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Chemistry - Environment - 14.09.2023

Salt water-degradable plastics to help oceans
University of Queensland researchers are developing a plastic that breaks down in seawater to help turn the tide on marine waste. Dr Ruirui Qiao from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology is refining new polymerisation techniques for an affordable and biodegradable plastic to replace existing products.

Environment - Health - 13.09.2023

Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools
A new study led by Cambridge University confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children's exposure to traffic-related particle pollution. Our findings show that hedges can provide a simple, cheap and effective way to help reduce exposure to local sources of pollution Hassan Sheikh The , a collaboration with Lancaster University, found that hedges can act as protective barriers against air pollution from major city roads by soaking up significant quantities of harmful particles emitted by traffic.

Environment - Economics - 13.09.2023

Disrupting the myth of water abundance in Ontario
New research reveals half of our watersheds have a moderate to high potential for water risk Ontario may seem to be a water secure region, but new research out of the University of Waterloo challenges the myth of water abundance in the Great Lakes watershed. Using a first-of-its-kind risk analysis, researchers connected water quality, quantity, regulations and public concern to obtain a more comprehensive picture of water security at the local level.

Life Sciences - Environment - 13.09.2023

Optimized cacao pollination for higher yields
How can the cultivation of cacao be improved by using the right pollination technique? This has now been investigated by a research team including Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology. The success of cacao cultivation depends to a large extent on functioning pollination.

Environment - Innovation - 13.09.2023

Western researchers to probe greenhouse gases at city landfill
The Western Institute for Earth and Space Exploration is leading a new project to measure methane released by London's dump, with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers helping to track the potent greenhouse gas. The team will use drones, satellites, as well as stationary and hand-held devices to determine exactly how much methane is produced at the city landfill on Manning Drive - officially named W12A - and whether any of it is escaping the collection system currently in place.

Environment - Pedagogy - 12.09.2023

Children help create circular futures
When the children's creativity meets scientific expertise, new ideas are born - for example, about what the sustainable world of tomorrow might look like.

Environment - Life Sciences - 12.09.2023

Animals may be the best monitors of global climate change
Carrying small sensors, they could be the most sensitive and informative weather instruments of all   The world's scientists rely on an elaborate network of satellites, ocean buoys, weather stations, and balloons to help predict the weather and assess the impact of global climate change across land, air, and sea.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 12.09.2023

New rivers in the North? Scientists identify how the dissection of Arctic landscapes is changing with accelerating climate change
New research co-led by Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia shows that amplified global warming in the Canadian High Arctic drove a profound shift in the structure of a river network carved into a permafrost landscape in only 60 years. Documenting a powerful interplay among climate change, the freeze-thaw dynamics of polygonal ground and the delivery of surface water by floods as well as snow and ice melting, the team developed a new view of the physical controls governing the speed and pattern of river channel development in these fragile landscapes.

Environment - Economics - 08.09.2023

Lack of evidence hampers progress on corporate-led ecosystem restoration
A near total lack of transparency is making it impossible to assess the quality of corporate-led ecosystem restoration projects, a new study finds. The world's largest corporations have the potential to lift ecosystem restoration efforts to an unprecedented scale. But their involvement has to be managed with proper evidence and accountability, to make sure the outcomes are beneficial and fair for everyone.

Environment - Chemistry - 08.09.2023

How trees influence cloud formation
As part of the international CLOUD project at the nuclear research centre CERN, researchers at PSI have identified so-called sesquiterpenes - gaseous hydrocarbons that are released by plants - as being a major factor in cloud formation. This finding could reduce uncertainties in climate models and help make more accurate predictions.

Environment - 08.09.2023

The first climate strikes had an influence on Swiss residents
A study by researchers found that Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future climate strikes have influenced the environmental behavior of Swiss residents. Climate activist Greta Thunberg made the headlines in September 2019 with her Fridays for Future climate strikes, in which some 4 million students in 150 countries protested to demand action on climate change.

Environment - Innovation - 07.09.2023

Hybrid solar energy systems could reduce global emissions
Imperial engineers and a team of global experts have reviewed technological options, innovation and opportunities in the hybrid solar energy industry. They anticipate that hybrid PV-thermal technologies could produce a further drop in global emissions of about three per cent (around 600 Mega-tonnes of CO2) by 2030 if the systems mentioned in this study are installed as proposed.

Environment - Life Sciences - 07.09.2023

When lush deciduous forests covered the Arctic
Around 50 million years ago there were extensive, lush deciduous forests in the polar regions of the Arctic, where today there is sparse vegetation. The forests existed due to the conditions in the Eocene - a combination of a greenhouse climate and almost twice the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there is today.

Environment - 07.09.2023

Resilience Reflections #6: Drivers of disasters and questions of a resilience researcher
Recognizing the urgent need to respond to rapid societal and environmental change, resilience is one of the University of Twente's spearheads. As an academic institution, we have a role to play in strengthening the resilience of the social, technological and environmental systems that support us. In this weekly series, UT researchers share their personal reflections on current events and trends that impact our daily lives, exploring their implications for resilience.

Environment - Life Sciences - 07.09.2023

Bees struggle to find flowers because of air pollution
A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the scent. A research team comprising the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Birmingham, Reading, Surrey and Southern Queensland, found that ozone substantially changes the size and scent of floral odour plumes given off by flowers, and that it reduced honeybees' ability to recognise odours by up to 90% from just a few metres away.

Health - Environment - 07.09.2023

UW assessment finds fentanyl and methamphetamine smoke linger on public transit vehicles
Alden Woods Two years ago, as life regained its rhythm and public transit once again filled with people, train and bus operators spotted a troubling trend. Some operators reported instances of people smoking drugs on their vehicles, and worried that the haze it created could linger, potentially affecting workers- physical and mental health.

Environment - 06.09.2023

Where’s the trust? US climate deniers have no faith in universities
U.S. voters who don't trust universities are also more likely to believe that human activity doesn't cause climate change, a new collaborative study from researchers at the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) revealed in PLOS Climate this week.

Environment - 06.09.2023

Migratory songbirds change breathing pattern to fly at high altitude
Climate change has become a climate catastrophe, say researchers. Earth, water, fire and wind are fighting back and everyone and everything is affected. And that includes the world's bird population. New research from Western University's Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR) is the first to show that birds adjust their physiology during the migratory season to maintain oxygen uptake and movement to flight muscles, with some species exhibiting greater adjustments than others.

History / Archeology - Environment - 06.09.2023

Complete Neolithic cursus on the Isle of Arran
Researchers discover complete Neolithic cursus on the Isle of Arran A leading team of researchers have discovered what is believed to be a complete Neolithic cursus set within a rich prehistoric landscape on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. A leading team of researchers have discovered what is believed to be a complete Neolithic cursus set within a rich prehistoric landscape on the Isle of Arran, Scotland.

Environment - Chemistry - 06.09.2023

Study suggests energy-efficient route to capturing and converting CO2
The findings, based on a single electrochemical process, could help cut emissions from the hardest-to-decarbonize industries, such as steel and cement. In the race to draw down greenhouse gas emissions around the world, scientists at MIT are looking to carbon-capture technologies to decarbonize the most stubborn industrial emitters.