https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The global demand for sustainable energy sources has intensified the search for environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels. Biomass waste, a byproduct of various industrial processes, presents an untapped potential for the production of biofuels and bio-additives. However, the conversion of biomass into useful chemicals has been hindered by inefficiencies in existing catalytic processes. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-advancing-green-chemistry-tandem-catalyst.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:48:02 EDT news646588081 In a new study, a team of researchers suggests that 4 billion years ago, plate tectonics likely looked closer to what we experience today than previously thought. The team published its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-billion-years-plate-tectonics-closer.html Earth Sciences Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:53:03 EDT news646570381 The white, feathery lines behind airplanes that look like bits of harmless cloud are anything but, warn experts, who say they could have a greater environmental impact than the aviation sector's CO2 emissions. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-plane-contrails-white-fluffy-contributors.html Environment Thu, 26 Sep 2024 04:00:01 EDT news646540862 Norway inaugurated Thursday the gateway to a massive undersea vault for carbon dioxide, a crucial step before opening what its operator calls the first commercial service offering CO2 transport and storage. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-world-co8322-storage-ready-norway.html Environment Thu, 26 Sep 2024 03:50:01 EDT news646540834 Forests and woodlands cover one third of Earth's surface and play a critical role in carbon sequestration, water regulation, timber production, soil protection, and biodiversity conservation. Accelerated by climate change, the decline of these and other key forest ecosystem services is caused by various biotic and abiotic disturbances. Among them, insect infestations and disease outbreaks can induce massive tree dieback and significantly disrupt ecosystem dynamics. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-explore-approach-forest-dieback-satellite.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:15:03 EDT news646499701 As major greenhouse gases, CO2 and CH4 are the primary drivers of climate change. Hence, utilizing CO2 and CH4 as feedstocks for the synthesis of value-added chemicals offers significant economic and environmental benefits. However, the principal challenges associated with converting these two molecules pertain to their kinetic stability and thermodynamic equilibrium limitation. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-solar-stage-catalytic-membrane-reactor.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 25 Sep 2024 15:27:28 EDT news646496846 Mars wasn't always the cold desert we see today. There's increasing evidence that water once flowed on the red planet's surface, billions of years ago. And if there was water, there must also have been a thick atmosphere to keep that water from freezing. But sometime around 3.5 billion years ago, the water dried up, and the air, once heavy with carbon dioxide, dramatically thinned, leaving only the wisp of an atmosphere that clings to the planet today. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-mars-early-thick-atmosphere-planet.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 25 Sep 2024 14:00:01 EDT news646472268 New England's forests confront multiple environmental challenges like rising temperatures due to climate change and increased atmospheric nitrogen deposits from burning fossil fuels. Scientists have previously studied the impact of both independently, but for the first time, researchers at the University of New Hampshire looked at the effects of the two together. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-reveals-climate-impact-northeastern-forests.html Environment Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:33:17 EDT news646489993 In a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers at the UH Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Toonen- Bowen "ToBo" Lab have identified scenarios under which eight of the most common species of coral found in Hawaiʻi can adapt to and survive ocean warming and acidification. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-curtailed-carbon-emissions-corals-survive.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:15:03 EDT news646481701 An "invisible forest" of phytoplankton is thriving in part of our warming ocean, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-invisible-forest-phytoplankton-ocean.html Ecology Cell & Microbiology Wed, 25 Sep 2024 05:00:01 EDT news646386542 Governments, regulators and global financial institutions are overlooking major opportunities to unlock the estimated US$9.2 trillion worth of financing needed each year to fund the net zero transition, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-overlooked-opportunities-fund-net-transition.html Economics & Business Political science Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:43:04 EDT news646411382 Achieving carbon neutrality requires the effective use of renewable biomass. In the production of biodiesel, for instance, glycerol is generated as a major byproduct. Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a new catalyst that efficiently converts a derivative of glycerol into bio-based propylene, contributing to sustainable chemical production. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-catalyst-sustainable-propylene-production-biomass.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:20:28 EDT news646406422 Searching for polar bears where the Churchill River dumps into Canada's massive Hudson Bay, biologist Geoff York scans a region that's on a low fat, low ice diet because of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-gateway-arctic-fat-ice-polar.html Ecology Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:50:01 EDT news646400754 A study, published in the journal Nature Communications by an international team of climate scientists and permafrost experts shows that, according to new climate computer model simulations, global warming will accelerate permafrost thawing and as a result lead to an abrupt intensification of wildfires in the Subarctic and Arctic regions of northern Canada and Siberia. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-climate-abrupt-intensification-northern-wildfires.html Earth Sciences Environment Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:00:01 EDT news646385461 More than 64,000 turkeys at a Merced County poultry operation are being killed after agriculture officials recently discovered they were infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-thousands-turkeys-california-merced-county.html Agriculture Tue, 24 Sep 2024 07:40:01 EDT news646381813 To know whether we are complying with emission treaties, all CO2 must be traceable. Incomplete bookkeeping recently sent scientists on a search in the Greenland Sea. Their research is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-dissolved-inorganic-carbon-greenland-sea.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:31:04 EDT news646327861 Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into C2 products is an important process in the quest to address the energy crisis and achieve carbon neutrality. However, generating C2 products is challenging due to the sluggish multi-electron transfer process and inert C–C coupling processes. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-photoreduction-metal-framework.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:03:38 EDT news646326215 Climate change can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, if you look closely at its causes, you'll realize that history is filled with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-climate-pollution-problem-countries-similar.html Environment Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:10:04 EDT news646317707 High levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere can alter not only the climate of our planet but also the functioning of our cells. The gas interacts with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which performs various functions in the human body, giving rise to a potent oxidant called peroxymonocarbonate. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-method-biological-oxidant-derived-cells.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:56:04 EDT news646314961 The food system is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, making the reduction of emissions in this sector a priority for policymakers around the world. IIASA researchers explored the potential of carbon sequestration on farmland to combat climate change, offering insights into economic effects as well as its climate change mitigation potential. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-agriculture-carbon-source-potential-sequestration.html Agriculture Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:59:14 EDT news646311548 Many human activities lead to methane being released into the atmosphere. Agriculture, landfills, wastewater, and fossil fuel production and distribution are the biggest contributors. These make up roughly 60% of global methane emissions, and natural sources account for the remaining 40% of emissions. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-methane-emissions-key-climate-ozone.html Environment Mon, 23 Sep 2024 10:03:47 EDT news646304623 California carbon emissions are falling, but not fast enough to reach the state's 2030 climate targets, according to data released Friday by the Air Resources Board. Leaders predicted that new and existing industry regulations would put the state on track. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-california-carbon-emissions-lag-climate.html Environment Mon, 23 Sep 2024 07:24:33 EDT news646295067 Surging methane emissions put our ability to meet Paris agreement climate targets in jeopardy. But a timely new book presents the scientific, policy and technological challenges and solutions for achieving rapid climate gains by addressing this once overlooked powerful greenhouse gas. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-methane-pitched-climate-villain-savior.html Environment Fri, 20 Sep 2024 10:56:35 EDT news646048590 The European Union aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050 as part of the comprehensive Green Deal that was agreed upon four years ago. However, an analysis of the policy documents outlining the practical measures of the Green Deal shows that it will decrease carbon emissions in Europe, but also increase carbon emissions outside the EU. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-european-green-edged-sword-global.html Environment Fri, 20 Sep 2024 05:00:01 EDT news645979930 Electricity-driven water electrolysis has garnered notable attention as an environmentally friendly method for hydrogen production, with high-purity hydrogen being crucial for addressing the energy crisis. Nonetheless, water electrolysis hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) typically require precious metals as electrocatalysts. This limitation has prompted researchers to focus on developing effective non-precious metal catalysts to enhance both the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of water electrolysis. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-schottky-junction-catalysts-boost-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:25:03 EDT news645981901 The world's oceans are home to different habitats that capture and store carbon—known as "blue carbon." These include habitats that are typically found along coastlines, such as salt marshes and seagrasses, as well as vast seabed sediments further offshore made of mud, silt and sand. The extent to which these habitats are protected and, where possible, restored, could have huge implications for the world's future climate. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-uk-blue-carbon-habitats-oceans.html Environment Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:16:03 EDT news645970561 The Amazon, often called the "lungs of the planet," is the world's largest tropical forest, playing a crucial role in the global climate system due to its vast carbon storage. While it is typically warm and humid all year round, continued climate change poses the threat of more frequent and severe droughts and heat extremes. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-reveals-future-climate-amazon-rainforest.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 19 Sep 2024 10:16:03 EDT news645959761 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is one of the greatest environmental health challenges that we face today. Various studies have shown that in addition to the lungs, it affects essential organs like the heart and brain, and that those who suffer most from its consequences are the most exposed or vulnerable people in society. It is a pervasive issue that affects all of humanity, and reinforces entrenched inequalities. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-poor-indoor-air-quality-isnt.html Environment Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:20:02 EDT news645891444 The side effects of large-scale forestation initiatives could have serious consequences for water availability, a pioneering study has found. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-side-effects-wide-scale-forestation.html Environment Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:20:01 EDT news645891488 Sitting in darkness, deep below the sunlit surface, an iridescent nightmare awaits its prey. With precision and speed, it strikes and slices a passing fish clean in half with a set of jaws twice the width of its head. The armor-plated creature retreats into its hole, quarry in tow, to rejoin the bustling metropolis of animals living in a network of burrows in the mud. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-ocean-sediment-mudtropolis-carbon-creatures.html Ecology Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:00:01 EDT news645881914