Dangerous climate tipping points will affect Australia. The risks are real and cannot be ignored, say researchers
In 2023, we saw a raft of news stories about climate tipping points, including the accelerating loss of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the potential dieback of the Amazon rainforest and the likely weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circu.....»»
Ocean microbe"s unusual pair of enzymes may boost carbon storage
Stanford researchers have found a surprising genetic twist in a lineage of microbes that may play an important role in ocean carbon storage. The microbes, known as blue-green algae or cyanobacteria, have two different forms of a ubiquitous enzyme tha.....»»
No parachute needed: New typhoon observation device demonstrates high accuracy in field test
Researchers in Japan have demonstrated the high accuracy of their newly developed typhoon observation device, which is designed to drop from an aircraft into the eye of a typhoon. The results are published in the journal Scientific Online Letters on.....»»
How the loss of urban trees affects education outcomes
It's well established that urban tree cover provides numerous environmental and psychological benefits to city dwellers. Urban trees may also bolster education outcomes and their loss could disproportionately affect students from low-income families,.....»»
Companies issuing RTO mandates “lose their best talent”: Study
Despite the risks, firms and Trump are eager to get people back into offices. Return-to-office (RTO) mandates have caused companies to lose some of their best workers, a study tra.....»»
Researchers achieve near-unity quantum efficiency in 2D photon emitters
Leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, quantum computers can perform calculations at lightning-fast speeds, enabling them to solve complex problems faster than conventional computers. In quantum technology applications such as quantum comput.....»»
Hyperspectral imaging lidar system achieves remote plastic identification
Researchers have developed a new hyperspectral Raman imaging lidar system that can remotely detect and identify various types of plastics. This technology could help address the critical issue of plastic pollution in the ocean by providing better too.....»»
OpenAI’s API users get full access to the new o1 model
Newest API upgrade also includes fine-tuning and real-time interaction improvements. Application developers who access OpenAI through its long-running API will now have access to.....»»
Oxygen and chlorine evolution without noble metals: Electrode potential transforms MXene surfaces
MXenes are a class of two-dimensional materials that were discovered in 2011. Theoretical studies previously predicted that they would not be catalytically active in anodic processes. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Kai S. Exner, head of the Department.....»»
Gladiator II: A historian on the real north African kingdom of Numidia—and the men who ruled it
"Gladiator II" opens with a Roman fleet brutally laying siege to a city in the north African kingdom of Numidia. On the big screen we see ships set ablaze by pots of burning oil and defenders impaled by man-sized iron bolts. The so-called barbarian i.....»»
More Australian families are choosing private schools—we need to understand why
The shape of Australia's school system is undergoing a significant change. Enrollments in independent schools are growing, while fewer students are going to public schools......»»
A history of bacteria domestication: Researchers investigate genetic and phenotypic characteristics of Swiss cheeses
The domestication of livestock and plants marked an important stage in the settlement of human populations in the Neolithic period, as they moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a subsistence model based on animal husbandry and agriculture. Becau.....»»
Climate change could overwhelm sewage systems. Here"s how green infrastructure could help
Aside from hotter summers and melting glaciers, climate change is transforming how, when and where rain falls. This challenges much of the world's sewer systems, especially with the added strains of population growth and increased urbanization......»»
Antarctica"s tipping points threaten global climate stability
Antarctica is approaching a series of cascading tipping points that could reshape ecosystems and intensify global climate disruptions, according to a new study by an international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Tasma.....»»
Systematic bias may sway family courts and affect parental rights, particularly for fathers
A new study is exposing how race, gender, and religion intersect to create inequities in custody cases with biases—including racism, Islamophobia, and sexism—often shaping outcomes to the detriment of fathers and their children......»»
Prehistoric rock in Japan reveals clues to major ocean anoxic event
By studying prehistoric rocks and fossils emerging from the side of Mount Ashibetsu in Japan, researchers have precisely refined the timing and duration of Ocean Anoxic Event 1a (OAE 1a), an extreme environmental disruption that choked oxygen from Ea.....»»
Most coastal Arctic infrastructure faces instability by 2100, study warns
A new study has produced the first map of all coastal communities and infrastructure across the Arctic, showing the vulnerability of the built environment to threats from climate change......»»
Climate neutrality: OECD and EU countries best equipped to lead the way, says report
Under the Paris Climate Agreement, nations around the globe committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. But how determined are OECD and EU countries in pursuing this goal? A recent monitoring report by the Bertelsmann Stiftung reveals that Swe.....»»
The role of Rubisco in food and energy security
As global food and energy demand continues to grow, researchers are exploring multiple strategies to boost crop productivity. While engineering plant enzymes and biochemical pathways that are more efficient remains a transformative goal, this review.....»»
Researchers reveal OT-specific malware in use and in development
Malware that’s made specifically to target industrial control systems (ICS), Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) control devices is still rare, but in the last few weeks security researchers have identified two salient thre.....»»
Were Neanderthals cold-adapted or were they just ready for anything? Ribcage reconstruction may hold the answer
Researchers at the Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid report that analysis of a Neanderthal ribcage from a cave in Iraq exhibits a "bell-shaped" thorax configuration typical of Neanderthals elsewhere, differing.....»»