River beds that can shift naturally are more efficient carbon sinks than straightened rivers
It takes about 8500 years for a grain of sand from the Andes to be washed across the Argentine lowlands into the Río Paraná. The 1200-kilometer journey in the river called Río Bermejo is interrupted by many stops in river floodplains, where the gr.....»»
Why the shift to software-defined vehicles will require ‘courage"
The industry's transition to software-defined vehicles offers up many hurdles and will require "courage," according to a top Qualcomm executive......»»
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon laptop chip is slower than Apple M3 in single-core, and less power efficient
Qualcomm has been touting the performance characteristics of its new Snapdragon X Elite series of ARM chips for a while, which finally debuted this week inside the new Copilot+ PC’s (albeit without the fancy AI Recall feature, which has been delaye.....»»
Researchers: AI can make African elections more efficient, but trust must be built and proper rules put in place
Time magazine has dubbed 2024 a "super election year". An astonishing 4 billion people are eligible to vote in countries across the world this year. Many are on the African continent, where presidential, parliamentary and general elections have alrea.....»»
Respectful canoeing means acknowledging Indigenous authority over the land and water
In a satirical look at canoeing in Canada, Ojibway comedian and author Drew Hayden Taylor once joked that "every time a non-native person whitewater canoes down the Madawaska River, or goes kayaking off Tobermory, they should first take an Aboriginal.....»»
The iPhone will never be the same after this
iOS 18 is a big and exciting update for the iPhone. But it also marks a big shift for how Apple handles iPhone updates, and it worries me......»»
Illegal gold mining eats into Peruvian Amazon
On the banks of the Madre de Dios river, dredges work day and night in search of gold, part of a scourge of illegal mining that is slowly devouring the Peruvian Amazon......»»
An earthquake changed the course of the Ganges: Could it happen again?
A major earthquake 2,500 years ago caused one of the largest rivers on Earth to abruptly change course, according to a new study. The previously undocumented quake rerouted the main channel of the Ganges River in what is now densely populated Banglad.....»»
Ending native forest logging would help Australia"s climate goals much more than planting trees
Australia contains some of the world's most biologically diverse and carbon-dense native forests. Eucalypts in wet temperate forests are the tallest flowering plants in the world and home to an array of unique tree-dwelling marsupials, rare birds, in.....»»
How DNA analysis of our rivers and lakes can reveal new secrets about their biodiversity
Freshwater ecosystems are the lifeblood of the natural world, yet they are facing a silent crisis. A 2022 report by the World Wildlife Fund revealed a staggering 83% decline in global freshwater vertebrate populations since 1970, a rate far exceeding.....»»
Disparities in the distribution of flood adaptation resources could be curbed by equity-weighting, research suggests
As the effects of climate change intensify, the need for efficient and equitable climate adaptation policies is becoming more urgent. This is especially true for U.S. coastal counties impacted by climate-induced sea-level rise and the socio-economica.....»»
Novel photocatalyst enables efficient ester reduction with blue light
The sweet smell of strawberries and other fruits is thanks to a chemical compound called ester, which is also found in many fats and polyesters. The ubiquitous compound can be broken down to produce desirable alcohols and other chemicals for use acro.....»»
Study indicates Pennsylvania private forest landowners value fire as tool to manage woodlands
Fire can help shape ecosystems, and after a century of suppressing naturally occurring fire that has thrown forests out balance, some states—including Pennsylvania—are using controlled burns to help manage forests on public lands. Now, a new four.....»»
Researchers harvest acid from seawater to feed beneficial algae
From the air you breathe to the seafood you eat, marine algae have some involvement—they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis and feed fish and shellfish. One day, marine algae could also be used to make widely available.....»»
NASA"s Perseverance fords an ancient river to reach science target
Originally thought of as little more than a route clear of rover-slowing boulders, Neretva Vallis has provided a bounty of geologic options for the science team......»»
Scientists unravel drivers of the global zinc cycle in our oceans, with implications for a changing climate
The important role of the Southern Ocean in global biological processes and the carbon cycle has been confirmed anew by a study published in Science that, for the first time based on field evidence, reveals the underappreciated role of inorganic zinc.....»»
Giant deep-sea vent tubeworm symbionts use two carbon fixation pathways to grow at record speeds
In the deep-sea environment of the East Pacific Rise, where sunlight does not penetrate and the surroundings are known for their extreme temperatures, skull-crushing pressures, and toxic compounds, lives Riftia pachyptila, a giant hydrothermal vent t.....»»
Discovery of microfossil in China from the 518-million-year-old Qingjiang biota sheds light on adaptive evolution
Microbial sulfate reduction dating back to the Paleoarchean plays a crucial role in driving global carbon and sulfur cycles in ancient and modern Earth. Over 150 species of sulfate reducers from bacterial and archaeal phyla have been identified acros.....»»
Study: Climate change drove the route shift of the ancient Silk Road in two distinct ways
Climate change has convincingly been linked to the evolution of human civilization on different temporal scales. In a recent study published in the journal Science Bulletin, researchers note that the role of climate change in influencing spatial chan.....»»
Silicon carbide/carbon microspheres maintain performance in harsh environments
With the rapid development of electronic information technology, electromagnetic wave absorption materials play a crucial role in military applications such as electromagnetic protection and stealth devices, as well as in the defense industry......»»
Novel biosensor offers enhanced DNA detection specificity
Researchers have successfully demonstrated a novel biosensor capable of detecting single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides with high specificity without needing external labels. This advancement paves the way for more accessible and efficient point-of-ca.....»»