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......»»
Researchers: Urbanization amplifies climate change through increased soil emissions
Increasing populations and the search for social and economic opportunities are driving people to move from rural to urban areas. Approximately four percent of the global area is urbanized and half of the world's population lives in urban areas. Natu.....»»
Video: Burning "forever chemicals" with water
Forever chemicals, otherwise known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are extremely useful industrial chemicals. They can also leak into the environment, your drinking water and your blood. And they last (practically) forever. B.....»»
Researchers find Asian Americans to have significantly higher exposure to "toxic forever" chemicals
Asian Americans have significantly higher exposure than other ethnic or racial groups to PFAS, a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals also known as "toxic forever" chemicals, Mount Sinai-led researchers report......»»
Could microplastics in soil introduce drug-resistant superbugs to the food supply?
Like every industry, modern farming relies heavily on plastics. Think plastic mulch lining vegetable beds, PVC pipes draining water from fields, polyethylene covering high tunnels, and plastic seed, fertilizer, and herbicide packaging, to name a few......»»
New project examines how the expectations for forests can be met in more sustainable ways
Forests plays many vital roles: They provide a natural habitat for animals, plants and other organisms. They contribute to soil protection and water conservation, carbon storage and clean air......»»
Deciphering the molecular dynamics of complex proteins
Which structures do complex proteins adopt in solution? Konstanz biophysicists answer this question using the example of ubiquitin dimers as well as a new combination of high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and sophisticated computer simulations......»»
How bacteria ship cellular cargo by "surfing" along proteins
Bacteria live in nearly every habitat on Earth including within soil, water, acidic hot springs and even within our own guts......»»
Simulations suggest some black holes could be moving at nearly one-tenth the speed of light
A pair of astrophysicists at the Rochester Institute of Technology has found via simulations that some black holes might be traveling through space at nearly one-tenth the speed of light. In their study, reported in Physical Review Letters, James Hea.....»»
Illegal logging turns Syria"s forests into "barren land"
On a riverbank in war-ravaged Syria's north, felling has reduced what was once a lush forest to dispersed trees and decimated trunks poking out from dry, crumbly soil......»»
More than half of life on Earth is found in soil—here"s why that"s important
A recent study has found that soil is home to 59% of all life on Earth, from an insect feeding on the soil surface to a tiny microbe nestled in a soil pore. This discovery crowns soil as the most biodiverse habitat on the planet......»»
How microhabitat affects bacterial communities in a semi-arid ecosystem
Known as the living skin of dryland ecosystems, biocrust contains diverse soil microorganisms that are essential to biocrust formation and the maintenance of multiple ecological functions......»»
Can soil microbes survive in a changing climate?
Organisms across the globe are facing unprecedented levels of stress from climate change, habitat destruction, and many other human-driven changes to the environment. Predicting and mitigating the effects of this increasing stress on organisms, and t.....»»
Study provides insight to early establishment of agroforestry systems in tropical areas
Land use change is one of the greatest threats to soil biodiversity and ecological functions. Tropical deforestation to establish monoculture cash tree plantations poses the greatest threat to biodiversity. However, how such a transition affects soil.....»»
Selling a juicy burger with a photo: The effect of induced positive consumption simulations on purchases
Researchers from Yale University and University of Southern California have published a new Journal of Marketing study that synthesizes and evaluates over 50 studies conducted over four decades to determine when mental simulation prompts heighten con.....»»
"Forever chemicals"? Maybe not
Dangerous "forever chemicals" left in the soil from firefighting foam could be destroyed by grinding, according to a proof-of-concept study by University of Auckland scientists collaborating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency......»»
Simulations reveal "unprecedented details" of a star"s evolutionary phase
Scientists have conducted the first ever 3D simulation of a star's entire evolutionary phase thanks to new simulation technologies......»»
Interdisciplinary team studies decomposition effects on soil
Forensic researchers at UT Knoxville's famous Anthropological Research Facility, popularly known as the "Body Farm," have made headlines for decades in their discoveries of what happens to human bodies after death. Now, a multidisciplinary team—eng.....»»
Chemicals from maize roots influence wheat yield
Maize roots secrete certain chemicals that affect the quality of soil. In some fields, this effect increases yields of wheat planted subsequent to maize in the same soil by more than 4%. This was proven by researchers from the University of Bern. Whi.....»»
How soil microfauna diversity and community assembly change across latitudes in croplands
Soil microfauna are microscopic animals that live in the soil and play important roles in nutrient cycling, plant growth, and ecosystem functioning. A team of researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conduc.....»»
Incremental environmental change can be as hazardous as a sudden shock—managing these "slow-burning" risks is vital
New Zealanders are exposed to hazards from many sources—human-made and natural—in food, water, soil and air......»»