Diatoms — unicellular organisms — have long been known to science, but their overwhelming appetite for nitrate is a new discovery made in a global survey. Nitrate is a nutrient, widely used as fertilizer in agriculture, and today, nitrate concentrations in Earths aquatic systems are a lot higher than in pre-industrial times. – There is … Read more
A method to convert a commonly thrown-away plastic to a resin used in 3D-printing could allow for making better use of plastic waste. A team of Washington State University researchers developed a simple and efficient way to convert polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-based plastic used in products such as filament, plastic silverware and food packaging … Read more
Steel rusts by water and air on the Earth’s surface. But what about deep inside the Earth’s interior? The Earth’s core is the largest carbon storage on Earth — roughly 90% is buried there. Scientists have shown that the oceanic crust that sits on top of tectonic plates and falls into the interior, through subduction, … Read more
Understanding how forests are responding to climate change is critical to planning effective forest management and climate policy. A new study out today in the first issue of Environmental Research: Ecology, published by IOP Publishing, assessed effects of past and current climate variability on global forest productivity. The work highlights sensitive regions where forests may … Read more
Lehigh University and Bentley University health economics researchers have published the first study to confirm a causal relationship between lead-in-water and adverse fetal health outcomes. Although many studies have found a correlation between lead exposure and health, a causal link had been lacking in the literature — until now. The study has recently been published … Read more
As any gardener or farmer can tell you, nitrogen and phosphorus are chemical elements found in soils and fertilizers that plants need to grow. They also know different ratios of nitrogen and phosphorus are ideal or detrimental for different types of plants and crops. Nitrogen and phosphorus also play a powerful role in lakes and … Read more
A sound scientific basis exists for climate liability claims between individual countries, according to a Dartmouth study. The study is the first to assess the economic impacts that individual countries have caused to other countries through their cumulative national-level contributions to global warming. The research draws direct connections between national emissions of heat-trapping gases to … Read more
Plants protect themselves from environmental hazards like insects, drought and heat by producing salicylic acid, also known as aspirin. A new understanding of this process may help plants survive increasing stress caused by climate change. UC Riverside scientists recently published a seminal paper in the journal Science Advances reporting how plants regulate the production of … Read more
The amount of carbon stored by microscopic plankton will increase in the coming century, predict researchers at the University of Bristol and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC). Using the latest IPCC models (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the team expects the ‘Biological Pump’ — a process where microscopic plants, often called phytoplankton, take up carbon … Read more
COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. – How hot is it in the South? It’s so hot that the birds are panting. Kimberly Morrise captured a video of birds struggling to breathe on Friday as dangerously hot conditions with heat index values topped 110 degrees in Collierville, Tennessee. Birds don’t sweat, but they have several ways to cool down. … Read more