Earth | Page 558 | Science Codex

NASA sees Tropical Storm 18W moving into Philippine sea

Tropical Depression 18W formed west of Guam and strengthened into a tropical storm. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite saw the storm heading into the Philippine Sea early on Sept. 12.

On Sept. 12 at 0346 UTC (Sept. 11 at 11:46 p.m. EDT) NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over Tropical Depression 18W and measured cloud-top temperatures. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an infrared image of the storm that revealed the location of coldest cloud top temperatures and strongest storms.

Chemists make strides to simplify drug design and synthesis

Rice, UT Southwestern, Brigham Young scientists develop one-step process for making precursors

HOUSTON - (Sept. 12, 2016) - A one-step solution to make nitrogen-laden molecular precursors for the preparation of drugs and other bioactive molecules has been discovered by researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWMC) and Brigham Young University.

Eastern forests use up nitrogen in soil during earlier, greener springs

FROSTBURG, MD (Sept. 12, 2016)--A warming climate is causing earlier springs and later autumns in eastern forests of the United States, lengthening the growing season for trees and potentially changing how forests function. Scientists from the Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science used a combination of satellite images and field measurements to show that trees have greater demand for soil nitrogen in years with early springs.

NIST reference material helps assure accurate measurement of tobacco product constituents

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a reference material with certified amounts of nicotine and two carcinogens to help ensure accurate testing of commercial tobacco filler--the blended tobacco found in cigarettes.

Prepared in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), NIST's new Standard Reference Material "SRM 3222 Cigarette Tobacco Filler" helps companies meet the federal requirement for reporting "harmful or potentially harmful constituents" in tobacco products and tobacco smoke.

Hippo teeth reveal environmental change

Loss of megaherbivores such as elephants and hippos can allow woody plants and non-grassy herbs and flowering plants to encroach on grasslands in African national parks, according to a new University of Utah study, published Sept. 12 in Scientific Reports. The study used isotopes in hippopotamus teeth to find a shift in the diet of hippos over the course of a decade in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park following widespread elephant poaching in the 1970s.

PPPL researchers successfully test device that analyzes components within a vacuum

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Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have successfully tested a new device that will lead to a better understanding of the interactions between ultrahot plasma contained within fusion facilities and the materials inside those facilities. The measurement tool, known as the Materials Analysis Particle Probe (MAPP), was built by a consortium that includes Princeton University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.).

Researchers synthesize atomically precise diamond-shaped nanoclusters of silver

A wide international collaboration involving researchers from four countries - China, Australia, Germany and Finland - have managed to synthesize and characterize two previously unknown, record-large silver nanoclusters of 136 and 374 silver atoms. These diamond-shaped nanoclusters (see Figure), consisting of a silver core of 2 to 3 nanometers and a protecting layer of silver atoms and organic thiol molecules, are the largest ones whose structure is now known to atomic precision. The research (1) was published in Nature Communications on 9 September 2016.

Electron beam microscope directly writes nanoscale features in liquid with metal ink

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sept. 9, 2016--Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are the first to harness a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to directly write tiny patterns in metallic "ink," forming features in liquid that are finer than half the width of a human hair.

The automated process is controlled by weaving a STEM instrument's electron beam through a liquid-filled cell to spur deposition of metal onto a silicon microchip. The patterns created are "nanoscale," or on the size scale of atoms or molecules.

What's the best way to remove perfluoroalkyls that threaten the water supply?

Elevated levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water can persist in water supplies for long periods and present an important health risk for millions of Americans, from hormone suppression to potentially cancer. A comprehensive review of the latest research on innovative and cost-effective ways to remove or destroy PFAS from drinking water, groundwater, and wastewater is published in Environmental Engineering Science.

Dammed if you do: Scientists recommend strategies to reduce environmental damage from dams

LOGAN, UTAH, USA - Dams around the world provide critical water supplies and hydropower to growing communities and hundreds of new dams are proposed for developing economies. Though viewed as sources of potential green energy, their construction also poses a significant environmental cost.

Scientists expect to calculate amount of fuel inside Earth by 2025

Earth requires fuel to drive plate tectonics, volcanoes and its magnetic field. Like a hybrid car, Earth taps two sources of energy to run its engine: primordial energy from assembling the planet and nuclear energy from the heat produced during natural radioactive decay. Scientists have developed numerous models to predict how much fuel remains inside Earth to drive its engines -- and estimates vary widely -- but the true amount remains unknown.

Study finds earthquakes can trigger near-instantaneous aftershocks on different faults

According to a new study by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, a large earthquake on one fault can trigger large aftershocks on separate faults within just a few minutes. These findings have important implications for earthquake hazard prone regions like California where ruptures on complex fault systems may cascade and lead to mega-earthquakes.

Forecasting climate change's effects on biodiversity hindered by lack of data

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An international group of biologists is calling for data collection on a global scale to improve forecasts of how climate change affects animals and plants.

Accurate model predictions can greatly aid efforts to protect biodiversity from disturbances such as climate change and urban sprawl by helping scientists and decision-makers better understand, anticipate and respond to threats that imperil species and ecosystems.

Induced climate change 'tug of war' keeps scientists guessing on storm tracks

The effects of man-made climate change can hamper scientific projections of how key global weather patterns will act in the future, a new study has revealed.

The pivotal study, carried out by a team of international researchers, has shown that 'multiple' environmental influences can stymie predictions of how mid-latitude storms could behave.

Cover crop mixtures boost agroecosystem services over monocultures

Planting a multi-species mixture of cover crops -- rather than a cover crop monoculture -- between cash crops, provides increased agroecosystem services, or multifunctionality, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.