How simulations could help get PFAS out of soil
Michigan State University chemists are discovering new information to help remediate "forever chemicals" by showing for the first time how they interact with soil at the molecular level......»»
Selection processes play dominant role in shaping coexisting assemblages of trees and soil fungi: Study
Community assembly is shaped by four main processes: selection—fitness differences between organisms; dispersal—organisms' movement across space; drift—unpredictable variation in abundance; and diversification—new genetic variants. However, w.....»»
Study: Targeted home systems to remove PFAS more cost-effective than system-wide solutions
PFAS, the potentially cancer-causing chemicals known as "forever chemicals," have become an increasing concern in home drinking water. Solutions to reduce the risk of exposure range from mandated municipal-level water treatment to under-the-sink home.....»»
Digging deep—value of the soil microbiome unearthed
Researchers in South Australia are digging deep into history of soil biology in the state to gain a better understanding of how the soil microbiome functions to ensure sustainable broadacre farming into the future......»»
From robots and drones to sheep trackers, new tech can help farmers monitor and improve soil health
Twelve million hectares of agricultural soils are lost globally through soil degradation every year. As an ecologist, I work alongside farmers and growers in the field and have seen how farming can help solve this global soil crisis......»»
How can we effectively improve and use saline-alkali soil to ensure food security?
Soil salinization poses a threat to global agricultural production, food security and sustainable development. Affected by China's population growth and social and economic development, China's arable land has been decreasing in recent decades and is.....»»
Lithium ion batteries a growing source of PFAS pollution, study finds
Texas Tech University's Jennifer Guelfo was part of a research team that found the use of a novel sub-class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in lithium ion batteries is a growing source of pollution in air and water......»»
New microbe-central model predicts global grassland soil pH under climate change
In a study published in One Earth on July 5, a research team led by Prof. Deng Ye from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed the core-bacteria-forecast model (CoBacFM), which links the changes.....»»
Researchers evaluate impact of warming on soil respiration in different ecosystems
Soil respiration is the result of heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra), accounting for about 50%–75% of the total ecosystem respiration on land, which is crucial for the global carbon cycle and plays an indispensable role.....»»
Permaculture found to be a sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture
RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau has shown for the first time, in a joint study with BOKU University, that permaculture brings about a significant improvement in biodiversity, soil quality and carbon storage......»»
More carbon in soil can control weeds, in some cases
Cornell researchers have tested an ecological tool in the fight to control weeds in silage soybean and corn fields: adding carbon to soil in the form of sawdust and rye hay......»»
Wastewater is a viable medium for growing lettuce in hydroponic systems, study shows
Urban agriculture has the potential to improve food security through local, efficient, and sustainable food production. Examples of urban food systems include hydroponics, where plants grow in a nutrient solution without soil, and aquaponics, which c.....»»
Novel nematode species, a relative of model organisms, discovered
A new nematode species has been discovered in soil-dwelling bees at the University of Tsukuba's Sugadaira Research Station. This species shares a close relationship with a model nematode Pristionchus pacificus used in developmental and evolutionary b.....»»
Scientists predict high groundwater depletion risk in South Korea by 2080
Groundwater forms when precipitation such as rain and snow seeps into the soil, replenishing rivers and lakes. This resource supplies drinking water. However, a recent study has alarmed the scientific community by predicting that approximately three.....»»
Simulations demonstrate potential mechanisms of intermediate-mass black hole formation in globular clusters
Joint research led by Michiko Fujii of the University of Tokyo demonstrates a possible formation mechanism of intermediate-mass black holes in globular clusters, star clusters that could contain tens of thousands or even millions of tightly packed st.....»»
Fully automated detection robot promotes efficient soil testing
A research team developed new equipment that achieved fully automatic and unmanned detection of soil nutrients (such as organic matter, available potassium, available phosphorus) and heavy metals (including Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cr). They named it High Thr.....»»
New method could significantly reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
New research by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) proposes using soil bacteria to cut greenhouse gas emissions from food production. The research is published in the jour.....»»
New research shows soil microorganisms could produce additional greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost
As the planet has warmed, scientists have long been concerned about the potential for harmful greenhouse gases to seep out of thawing Arctic permafrost. Recent estimates suggest that by 2100 the amount of carbon dioxide and methane released from thes.....»»
Salty soil sensitizes plants to an unconventional mode of bacterial toxicity
A collaborative study between researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology has shown how a single metabolite can render bacteria toxic to plants under hig.....»»
Climate change is moving tree populations away from the soil fungi that sustain them
As our planet warms, many species are shifting to different locations as their historical habitats become inhospitable. Trees are no exception—many species' normal ranges are no longer conducive to their health, but their shift to new areas that co.....»»
South Africa: Gold mine pollution is poisoning Soweto"s water and soil—study finds food gardens are at risk
For 140 years, gold mines in Johannesburg, South Africa have been leaking wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. The acid mine drainage from Johannesburg's estimated 278 abandoned mines and 200 mine dumps includes uranium (a radioactive metal), t.....»»