most practical methods for converting alcohols into their arylated equivalents.
Can lions coexist with cattle in Africa?
Protecting lions and the interests of cattle producers in Kenya is a difficult balancing act. In a recent Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution article, Dr. Laurence G Frank, a researcher at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia, Kenya, explored how protecting livestock can help protect endangered lions.
Study: Spanish courts hand down milder sentences for rapes if they are committed by the victim's partner or ex-partner
Just four years ago, the Spanish Supreme Court pointed out in a ruling that there is no such thing as a "conjugal debt." In other words, a woman is not obliged to satisfy her husband's sexual needs. It may come as a surprise that this point still needs to be made, but the statistics speak for themselves. According to a national survey carried out in 2019, 7.5% of Spanish women over 16 years old...
Water warming study shows unexpected impact on fish size
The theory that aquatic animals such as fish will shrink due to global warming has been called into question by a study published today in eLife.
Study: No need for a leaky mode at the picometer level for microtapers
The precision of obtaining abundant light-matter-interact information with a snapshot measurement makes optical spectroscopy indispensable for modern industries and scientific research. The miniaturization of traditionally bulky spectrometers has been strongly motivated by the vast applications, including bio/medical sensing, material analysis, optical communication, and light source...
The impact of thermal drawdown-induced alterations in rock thermal properties on heat recovery
Geothermal energy, found in subsurface hot dry rocks, is a viable option instead of fossil fuels. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) enable us to use the plentiful amounts of energy in the hot rocks. The optimization and risk management of this process necessitate the accurate predictions of long-term thermal performance under different scenarios, which are usually done through numerical modeling.
Re‐examining the underground connections between trees
Fungal networks interconnecting trees in a forest is a key factor that determines the nature of forests and their response to climate change. These networks have also been viewed as a means for trees to help their offspring and other tree-friends, according to the increasingly popular "mother tree hypothesis." An international group of researchers re-examined the evidence for and against this...
Fossil pollen helps us understand changes in Asia´s ecosystem over the last 12,000 years
By using a unique set of data researchers at the University of Bergen show that vegetation change in Asia during the last 12,000 years for the most part has been heterogeneous across space and time. But during the recent millennia vegetation on the continent has progressively been turning more homogeneous as result of human activity during the mid-to-late Holocene.
People of color are so used to discrimination in stores they don't always notice bad customer service, finds research
People from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups tend to rate poor customer service less negatively than white people do, according to new peer-reviewed research we co-authored.
LISA will be a remarkable gravitational-wave observatory, but there's a way to make it 100 times more powerful
The first-time detection of Gravitational Waves (GW) by researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015 triggered a revolution in astronomy. This phenomenon consists of ripples in spacetime caused by the merger of massive objects and was predicted a century prior by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. In the coming years, this burgeoning field will...
HECS for farmers? Nature repair loans could help biodiversity recover—and boost farm productivity
Almost three billion hectares of farmland is in poor condition worldwide—an area the size of Russia. Biodiversity is in freefall. Extinctions are rising. Wild animal populations have fallen almost 70% since 1970.
New method uses engineered bacteria and AI to sense and record environmental signals
Researchers in Biomedical Engineering Professor Tal Danino's lab were brainstorming several years ago about how they could engineer and apply naturally-pattern-forming bacteria. There are many bacteria species, such as Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), that self-organize into defined patterns on solid surfaces that are visible to the naked eye.
Some of the first humans in the Americas came from China, study finds
New genetics study finds some of the first arrivals came during the last ice age, and shortly after, in two distinct migrationsSome of the first humans to arrive in the Americas included people from what is now China, who arrived in two distinct migrations during and after the last ice age, a new genetics study has found.“Our findings indicate that besides the previously indicated ancestral...
Perfect perfume or eau de cat's bum? Why scents smell different and four fragrance tips
Mother's Day is coming up in Australia and that means a surge in perfume sales. Of course, scents are purchased year-round and not just for mothers. Fragrance sales in Australia will amount to over A$1 billion this year.
Why rural Canadians need public transit just as urgently as suburbanites
Transportation within and between Canadian communities is frustrating at best. At worst it's impossible.
Come pests, frost or fire: How the Swiss are arming their wines against climate change
Climate change is increasingly felt globally, and the wine industry is no exception. In vineyards, global heating is synonymous with increased frost and hail, droughts, fires and disease.
For better or worse, your dog's behaviors can impact your quality of life
I became interested in research about dogs because of my close connection with my first pet Pantro, a friendly and energetic cocker spaniel. Pantro was the perfect fit for me, for being great company for long walks while also being calm and independent when left alone. However, his behavioral issues were challenging on several occasions.
Viewpoint: Clothes moths—these destructive, difficult-to-eradicate and dull-looking pests are worthy of admiration
Every day, I come into the lab to check the moth jar. The jar, which previously housed a liter of honey, now contains a multitude of small golden moths and their wriggly caterpillar offspring.
Flooding in Nigeria is on the rise: Good forecasts, drains and risk maps are urgently needed
Nigeria is one of the most flood-prone countries in west Africa. Many areas experience annual flooding. This happens during heavy rainfall and one of the reasons is poor drainage systems.
These four challenges will shape the next farm bill, and how the US eats
For the 20th time since 1933, Congress is writing a multiyear farm bill that will shape what kind of food U.S. farmers grow, how they raise it and how it gets to consumers. These measures are large, complex and expensive: The next farm bill is projected to cost taxpayers US$1.5 trillion over 10 years.
First UK baby with DNA from three people born after new IVF procedure
Exclusive: Mitochondrial donation treatment aims to prevent children from inheriting incurable diseasesThe first UK baby created with DNA from three people has been born after doctors performed a groundbreaking IVF procedure that aims to prevent children from inheriting incurable diseases.The technique, known as mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT), uses tissue from the eggs of healthy female...
Studies reveal educators' discretions may contribute to racial disparities in exclusionary discipline
Two recent studies indicate that school-level factors play a considerable role in racial disparities in school discipline. The first study, conducted primarily through a series of interviews, reveals disciplinary tensions between district leaders, school administrators, and teachers regarding disciplinary philosophy as well as discretion and accountability in the disciplinary referral process.