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| PHYS.ORG,PHYS.ORG - Earth,PHYS.ORG - Technology,PHYS.ORG - Biology |
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Amazon reports strong 1Q results driven by its cloud-computing unit and Prime Video ad dollars - PHYS.ORG - Technology (May 1) |
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May 1 · Amazon on Tuesday reported strong results for the first quarter, driven by growth in its cloud-computing unit and new advertising dollars from its Prime Video streaming service.
The Seattle-based e-commerce giant said it brought in $143.31 billion in revenue in the first three months of this year, a 13% jump compared to the same period last year. Net income came out to $10.43 billion, or 98 cents per share. That soundly beat Wall Street analysts' expectations for 84 cents a share, according to FactSet.
"It was a good start to the year across the business, and you can see that in both our customer experience improvements and financial results," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said ... Read more ...
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April temperatures in Bangladesh hottest on record - PHYS.ORG - Earth (May 1) |
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May 1 · Bangladesh's weather bureau said Wednesday that last month was the hottest April on record, with the South Asian nation and much of the region still enduring a suffocating heat wave.
Extensive scientific research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
Punishing heat last month prompted Bangladesh's government to close schools across the country, keeping an estimated 32 million students at home.
"This year the heat wave covered around 80 percent of the country. We've not seen such unbroken and expansive heat waves before," Bangladesh Meteorological Department senior forecaster Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik told AFP. Read more ...
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Study says El Nino, not climate change, was key driver of low rainfall that snarled Panama Canal - PHYS.ORG - Earth (May 1) |
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May 1 · The climate phenomenon known as El Niño - and not climate change - was a key driver in low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal last year, scientists said Wednesday.
A team of international scientists found that El Niño - a natural warming of the central Pacific that changes weather worldwide - doubled the likelihood of the low precipitation Panama received during last year's rainy season. That dryness reduced water levels at the reservoir that feeds freshwater to the Panama Canal and provides drinking water for more than half of the Central American country.
Human-caused climate change was not a primary driver of the Central American country's unusually ... Read more ...
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New study looks at US Drought Monitor to see how it has reflected climate change since 2000 - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Though generated by experts and informed by data, it is in some ways a subjective interpretation of drought conditions. And it carries significant political and economic ramifications—the USDM informs state declarations of emergency, as well as drought relief payments issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDM classifies localities into six drought categories, ranging from "none" to "exceptional." Each category is based on thresholds of event rarity. Some weeks, the placid white representing normal conditions blankets much of the country; other weeks, splotchy maroon pockets of exceptional drought pop off the map like blistered burns.
In a study ... Read more ...
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'Bloodsicles', baths keep Philippine zoo animals cool as heat wave hits - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · A Philippine zoo is giving tigers frozen treats made of animal blood and preventing lions from mating during the hottest time of the day as a heat wave scorches the country.
Unusually hot weather has sent temperatures in the capital Manila to a record high in recent days and forced schools across the archipelago nation to suspend in-person classes.
As people flock to air-conditioned shopping malls and swimming pools for relief from the extreme heat, animals at Manila Zoo are also trying to cool off.
Preventing heat stroke, particularly among the big cats, was the "main priority", zoo veterinarian Dave Vinas told AFP on Tuesday when the mercury hit 37 degrees ... Read more ...
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A rare and little-known group of monkeys could help save Africa's tropical forests - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · At a time when hunting of wildlife and habitat loss are driving long-term changes to ecosystems, including stark wildlife population declines and greater vulnerability to climate change and zoonotic disease transmission, the scientists identified red colobus monkeys as key indicators of tropical forest health and flagships for local and international conservation initiatives.
Writing in the journal Conservation Letters, the authors focus on five priority action areas:
The above actions build on the Red Colobus Conservation Action Plan, initiated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group and the ... Read more ...
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A virus could help save billions of gallons of wastewater produced by fracking - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · In a new study published in the journal Water, researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have identified a novel means of treating the wastewater generated by oil and gas production: bacteriophages.
Ramón Antonio Sánchez, a doctoral candidate within UTEP's chemistry program, is the first author on the publication, detailing how bacteriophages, viruses that are often highly specific and lethal to a single species of bacteria, can be used as a rapid and cost-effective method to treat produced water on an industrial scale.
Sánchez said if the work is successful, it would give the oil and gas industry a means of treating, reusing and recycling ... Read more ...
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Abrupt permafrost thaw found to intensify warming effects on soil CO₂ emission - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · According to a recent study published in Nature Geoscience, scientists have found that soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are more sensitive to climate warming in permafrost-collapsed areas than in non-collapsed areas.
This study, based on field warming experiments combined with laboratory incubation of soils from a large-scale sampling, provides new insights about permafrost carbon–climate feedback in the context of future climate warming.
Warmer temperatures have led to rapid permafrost thawing in high-latitude and high-altitude permafrost regions. Abrupt permafrost thaw, known as thermokarst, occurs in approximately 20% of the northern permafrost region, but this ... Read more ...
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An AI model to reduce uncertainty in evapotranspiration prediction - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · ET includes evaporation from soil and open water pools such as lakes, rivers, and ponds, as well as transpiration from plant leaves. The difference between precipitation and ET indicates the water balance available for societal needs, including agricultural and industrial production. However, measuring ET is challenging. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign presents a computer model that uses artificial intelligence (AI) for ET prediction based on remote sensing estimates.
"Ground-based ET estimates capture the local fluxes of water transferred to the atmosphere but are limited in scale. In contrast, satellite data provide ET information on a global ... Read more ...
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Atmospheric 'teleconnections' sustain warm blobs in the northeast Pacific Ocean - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · The first warm patch discovered in the northeast Pacific Ocean was the "Blob" event of 2013–2016, followed by another warm blob in 2019–2020.
The Blob stretched from coastal Alaska to the Baja region of California, with sea surface temperatures as much as 6°C above normal. Vital fish stocks such as sockeye salmon and Pacific cod were impacted, and the event saw geographical shifts of a number of species, including phytoplankton, as well as the closures of important fisheries and mass strandings of marine mammals and seabirds. But some species increased in numbers, such as pyrosomes, bioluminescent colonies of millimeter-sized individuals and commonly called ... Read more ...
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Believing environmental damage is done by others can cause 'race to the bottom' - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Common-pool resources, such as forests, fisheries, and groundwater, need to be managed effectively to reduce over-harvesting and environmental damage. Researchers knew that strong boundaries around a community's common-pool resource could promote effective management, but they weren't exactly sure why.
The new research—in collaboration with mangrove-dependent communities in Tanzania—reveals that boundaries don't just keep others out, but also promote good conservation practices by community members.
Without effective boundaries, communities can be subject to theft from neighbors. The study reveals that if they then believe that this theft is causing ... Read more ...
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Big data reveals true climate impact of worldwide air travel - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · When countries signed the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty, high-income countries were required to report their aviation-related emissions. But 151 middle and lower income countries, including China and India, were not required to report these emissions, although they could do so voluntarily.
This matters because the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change relies on country reports of emissions during negotiations on country-specific emissions cuts.
"Our work fills the reporting gap, so that this can inform policy and hopefully improve future negotiations," says Jan Klenner, a Ph.D. candidate at NTNU's Industrial Ecology ... Read more ...
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Climate change lengthens, intensifies the blooming of holm oak and other Quercus species: Study - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · How does climate change affect pollen allergy? Relating the effects of global warming to variations in the blooming patterns of species of the genus Quercus in Andalusia was the objective of one of the latest efforts by the Systemic and Applied Botany research group at the University of Cordoba.
"We chose Quercus because it is the most representative tree in Andalusia in the natural environment, and it is an anemophilic tree (pollinated by the wind) found where there are very high concentrations of pollen in the atmosphere, so it is a good bioindicator to study the impact of climate change on blooming," said researcher Pura Alcázar, who co-authored the work with fellow ... Read more ...
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Clouds blanket the night side of the hot exoplanet WASP-43b - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Violent winds transport the searing hot air to the nightside, where it cools to 600°C, allowing clouds to form and blanket the entire hemisphere. These tempests impair chemical reactions so much that methane can barely form, even though it should be abundant under calmer conditions.
Hot Jupiters are extreme gas giant exoplanets that orbit their host stars in close proximity, leading to several exotic properties regarding temperature, density, composition, chemistry, and weather. With the advent of groundbreakingly sensitive telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have begun to study their atmospheres in great detail.
An international ... Read more ...
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Electric cars pile up at European ports as Chinese firms struggle to find buyers - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · However, Chinese cars are facing difficulties in finding buyers in Europe. Imported cars, many of which are Chinese electric vehicles, are piling up at European ports, with some spending up to 18 months in port car parks as manufacturers struggle to get them onto people's driveways.
Why is this, though? Chinese electric vehicles in particular are getting positive reviews. Having driven them myself, I can attest to them matching, or even exceeding, the well-known European brands in range, quality and technology.
But entering an established market as a challenger is a complex operation. Chinese makers will have to contend with buyer wariness, a lack of brand image, trade ... Read more ...
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Enceladus spills its guts through strike–slip motion - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · At Enceladus's south pole, a large number of jets spray icy particles out from a set of jagged, 150-kilometer-long faults—known as the tiger-stripe faults—and this ejected material coalesces above the moon's surface to form a plume. Samples of this plume material analyzed by NASA's Cassini mission suggests that the chemical conditions believed to be necessary for life may exist in the ocean deep beneath Enceladus's surface.
Now, new research led by graduate student Alexander Berne (MS '22), working with Mark Simons, the John W. and Herberta M. Miles Professor of Geophysics and director of the Brinson Exploration Hub at Caltech, uses a detailed geophysical model to ... Read more ...
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Engineered increase in mesophyll conductance improves photosynthetic efficiency in field trial - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · CO2 faces barriers as it moves through the leaf, including its own cell walls. Researchers from the Long Lab found that by increasing permeability and slightly reducing the thickness of cell walls, they could increase CO2 diffusion and uptake in a model crop.
"This is one of the few successful tests of concept showing that we can engineer an increase in mesophyll conductance and have it result in increased photosynthesis in the field," said Coralie Salesse-Smith, a postdoctoral researcher in Long Lab and lead author on a paper about the research, published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
"Theory shows us that increasing mesophyll conductance to increase ... Read more ...
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Exploiting disorder to harvest heat energy: The potentialities of 2D magnets for thermoelectric applications - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · However, despite more than 100 years of intense research, thermoelectric efficiencies are still lower than that of conventional heat engines, making thermoelectrics only suitable for niche applications.
That is why one of the main endeavors of scientists today is to find new strategies to improve this efficiency. Our latest article "Impact of spin-entropy on the thermoelectric properties of a 2D magnet," published in Nano Letters, demonstrates that a solution could lie in circuits based on two-dimensional (2D) magnetic layers.
Tuning the entropy in magnets
Thermoelectric properties are significantly influenced by entropy, which quantifies the disorder in a system. ... Read more ...
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Four myths about vertical farming debunked by an expert - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Typically, this soilless cultivation happens in huge greenhouses or warehouses, with plants stacked high on rows and rows of shelves. Parameters such as lighting, temperature and humidity can be controlled by computer systems, so vertical farming is sometimes called controlled environment agriculture.
There are three types of vertical farming. In hydroponics, plant roots are held in a liquid nutrient solution. In aeroponics, roots are exposed to the air and a nutrient-rich mist or spray is applied to the roots. In aquaponics, nutrients from fish farm waste replace some or all of the chemical fertilizers being delivered to plants through hydroponics.
There's huge scope to ... Read more ...
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G7 to phase out coal-fired power plants by mid-2030s - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · G7 ministers agreed a timeframe Tuesday for phasing out coal-fired power plants, setting as a goal the mid-2030s, in a move hailed as significant by some environmentalists but slammed as "too late" by others.
The Group of Seven two-day meeting in Turin was the first big political session since the world pledged at the UN's COP28 annual climate summit in Dubai in December to transition away from coal, oil and gas.
The G7 commits to "phase out existing unabated coal power generation in our energy systems during the first half of 2030s," the final statement from energy and climate ministers read.
However it left some wiggle room, saying nations could follow "a ... Read more ...
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Habitats much more vulnerable for nitrogen deposition than previously thought - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · A group of researchers, led by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), show the decrease of habitat quality in relation to an increasing nitrogen deposition. In an article in Environmental Pollution, they claim the critical load for nitrogen depositions is too high.
"We already knew the critical loads for nitrogen deposition for habitat types," principal investigator Wieger Wamelink explains, "but we did not know what happens with the vegetation beyond that critical load. Would the decline be quick or more gradually?"
As it turns out it depends on the habitat type how quick the decline of specific plant species is, some have a very rapid decline, while others have a more ... Read more ...
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How the plant world shapes the climate cycle - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Over the course of hundreds of millions of years, Earth has lived through a series of climatic shifts, shaping the planet as we know it today. Past changes in CO2 levels and temperature can help us understand the planet's response to global warming today.
As part of a growing field called biogeodynamics, researchers are racing to understand how such changes have impacted life on the planet in the past. "We're trying to understand processes relevant to the present using the geological past," says Julian Rogger, who focuses on biogeodynamics at the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich.
Rogger is fascinated by the interplay of plant life and climate. So far our planet is ... Read more ...
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Making seagrass restoration more resistant to rising temperatures using generalist grasses - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Rising global temperatures combined with centuries of humans working within our seascapes has reshaped coastal ecosystems. Rebuilding or restoring coastal habitat is becoming a top priority for natural resource conservation and as an insurance policy for the provision of critical services including shoreline protection, clean water, and seafood. Yet, successful habitat restoration is still rare, and most efforts are unsustainably expensive and labor intensive.
"Any gardener knows the difficulty in mastering how to grow a plant from seed or a clipping, and the same goes for restoration practitioners using habitat-forming species - discovering the perfect conditions," says Enie ... Read more ...
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Measuring your food waste for six weeks can change your habits, according to new study - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · The fact that there is often little or no conscious thought involved in routine daily food preparation means that ingredients that must be used before they expire are often left to go off.
Every year, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally. This is the equivalent of one-third of all the food produced for human consumption.
In the UK alone, households wasted 6.4 million tons of food between 2021 and 2022. Accounting for the fossil energy used to grow and harvest that food, as well as the greenhouse gases released when it rots in fields or landfills, this waste equates to 18 million tons of CO₂ emissions.
Food waste harms the environment, but reducing how ... Read more ...
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New model estimates cultivable space at photovoltaic plants for combining agricultural and photovoltaic production - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · In Alcarras de Carla Simón, the Solé family glimpses the end of its traditional and not-very-profitable peach plantation due to the arrival of solar panels. The conflict between land use for sustainable energy vs. agricultural production is a hot topic that is reflected in cultural products, and also in research.
Agrivoltaics, which is defined as the shared use of land for agricultural and photovoltaic production, is presented as a strategy to resolve this conflict, and the TEP215-Physics for Renewable Energies research group at the University of Cordoba seeks to promote these types of plants through its research.
In one of their latest works, they have ... Read more ...
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New sodium-ion battery tech boosts green energy storage affordability - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · The rising demand for renewable energy underscores the need for effective and affordable energy-storage solutions. Solid-state sodium batteries (SSSBs) offer notable cost and safety advantages, especially for large-scale grid applications.
However, their widespread adoption is hindered by challenges in achieving high ionic conductivity in solid-state electrolytes, a crucial factor for efficient energy transfer and storage, and a key focus in advanced battery technology research.
A recent study, published in the journal eScience, introduces a novel solid-state electrolyte, Na4.92Y0.92Zr0.08Si4O12 (NYZS), demonstrating exceptional ionic conductivity and electrochemical ... Read more ...
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Only four G20 countries set for positive ecological footprint by 2050, study finds - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · In a study led by Professor Lenny Koh from Sheffield's Energy Institute and published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers have revealed that only Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Russia are expected to have a positive impact on the environment by 2050—the milestone for net zero.
The study also presents a new method for predicting ecological impacts using AI, which could be more accurate at predicting future trends.
This analysis used key data for each G20 nation, such as consumption per capita, biocapacity per capita, area per capita, GDP per capita, electricity use per capita, emissions per capita, and fossil fuel consumption per capita. These variables ... Read more ...
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Report finds e-bike incentives are worth the investment - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Are new cycling habits sustainable? Who benefits most from these incentives? And are they worth the cost?
The Saanich program, available in 2021 and 2022, offered three different rebates to offset the cost of new e-bikes, depending on one's income. The basic rebate amounted to $350, while the lowest-income households could receive up to $1,600.
Results showed a significant surge in e-bike adoption, with 93% of users being new to e-bikes, and 60% new to cycling altogether.
One year after purchase, users continued to be satisfied with their e-bikes, integrating them into their routines for three to four days a week. They reduced weekly car travel by an average of 48 ... Read more ...
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Research team improves voltage of aqueous rechargeable batteries in the quest for safer, cheaper options - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Professor Sun said aqueous batteries had been used for more than a hundred years, mainly as non-rechargeable batteries.
"Improving the low voltage of rechargeable aqueous batteries is one of the biggest hurdles facing their wide-spread implementation for many uses," Professor Sun said.
"In common rechargeable batteries, organic electrolytes are used to fill the space between the anode and cathode, which are expensive, and most importantly, highly flammable.
"The use of aqueous electrolytes could address the safety issue of Lithium-ion batteries, as the aqueous electrolyte is much cheaper and safer.
"But the use of aqueous electrolyte in rechargeable batteries ... Read more ...
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Researchers develop improved power pole insulation materials to prevent power pole-top fires - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Pole-top fires pose significant challenges to power providers and communities worldwide. In March, pole-top fires cut power from 40,000 homes and businesses in Perth.
The 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements found that power outages experienced by 280,000 customers from various energy providers during Black Summer fires were mainly triggered by events involving insulators and poles.
RMIT University Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Tariq Nazir said these fires can occur when consecutive hot, dry and windy days are followed by damp and misty conditions.
"Dust and pollution builds up on power-line insulators, which enables ... Read more ...
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Researchers reveal mechanisms of soil organic carbon accumulation in acidified forest soils - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Based on a long-term simulated acid addition experiment in Dinghushan, Guangdong Province, researchers from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a study on the mechanism of SOC accumulation and stabilization in monsoon evergreen broadleaf forests under acid addition treatment.
They found that in terms of carbon composition, acid addition significantly increased the accumulation of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC). Their results were published in Plant and Soil.
According to the researchers, in terms of carbon sources, acid addition significantly reduced the accumulation of microbial ... Read more ...
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Researchers reveal water-assisted oxidative redispersion of metal nanoparticles - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · In addition, most support surfaces, such as γ-Al2O3, SiO2, and CeO2, could undergo hydroxylation in a moist atmosphere to form abundant surface OH groups that captured migrating Cu species.
The "push" (migration) and "pull" (anchoring) effects of gaseous H2O facilitated the structural transformation of Cu species from Cu nanoparticles to Cu single atoms at RT, thereby enhancing their catalytic activity in the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) and preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO-PROX) reaction.
This study highlighted the significant role of H2O in the dynamic structural evolution of supported metal nanocatalysts and developed a simple strategy for the ... Read more ...
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Samsung says Q1 operating profits soar nearly tenfold on-year - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that its first-quarter operating profits had risen nearly tenfold year-on-year amid recovering chip prices and growing demand, notably for generative AI.
The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
"Operating profit increased to KRW 6.61 trillion ($4.85 billion) as the Memory Business returned to profit by addressing demand for high value-added products," it said in a statement.
Strong smartphone sales, higher prices for semiconductors plus a focus on high-value-added products including HBM ... Read more ...
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Scientists show that ancient village adapted to drought, rising seas - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Previously, archaeologists believed that this abrupt shift in global climate, called the 8.2ka event, may have led to the widespread abandonment of coastal settlements in the southern Levant. In a recent study published in the journal Antiquity, researchers at UC San Diego, the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University share new evidence suggesting at least one village formerly thought abandoned not only remained occupied, but thrived throughout this period.
"This [study] helped fill a gap in our understanding of the early settlement of the Eastern Mediterranean coastline," said Thomas Levy, a co-author on the paper, co-director of the Center for Cyber-Archaeology and ... Read more ...
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Should chatbots chime in on climate change? Study explore potential of AI platforms for climate literacy - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · "I think what we found is that it's OK to use artificial intelligence, you just have to be careful and you can't take it word-for-word," said Gina Girgente, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in geography last spring. "It's definitely not a foolproof method."
Girgente was part of an interdisciplinary research team that posed questions about three climate change-related hazards—tropical storms, floods, and droughts—in 191 countries to both free and paid versions of ChatGPT. Developed by OpenAI Inc., ChatGPT is a large-language model designed to understand questions and generate text responses based on requests from users.
The group then compared the ... Read more ...
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Studies on Hainan Island rubber plantations reveal secrets of soil - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Their series of studies, conducted across Hainan Island, focused on rubber plantations—a key economic tree species in the region. The results, published in three separate journals, shed light on the complex interplay between parent material, microbes, and soil processes.
In their first study published in Geoderma Regional, the researchers showed how the underlying rock layer, known as parent material, affects the balance of key nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the soil. They found that basaltic soils, formed from volcanic rock, had a higher phosphorus content but lower nitrogen levels than marine sedimentary soils.
This imbalance suggests that ... Read more ...
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Study reveals crucial role of invertebrates as eco-custodians in global forest litter decomposition - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · The study was recently published in Ecology Letters, and the results are imperative for preserving healthy ecosystems and conserving invertebrates in the wake of widespread environmental change.
Litter decomposition is a crucial process in carbon cycling and nutrient turnover. Microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, are widely considered the most important decomposers in nature. However, soil invertebrates contribute a large proportion of decomposing and nutrient turnover and are therefore important for functioning and healthy ecosystems.
Most previous studies on decomposition and nutrient turnover are conducted in temperate regions like Europe and North America, resulting ... Read more ...
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Study sheds new light on how Scotland's beavers interact with the environment - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · This could diversify woodland structure into a mix of short and tall tree stems, which ought to boost biodiversity, according to researchers in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
Scientists compared the number of shoots on beaver-felled trees to standing trees and collected 156 shoots with four different combinations of beaver and deer browsing to compare their nutrient levels and physical characteristics.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in Scotland about four centuries ago. A formal multi-agency program of reintroduction involving experts at the University of Stirling and the study partners—the first of its kind for a mammal species anywhere in Britain—began ... Read more ...
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Study shows climate change and mercury pollution stressed plants for millions of years - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Extreme climate change, from the release of carbon dioxide, degradation of the ozone layer due to the injection of damaging chemicals, and the emissions of toxic pollutants are all seen as contributing factors. One toxic element stands out: mercury. As one of the most toxic elements on Earth, Hg is a metal that is emitted from volcanoes in gaseous form and thus has the capacity to spread worldwide.
A new study in Nature Communications adds new compelling evidence for the combined effects of global warming and widespread mercury pollution that continued to stress plants long after volcanic activity had ceased.
An international team of Dutch, Chinese, Danish, British, and ... Read more ...
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Tesla to cut hundreds more jobs in Musk cost push: Report - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Tesla plans hundreds of additional job cuts beyond a recent company-wide layoff as it cracks down on costs in a tough electric vehicle market, according to a US media report.
Elon Musk's EV company, which moved earlier this month to cut more than 10 percent of its 140,000 employees, will disband two departments and lay off most of the employees from the groups, reported the Information late Monday.
The online technology publication quoted from a Musk email in which he vowed to be "absolutely hard core about headcount and cost reduction."
Musk will seek to oust any executive "who retains more than three people who don't obviously pass the excellent, necessary and ... Read more ...
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