Environment

Functionalization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride (IMAGE)

Apr 22, 2019 08:46 AM EDT

Modified 'White Graphene' for Eco-friendly Energy

Scientists from TPU, Germany, and the United States have found a new way to functionalize a dielectric, otherwise known as 'white graphene', i.e. hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), without destroying it or changing its properties. Thanks to the new method, the researchers synthesized a 'polymer nano carpet' with strong covalent bond on the samples.

Apr 22, 2019 08:37 AM EDT

Better Labor Practices Could Improve Archaeological Output

Archaeological excavation has, historically, operated in a very hierarchical structure, according to archaeologist Allison Mickel. The history of the enterprise is deeply entangled with Western colonial and imperial pursuits, she says. Excavations have been, and often still are, according to Mickel, led by foreigners from the West, while dependent on the labor of scores of people from the local community to perform the manual labor of the dig.

Apr 21, 2019 03:29 PM EDT

Study Shows Continuing Impacts of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Nine years ago -April 20, 2010--crude oil began leaking from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig into the Gulf of Mexico in what turned out to be the largest marine oil spill in history. A long-term study suggests the oil is still affecting the salt marshes of the Gulf Coast and reveals the key role that marsh grasses play in the overall recovery of these important coastal wetlands.

Apr 21, 2019 03:06 PM EDT

NTU Scientists Discover Sustainable Way to Increase Seed Oil Yield in Crops

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a sustainable way to demonstrate a new genetic modification that can increase the yield of natural oil in seeds by up to 15 percent in laboratory conditions.

Apr 16, 2019 01:20 PM EDT

What Earth's gravity reveals about climate change

Researchers take stock of the GRACE satellite mission in Nature Climate Change

Apr 16, 2019 01:08 PM EDT

Corals in the Red Sea offer long-term view of the south Asian summer monsoon

When it comes to understanding future climate, the south Asian summer monsoon offers a paradox. Most climate models predict that as human-caused global warming increases, monsoon rain and wind will become more intense--but weather data collected in the region shows that rainfall has actually declined over the past 50 years.

Drought and Central Valley Orchard (IMAGE)

Apr 13, 2019 08:56 AM EDT

Predicting heat waves? Look half a world away

When thunderstorms brew over the tropics, California heat wave soon to follow

Building a Bee-Friendly Landscape (IMAGE)

Apr 09, 2019 03:12 PM EDT

Science-based guidelines for building a bee-friendly landscape

Bees are critical members of the ecosystem: 75% of leading food crops have some level of dependency on pollinators. However, native bee populations are struggling because of loss of habitat and food, often caused by urban and suburban development. The good news is that a single tree or shrub can produce thousands of flowers with high-quality pollen and nectar, providing bees with the protein and carbohydrates they need to thrive.

Apr 09, 2019 09:03 AM EDT

More than 90% of glacier volume in the Alps could be lost by 2100

The study, by a team of researchers in Switzerland, provides the most up-to-date and detailed estimates of the future of all glaciers in the Alps, around 4000. It projects large changes to occur in the coming decades: from 2017 to 2050, about 50% of glacier volume will disappear, largely independently of how much we cut our greenhouse gas emissions.

Apr 08, 2019 09:28 AM EDT

Rusted root: Weedy rice repeatedly evolves 'cheater' root traits

Weedy rice is neither wild rice nor crop rice, but rice gone rogue that has shed some traits important to people. It also is an incredibly aggressive, potentially detrimental weed that pops up almost everywhere rice is grown, and it can reduce crop yields by more than 80 percent if it invades a field.

Apr 08, 2019 09:16 AM EDT

Air temperatures in the Arctic are driving system change

A new paper shows that air temperature is the "smoking gun" behind climate change in the Arctic, according to John Walsh, chief scientist for the UAF International Arctic Research Center.

May 05, 2019 10:55 PM EDT

Have Environmental Regulations Become Too Difficult To Follow?

A brief analysis of the existing state of American environmental policy shows that companies and activists alike have been confounded by regulations recently because they’re grown to dizzying to follow.

Apr 05, 2019 08:23 AM EDT

Post-wildfire step-pool streams

Boulder, Colo., USA: Steps and pools are among the most stable and functionally important features in the mountain river landscape. Their stability is important for dissipating stream energy, withstanding ordinary floods and resisting erosion, and regulating the flow and sediment dynamics feeding into lowland areas.