Nitrogen-using bacteria can cut farms’ greenhouse gas emissions
Nitrogen fertilizers get converted to nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Enlarge (credit: Timothy Hearsum) Fritz Haber: good guy or bad guy? He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his part in developing the.....»»
Upper surface of coastal waters can accumulate bacteria and antibiotics, study finds
Antibiotics in the uppermost water surface, known as the sea surface microlayer, can significantly affect the number of bacteria present and contribute to the adaptation of marine bacteria against widely used antibiotics. In new research presented at.....»»
A compound produced by symbiotic bacteria promotes in vitro protein synthesis
A research team led by Associate Professor Atsushi Nakabachi of the Toyohashi University of Technology Research Center for Agrotechnology and Biotechnology has revealed that the compound diaphorin produced by an insect symbiotic bacterium promotes th.....»»
Q&A: Finding varieties of corn that are adapted to future climates
Corn is one of the planet's most important crops. It not only provides sweet kernels to flavor many dishes, but it's also used in oils, as a sweetener syrup, and as a feed crop for livestock. Corn has been bred to maximize its yield on farms around t.....»»
Research reveals plant pathogens repurpose phage elements for bacterial warfare
Bacteriophages, viruses that attack and destroy bacteria, are everywhere in the natural world where they play a vital role in regulating microbe populations in ways that are not yet well understood......»»
Not wrapping but folding: Bacteria also organize their DNA, but they do it a bit differently
Some bacteria, it turns out, have proteins much like ours that organize the DNA in their cells. They just do it a bit differently. This is revealed by new research from biochemists at the Leiden Institute of Chemistry and the Max Planck Institute for.....»»
Nitrous oxide emissions are accelerating with growing demand for fertilizer and meat
Food's role in climate change has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our time. The journey of a steak, fruit or salad from the vast expanses of agricultural lands to the plates on our tables leaves a significant footprint on the environment.....»»
Study finds Arctic warming three-fold compared to global patterns
Global warming is an omnipresent issue, with widespread initiatives to draw down emissions and mitigate against the International Panel on Climate Change's worse-case scenario predictions of 3.2°C of warming by 2100 (relative to pre-Industrial level.....»»
Study finds human-caused nitrous oxide emissions grew 40% from 1980–2020, greatly accelerating climate change
Emissions of nitrous oxide—a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide or methane—continued unabated between 1980 and 2020, a year when more than 10-million metric tons were released into the atmosphere primarily through farming practices, a.....»»
Scientists engineer yellow-seeded camelina with high oil output
Efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from transportation fuels are increasing demand for oil produced by nonfood crops. These plants use sunlight to power the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oil, which accumulates in seeds. Crop.....»»
Most companies fail to define ambitious reduction targets, study finds
A study from the University of Twente has revealed insights into the corporate world's approach to achieving net-zero emissions. The findings are published in the journal Climate Policy......»»
Unlocking the future of sustainable mining through carbon sequestration
As the world transitions to greener sources of energy, demand for the metals used in these new technologies is increasing. But how do you grow the mining industry while still holding the line on carbon emissions?.....»»
Enhancing energy conversion: Pt-Co@NCS catalyst demonstrates synergy for enhanced alkaline hydrogen evolution
A study published in the journal Materials Futures introduces the Pt-Co@NCS catalyst, showcasing a remarkable synergy between Pt nanoparticles and Co single atoms on a nitrogen-doped carbon scaffold. This innovative design overcomes the hurdle of slo.....»»
How members of the microbiome specifically fight Salmonella infections
The microbiome, the microorganisms that populate our intestines and aid in digestion, weighs around one and a half kilograms. It primarily consists of bacteria and provides protective effects against pathogens entering our digestive system through fo.....»»
Scientists make and test efficient water-splitting catalyst predicted by theory
Hydrogen (H2) is a promising fuel for reducing greenhouse gases, especially if produced by using renewable energy to split water molecules (H2O). But as simple as it may seem to break water into hydrogen and oxygen, the chemistry is complex......»»
Unknown helpers of the soil: How invertebrates support the decomposition of plants
When plants or parts of them die, billions of small creatures help to break down the organic material. Next to microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, also some soil-living invertebrates seem to be involved in this process......»»
New Zealand scraps plan to tax livestock burps, farts
New Zealand's center-right government said Tuesday it is scrapping a scheme to price greenhouse gas emissions from livestock—squelching a so-called burp tax......»»
Income inequality and carbon dioxide emissions have a complex relationship
Income inequality and carbon dioxide emissions for high-income nations such as the United States, Denmark and Canada are intrinsically linked—but a new study from Drexel University has taken a deeper look at the connection and found this relationsh.....»»
Study finds natural climate variability impacts Arctic and global warming
When comparing model simulations of Earth's recent warming to real-world observations, differences can arise from several factors, including model errors in the simulated response to increased greenhouse gases and natural fluctuations within the clim.....»»
Farming with a mixture of crops, animals and trees is better for the environment—evidence from Ghana and Malawi suggests
Farming just one kind of crop in a field at a time, and using a lot of chemicals, poses a risk to both people and nature. This simplified intensive agriculture often goes hand in hand with increased greenhouse gas emissions, land and water degradatio.....»»
Wind farms, key to clean-energy efforts, threaten birds and bats: Developers urged to plan for wildlife
Terry Husted lives in DeWitt County, a major pathway for migrating birds in central Illinois. After a company submitted plans to construct a wind farm in his area, Husted said he grew worried about the potential for collisions......»»