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The study has shown promising results for the use of edge-decorated nano carbons as metal-free catalysts for the direct conversion of methane, which is also a powerful greenhouse gas, into hydrogen. Among the nano carbons investigated, nitrogen-doped nano carbons presented the highest level of performance for hydrogen production at high temperatures. Crucially, the researchers also …

‘Game-changing’ findings for sustainable hydrogen production Read More »

Brian Atkinson, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas and curator of paleobotany at the KU Biodiversity Institute, recently published a study of the fossil plant, named Palaeophytocrene chicoensis, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Plants. “This fossil tells us a really diverse group of flowering plants evolved prior to our …

A fossil fruit from California shows ancestors of coffee and potatoes survived cataclysm that killed the dinosaurs Read More »

The study helps us better understand the natural processes of cloud formation, says Gerald “Jay” Mace, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah and the study’s lead author. “We can use that knowledge to improve our understanding of how clouds reflect sunlight globally,” Mace says. “That, in turn, is key to predicting how …

Antarctica’s ocean brightens clouds Read More »

The Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and Java were originally part of a large landmass of rainforests and coastal mangroves in the South Asia continental shelf known as ‘The Sundaland’ some 26,000 years ago. But during the last major period of global warming in Earth’s history, from the Last Glacial Maximum period …

Prehistoric human migration in Southeast Asia driven by sea-level rise Read More »

Plastic debris is a global problem that even the uninhabited wilderness of the High North is not immune to: considerable amounts of plastic debris have been observed floating in the remote Arctic Ocean. However, it is still unclear where it all comes from. A citizen science project conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre …

Plastic debris in the Arctic comes from all around the world Read More »

“We showed that this new molten salt battery design has the potential to charge and discharge much faster than other conventional high-temperature sodium batteries, operate at a lower temperature, and maintain an excellent energy storage capacity,” said Guosheng Li, a materials scientist at PNNL and the principal investigator of the research. “We are getting similar …

New sodium, aluminum battery aims to integrate renewables for grid resiliency Read More »

“Arctic sea ice decline is among the most obvious evidence of global warming from the past several decades,” said Pengfei Zhang, assistant research professor of meteorology and atmospheric science at Penn State and lead author of the study. “Despite temperatures in the Arctic being well below freezing, sea ice decline in winter is still very …

More frequent atmospheric rivers hinder seasonal recovery of Arctic sea ice Read More »

It has always been a mystery as to how microbes growing in deepest parts of the sea survive, with no sunlight. A new study, from researchers at the Monash University published in the journal Nature Microbiology, shows that a distinct process called chemosynthesis — growth using inorganic compounds — fuels microbes in these darkest depths. …

Why microbes in the deep ocean live without sunlight Read More »

The study, led by the University of Washington and published Jan. 2 in Geophysical Research Letters, has implications for better understanding Earth’s atmosphere and its relationship with climate and air quality. “We found that on longer timescales the amount of sulfate aerosols released during passive degassing is much higher than during eruptions,” said first author …

Ice cores show even dormant volcanoes leak abundant sulfur into the atmosphere Read More »

Microbial or chemical contaminants in the air can be toxic or irritative and cause allergic reactions, asthma or other diseases in exposed individuals. However, there are currently no widely accepted methods for monitoring the risks associated with exposure to hazardous indoor air agents, so novel approaches are needed. In a project carried out in the …

Nematodes can help us detect indoor air impurities Read More »