Earth | Page 560 | Science Codex

Aerosol emissions in East Asia driven by consumption in developed countries

Much of the influence on climate from air pollution in East Asia is driven by consumption in the developed countries of Western Europe and North America, according to research co-led by McGill University atmospheric scientist Yi Huang.

In a paper published online this week in Nature Geoscience, Huang and colleagues from China, the U.S. and U.K. report that international trade shifts the climate impacts of aerosols -- solid or liquid particles suspended in air -- from net consuming countries to net producing countries.

New breed of optical soliton wave discovered

Applied scientists led by Caltech's Kerry Vahala have discovered a new type of optical soliton wave that travels in the wake of other soliton waves, hitching a ride on and feeding off of the energy of the other wave.

Pushing a parasite from land to sea

Coastal waters near heavy human development are more likely to receive land-based "pathogen pollution," which can include viruses, bacteria and parasites, according to a recent study from the University of California, Davis.

The study said higher levels of rainfall and development increase the risk of disease-causing organisms flowing to the ocean.

Scientists discover what extraordinary compounds may be hidden inside Jupiter and Neptune

Using computer modeling, chemists from MIPT and Skoltech (the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology) have found out which molecules may be present in the interiors of Uranus, Neptune, and the icy satellites of the giant planets. The scientists discovered that at high pressures, which are typical for the interiors of such planets, exotic molecular and polymeric compounds are formed. These compounds include carbonic acid and orthocarbonic acid, the latter also known as 'Hitler's Acid'. The results of the study have been published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports.

Location matters in the self-assembly of nanoclusters

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 6, 2016 -- Scientists at Iowa State University have developed a new formulation that helps to explain the self-assembly of atoms into nanoclusters and to advance the scientific understanding of related nanotechnologies. Their research offers a theoretical framework to explain the relationship between the distribution of "capture zones," the regions that surround the nanoscale "islands" formed by deposition on surfaces, and the underlying nucleation or formation process.

Water and light 'flow' inspire ultrasensitive optical microfiber coupler sensor

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 6, 2016 -- When a river narrows or two rivers run into each other and merge, the water flow's speed increases and it becomes much stronger. Water flow and light flow are similar in many ways, and this inspired a group of researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to explore whether light flow within a waveguide -- a linear structure that transports electromagnetic waves between endpoints -- behaves in the same manner.

Fish 'biowaste' converted to piezoelectric energy harvesters

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 6, 2016 -- Large quantities of fish are consumed in India on a daily basis, which generates a huge amount of fish "biowaste" materials. In an attempt to do something positive with this biowaste, a team of researchers at Jadavpur University in Koltata, India explored recycling the fish byproducts into an energy harvester for self-powered electronics.

Nutrient pollution is changing sounds in the sea

Nutrient pollution emptying into seas from cities, towns and agricultural land is changing the sounds made by marine life - and potentially upsetting navigational cues for fish and other sea creatures, a new University of Adelaide study has found.

Published online in the journal Landscape Ecology, the research found that marine ecosystems degraded by 'eutrophication', caused by run-off from adjacent land, are more silent than healthier comparable ecosystems.

Structure of mammalian protein complex of respiratory chain solved at atomic level

The respiratory chain is responsible for most energy production in humans. Several large protein assemblies are embedded in the mitochondrial lipid membrane. The mitochondrial Complex I is the first and largest complex in this chain. Metabolites derived from food are processed by this enzyme complex in order to contribute to the electron transfer and proton translocation. So far, research groups were only able to reveal mostly poly-alanine models lacking necessary full atomic details due to the fact that huge and complex molecules are difficult to examine with current methods.

Scientists discover a new deep-reef Butterflyfish species in Papahānaumokuākea Monument

Scientists from NOAA and the Bishop Museum have published a description of a new species of butterflyfish from deep reefs of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The study was published today in the scientific journal ZooKeys.

"Butterflyfish are the glamour fish of the coral reefs," said Richard Pyle, Bishop Museum scientist and lead author on the publication. "They are colorful, beautiful, and have been very well-studied worldwide. Finding a new species of butterflyfish is a rare event."

Wits University scientists predict the existence of a new boson

Scientists at the High Energy Physics Group (HEP) of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg predict the existence of a new boson that might aid in the understanding of Dark Matter in the Universe.

Some islands started in diamond-bearing regions under continents, geochemists say

The raw materials of some volcanic islands are shaped by some of the same processes that form diamonds deep under the continents, according to a new study. The study asserts that material from diamond-forming regions journeys nearly to earth's core and back up to form such islands, a process that could take two and a half billion years or longer--more than half of earth's entire history. The research challenges some prevailing notions about the workings of the deep earth, and their connections to the surface.

How that 'old book smell' could save priceless artifacts (video)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2016 -- Odor-detecting devices like Breathalyzers have been used for years to determine blood-alcohol levels in drunk drivers. Now, researchers are using a similar method to sniff out the rate of decay in historic art and artifacts. By tracking the chemicals in "old book smell" and similar odors, conservators can react quickly to preserve priceless art and artifacts at the first signs of decay. In this Speaking of Chemistry, Sarah Everts explains how cultural-heritage science uses the chemistry of odors to save books, vintage jewelry and even early Legos.

Farming adaptations needed to combat climate change to impact crop yields in 2050

Sorghum is a staple food crop in West African countries whose crop yields already suffer from long droughts and unpredictable rainfall.

Using heat-tolerant varieties of sorghum as a new management practice shows the most potential as an adaptation for maintaining crop yield as global warming raises the temperatures in West Africa.

This study's unique framework compares how West African sorghum crop yields will fare in the higher temperatures and higher CO2 of the future--if specific farming management practices or technologies are adopted and if they are not adopted.

Researchers design solids that control heat with spinning superatoms

PITTSBURGH--Researchers found that the thermal conductivity of superatom crystals is directly related to the rotational disorder within those structures. The findings were published in an article in Nature Materials this week.

Carnegie Mellon University's Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jonathan A. Malen was a corresponding author of the paper titled "Orientational Order Controls Crystalline and Amorphous Thermal Transport in Superatomic Crystals."