218 articles from THURSDAY 16.11.2023
Heat-tolerant coral may trade fast growth for resilience
Algae living within the soft tissue of coral supply much of the energy needed by their hosts, and some symbiotic algae help coral withstand warmer water better than others. In a recently published study led by the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, researchers have found that there was a tradeoff for corals dominated by the thermally sensitive algae—they have higher growth, but only in cooler...
Removing cesium: Solutions to a chemically complex problem
Fifty-six million gallons. That is the amount of radioactive tank waste left behind at the Hanford Site as a result of the secret government mission to provide the plutonium for the world's first atomic weapons and the Cold War that followed. Today, the Hanford Site is known as one of the world's most technically complex environmental challenges.
Relying too much on carbon dioxide removal is 'likely inconsistent with international law,' say researchers
Governments that over-rely on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to meet their climate targets may be breaching international law, says a new study.
Terrorism rather than pandemics more concerning for those with authoritarian views, analysis shows
Those with authoritarian political views are more likely to be concerned about terrorism and border control than a future new health pandemic, new research shows.
Study suggests corporate culture thwarts efforts to hire innovative candidates
Despite the rhetoric from CEOs about the importance of recruiting for innovation, entrepreneurs face an established hiring bias. According to a recent study in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, recruiters are 23 to 29% less likely to rank a former startup founder as a top candidate against their corporate executive peers. The authors demonstrated that recruiter characteristics can have a lot...
Experts urge reforms at FDA to rebuild trust
In a new report aimed at rebuilding trust in health care and science, leading experts urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to adopt five reforms to rebuild public trust amid controversies around vaccine approvals.
Forensic scientists help locate missing Second World War pilot after eight decades
On a summer's day in July 1943, a U.S. B-25 Mitchell bomber left Tunisia in North Africa on a mission to attack the Sciacca Aerodrome in Sicily, Italy.
Chemists tackle formation of natural aerosols
City dwellers have long had to contend with smog—that ugly haze that hangs over urban areas—as a result of emissions-producing human activities as diverse as manufacturing, mowing the lawn, driving cars, and even cooking.
Non-native diversity mirrors Earth's biodiversity: Study highlights potential for future waves of invasive species
Human trade and transport have led to the intentional and accidental introductions of non-native species outside of their natural range globally. These biological invasions can cause extinctions, cost trillions, and spread diseases. A study from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, now published in Global Ecology and Biogeography, has investigated how many of these non-native...
Stone reefs in Denmark show promise in promoting marine biodiversity
Just six months after DTU Aqua and local organizations established new reefs at Bredgrund near Sønderborg, researchers recorded 100 times as many cod as usual. That was good news.
Machine learning techniques improve X-ray materials analysis
Researchers of RIKEN at Japan's synchrotron radiation facility, SPring-8 and their collaborators have developed a faster and simpler way to carry out segmentation analysis, a vital process in materials science. The new method was published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods.
New study finds burning by humans and warming altered Andean ecosystems
Humans moved into the Andes about 15,000 years ago and their introduction of regular fire to the landscape created a new ecosystem, research published in Nature Communications finds.
Research in Lake Superior reveals how sulfur might have cycled in Earth's ancient oceans
Geochemist Alexandra Phillips has sulfur on her mind. The yellow element is a vital macronutrient, and she's trying to understand how it cycles through the environment. Specifically, she's curious about the sulfur cycle in Earth's ancient ocean, some 3 billion years ago.
Young disabled people experience institutional discrimination and stigmatization in mainstream English schools
New research by the University of Warwick has found that disabled young people in England experience institutional and structural discrimination in mainstream schools, with two thirds fewer achieving level 2 qualifications compared to non-disabled peers. Academics argue that these experiences are a key barrier to educational and occupational attainment.
Like the phoenix, Australia's giant birds of prey rise again from limestone caves
Australia's only vulture, and a fearsome extinct eagle, are among the earliest recorded birds of prey from the Pleistocene period more than 50,000 years ago—and now Flinders University researchers are bringing them to life again.
Study predicts to what extinct invasive quagga mussel will spread in affected lakes
The invasive quagga mussel has already gained a foothold in numerous bodies of water in Switzerland. For three affected Swiss lakes, a prediction of the extent to which the quagga mussel will continue to spread has now been made for the first time as part of the SeeWandel project, as a collaboration between researchers from the aquatic research institute Eawag, the universities of Geneva and...
Asia Pacific's waste disposal a burning question
As waste-to-energy incinerators—a mainstay of garbage disposal in economically advanced countries—find their way into the developing countries of the Asia Pacific, questions are being asked about their suitability for the region.
NOAA unveils new tool for exploring coral reef data
NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) launched a new data visualization tool today, which will provide free and easy-to-access information on the status of U.S. coral reefs. It is the first tool focusing on shallow tropical coral reef data to be hosted on the NOAA GeoPlatform, which is NOAA's central hub for geospatial data and tools.
Image: Italy's Mount Etna spews lava
One of the world's most active volcanoes, Mount Etna, erupted on Sunday—spewing lava and clouds of ash high over the Mediterranean island of Sicily. This image, captured on 13 November by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, has been processed using the mission's shortwave-infrared bands to show the lava flow at the time of acquisition.
Three-pronged approach discerns qualities of quantum spin liquids
In 1973, physicist Phil Anderson hypothesized that the quantum spin liquid, or QSL, state existed on some triangular lattices, but he lacked the tools to delve deeper. Fifty years later, a team led by researchers associated with the Quantum Science Center headquartered at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has confirmed the presence of QSL behavior in a new material with this...
The planet just had its warmest October on record
The planet added another record-breaking month to 2023, with October ranking as the warmest October in the 174-year global climate record.