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Life Sciences - Environment - 29.08.2023

Male crested macaques are more likely to respond to calls for help from related juveniles
Male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to their offspring's calls for help when they are involved in conflicts. This is the conclusion of a study recently completed under the leadership of behavioral ecologist Anja Widdig from the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig as part of the Macaca Nigra Project (MNP).

Environment - Materials Science - 28.08.2023

Inspiration from spider webs and beetles to harvest fresh water from thin air
The proposed freshwater generation systems are inexpensive, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly A team of researchers is designing novel systems to capture water vapour in the air and turn it into liquid. University of Waterloo professor Michael Tam and his PhD students Yi Wang and Weinan Zhao have developed sponges or membranes with a large surface area that continually capture moisture from their surrounding environment.

Environment - Economics - 25.08.2023

Study calls for improvements in climate protection
Carbon credits from avoided deforestation often fail to deliver what they promise Projects that reduce deforestation often sell carbon credits - for instance, to consumers purchasing airline tickets. However, over 90 percent of these project credits do not actually offset greenhouse gas emissions. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), the University of Bonn, the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) and the European Forest Institute in Barcelona (Spain).

Environment - Health - 24.08.2023

Climate distress related to anxiety and action in young people
Researchers have carried out a study to understand the psycho-social impacts of climate crisis on young people in the UK. The study found that distress over climate change is related to many difficult emotions in young people - even in the absence of direct climate-related experience. It can, though, also motivate them to take positive climate actions.

Environment - 24.08.2023

The beginning of the end for hydropower in Africa?
Hydropower, traditionally one of Africa's most important sources of electricity, is expected to rapidly lose out in importance in favour of solar power in the coming years. The attractiveness of new hydropower stations is declining, due to increasing economic competition from solar panels and ongoing uncertainty over the effects of climate change on river flows.

Environment - Economics - 24.08.2023

Voluntary carbon credits offset nothing more than hot air
Projects that reduce deforestation often sell carbon credits, for example to consumers buying flight tickets. However, over 90 percent of these credits do not actually offset carbon emissions. That is the conclusion of environmental scientist Thales A.P. West, who is the main author of a paper that was published in Science.

Physics - Environment - 24.08.2023

Computational Model Paves the Way for More Efficient Energy Systems
Researchers make theoretical breakthrough in thermoelectric material to better harness waste heat for sustainable energy. Around 70% of the energy we use in everyday life is wasted in the form of heat, produced by engines, factories, and electrical devices. However, researchers from EPFL's School of Engineering have made a significant theoretical step forward that could boost sustainable energy generation.

Environment - 23.08.2023

Biodiversity protects against invasions of non-native tree species
For the first time, researchers combined human and ecological factors to analyse the global scale of non-native tree species invasions. Human activity in hotspots of global trade, such as maritime ports, is linked to an increased likelihood of non-native tree species invasions. However, a high diversity of native tree species can help to curb the intensity of such invasions.

Environment - 23.08.2023

Tree mortality in the Black Forest on the rise - climate change a key driver
Forest scientists at the University of Freiburg are analysing the impacts of climate change on the region's trees in a long-term study Climate impacts such as dry, hot summers reduce the growth and increase the mortality of trees in the Black Forest because they negatively influence the climatic water balance, i.e.

Life Sciences - Environment - 23.08.2023

The search for the super potato 
Scientists have assembled the genome sequences of nearly 300 varieties of potatoes and its wild relatives to develop more nutritious, disease-free, and weather-proof crop As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists from McGill University are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes.

Environment - Life Sciences - 23.08.2023

Vegetarian diet of corals explains age-old mystery dating back to Darwin
A new study led by the University of Southampton has revealed why coral reefs can thrive in seemingly nutrient poor water, a phenomenon that has fascinated scientists since Charles Darwin. The research shows that corals farm and feed on their photosynthetic symbionts - microscopic algae that live inside their cells.

Chemistry - Environment - 23.08.2023

Making aviation fuel from biomass
MIT researchers are converting the plant material lignin into hydrocarbon molecules that could help make jet fuel 100 percent sustainable. In 2021, nearly a quarter of the world's carbon dioxide emissions came from the transportation sector, with aviation being a significant contributor. While the growing use of electric vehicles is helping to clean up ground transportation, today's batteries can't compete with fossil fuel-derived liquid hydrocarbons in terms of energy delivered per pound of weight - a major concern when it comes to flying.

Environment - 22.08.2023

Birds living at UCLA were less afraid of humans after the pandemic closure
After a year with little human interaction, dark-eyed juncos were surprisingly more comfortable with people once campus life returned to normal Science + Technology After a year with little human interaction, dark-eyed juncos were surprisingly more comfortable with people once campus life returned to normal When UCLA shifted to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of people on campus gave scientists a unique chance to study the behavior of a species of birds that lives on university grounds.

Environment - 22.08.2023

A Compass for Successful Climate Adaptation
Researchers led by the University of Twente have presented a guiding framework. The University of Bonn is involved Work to adapt to climate change is becoming increasingly important across the globe. Ensuring that these efforts are effective and have no unintended negative consequences is a vital part of this process.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 22.08.2023

NASA Maps Key Heat Wave Differences in Southern California
No stranger to hot weather, the region is facing more humid heat waves that test the adaptability of its residents. But different areas feel different effects. Like much of the planet, Southern California is expected to experience more heat waves in the future due to Earth's changing climate. And some of these will feel increasingly humid, as long-term forecasts call for muggy spells more typically associated with Florida or eastern Texas.

Environment - Life Sciences - 21.08.2023

Ant invasions cause species loss
New research by Cardiff University has measured the impact of ant invasions on native species at a global scale for the first time - finding that the introduction of invasive ants into new environments can reduce species numbers by 53% through competition and predation. Ants play an important role in helping to maintain stable ecosystems, despite this some species of ants have been transported by humans globally and can cause major problems, even contributing to the extinction of some animal species.

Environment - 21.08.2023

Buzzed bus stops
The city of Utrecht made world news in 2019 by introducing bee-friendly green roofs on its bus shelters. High time to take stock. Erik Verhagen, a Global Sustainability Science student at Utrecht University, conducted research on the importance of the location of such a bus shelter. After all, how decisive is a green environment in attracting bees to green roofs? Green roofs throughout the city If you haven't seen them yet, look up the next time you wait for the bus in Utrecht.

Environment - 21.08.2023

Nearly zero-waste solution for construction: Reusable robotic 3D-printed formwork from upcycled sawdust
The BioMatters team at the University of Michigan has developed a fully biodegradable, reusable and recyclable material to replace the wasteful concrete formwork traditionally used across the construction industry. The base of this material is upcycled sawdust-millions of tons of sawdust waste are created each year from the 15 billion cut trees and often burned or dumped in landfills left to contribute to environmental pollution.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 21.08.2023

Mississippi mud reveals secrets of Antarctica’s ancient expansion
Study of microscopic fossils taken from Mississippi sediment cores reveals climate feedback that acted as temporary brake on an ancient cooling event Clues about the formation of major ice sheets on Antarctica have been found in mud cores drilled in Mississippi, providing an important lesson about a major climate cooling event, sometimes known as the Grande Coupure or great cut.

Life Sciences - Environment - 21.08.2023

Common wasp spreads across UK
The Big Wasp Survey, a citizen science project involving thousands of volunteers throughout the UK, has yielded important genetic insights into the common wasp, reports a study led by UCL researchers. Using data and samples of Vespula vulgaris (a species of yellowjacket wasp known as the Common Wasp) collected by amateur 'citizen scientists', the researchers conducted the first large-scale genetic analysis of the insect across its native range.