Modeling electrolyte transport in water-rich exoplanets
Oceans on water-rich exoplanets may be enriched with electrolytes, including salts such as sodium chloride, suggests a modeling study published in Nature Communications. The research proposes electrolytes can be transported from the rocky core of the.....»»
Scientists develop new geochemical "fingerprint" to trace contaminants in fertilizer
An international team of scientists has uncovered toxic metals in mineral phosphate fertilizers worldwide by using a new tool to identify the spread and impact of such contaminants on soil, water resources, and food supply......»»
How I upgraded my water heater and discovered how bad smart home security can be
Could you really control someone's hot water with just an email address? Enlarge / This is essentially the kind of water heater the author has hooked up, minus the Wi-Fi module that led him down a rabbit hole. Also, not 140-degre.....»»
Airborne technology brings new hope to map shallow aquifers in Earth"s most arid deserts
Water shortages are expanding across the Earth. This is particularly acute in desert areas of the Middle East that are subject to both drought and extreme conditions such as flooding. As a result of these uncertainties, there is an increasing relianc.....»»
Scientists use generative AI to answer complex questions in physics
When water freezes, it transitions from a liquid phase to a solid phase, resulting in a drastic change in properties like density and volume. Phase transitions in water are so common most of us probably don't even think about them, but phase transiti.....»»
Mixup of drinking and irrigation water sparks dangerous outbreak in children
Of 13 children sickened, 7 hospitalized and 2 had life-threatening complications. Enlarge / A child cools off under a water sprinkler. (credit: Getty | JASON SOUTH) In 1989, a city in Utah upgraded its drinking water sy.....»»
Temperature, time and blueberry wine: Researchers examine fermentation"s effects on health-promoting compounds
Nutrient-rich blueberries—a common breakfast smoothie ingredient—can also create wine. But does the heat and time required to ferment this mighty berry strip out any of those potential health-promoting compounds? Researchers in ACS Food Science &.....»»
From roots to resilience: Investigating the vital role of microbes in coastal plant health
Georgia's saltwater marshes—living where the land meets the ocean—stretch along the state's entire 100-mile coastline. These rich ecosystems are largely dominated by just one plant: grass......»»
Penalties for dropping out of ecosystem services incentive programs should equal lost environmental benefits
Payment for Ecosystem Services programs (PES) are important tools that governments around the world use to improve water quality, protect forests and wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon. Under these programs, landowners—usually farmers—are pai.....»»
An environmental CGE model of China"s economy: Modeling choices and application
Computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is an important policy guidance tool for pollution reduction and emission control objectives. An article, published in Energy and Climate Management, introduces the economic module, energy module, macroscopi.....»»
Repurposed beer yeast encapsulated in hydrogels may offer a cost-effective way to remove lead from water
Every year, beer breweries generate and discard thousands of tons of surplus yeast. Researchers from MIT and Georgia Tech have now come up with a way to repurpose that yeast to absorb lead from contaminated water......»»
Researchers uncover what makes some chickens more water-efficient than others
In the first scientific report of its kind, researchers in Arkansas have shown that chickens bred for water conservation continued to put on weight despite heat stress that would normally slow growth......»»
How pooling solutions can be strengthened in road transport
Less than a hundred kilos of human weight, more than two metric tons of steel: individual road transport is a huge climate killer, and switching to electric vehicles is only part of the solution because manufacturing the vehicles also causes emission.....»»
Scientists develop an affordable sensor for lead contamination
Engineers at MIT, Nanytang Technological University, and several companies have developed a compact and inexpensive technology for detecting and measuring lead concentrations in water, potentially enabling a significant advance in tackling this persi.....»»
Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands
In the popular imagination, the Caribbean is paradise, an exotic place to escape to. But behind the images of balmy beaches and lush hotel grounds lies a crisis, the likes of which its residents have never experienced......»»
Tracing the origins of organic matter in Martian sediments
Although Mars presents a barren, dusty landscape with no signs of life so far, its geological features such as deltas, lakebeds, and river valleys strongly suggest a past where water once flowed abundantly on its surface. To explore this possibility,.....»»
Tiny pieces of plastic pose one of the biggest threats to Chicago River wildlife and water quality
Wendella engineer Miguel Chavez climbed down a ladder and over a small dock to pull up a trap floating in the Chicago River near the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The size of a standard garbage can, the trap is designed to collect trash and can hold up to.....»»
Researchers reveal how genetically identical water fleas develop into different sexes
Daphnia are tiny crustaceans, or "water fleas," that are extremely adaptable to their environment. This is due to their remarkable phenotypic plasticity, i.e., their ability to change their form or behavior despite their genetic makeup remaining unch.....»»
Optical power evolution in fiber-optic networks: New framework for better modeling and control
With the emergence of internet services such as AI-generated content and virtual reality, the demand for global capacity has surged, significantly intensifying pressures on fiber-optic communication systems. To address this surge and reduce operation.....»»
In the race for space metals, companies hope to cash in
Mining asteroids could reduce the burden on Earth’s resources. Will it live up to its promise? Enlarge / An illustration depicts a NASA spacecraft approaching the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. Though there are no plans to mine P.....»»
Q&A: Researcher exposes child labor trafficking as a hidden crime after investigating 132 victims
Children trafficked for their labor often work in public view in restaurants, laundromats, agricultural fields and water parks, but little has been known about their plight......»»