Study finds four global policies could eliminate >90% of plastic waste and 30% of linked carbon emissions by 2050
A study released in Science determines that just four policies can reduce mismanaged plastic waste—plastic that isn't recycled or properly disposed of and ends up as pollution—by 91% and plastic-related greenhouse gases by one-third......»»
Parasaurolophus pipes: Modeling the dinosaur"s crest to study its sound
Fossils might give a good image of what dinosaurs looked like, but they can also teach scientists what they sounded like. The Parasaurolophus is a duck-billed dinosaur with a unique crest that lived 70 million to 80 million years ago. It stood around.....»»
"Moment of truth" for world-first plastic pollution treaty
Plastic pollution litters our seas, our air and even our bodies, but negotiators face an uphill battle next week to agree on the world's first treaty aimed at ending the problem......»»
Low levels of common contaminants but high levels of other elements in waters linked to abandoned lithium mine
Lithium ore and mining waste from a historic lithium mine located west of Charlotte, North Carolina, are unlikely to contaminate surrounding waters with common pollutants such as arsenic and lead, according to a new study......»»
Hubble finds sizzling details about young star FU Orionis
In 1936, astronomers saw a puzzling event in the constellation Orion: the young star FU Orionis (FU Ori) became a hundred times brighter in a matter of months. At its peak, FU Ori was intrinsically 100 times brighter than our sun. Unlike an exploding.....»»
Study reveals RNA"s unknown role in DNA damage repair
A multi-institutional team of researchers, led by Georgia Tech's Francesca Storici, has discovered a previously unknown role for RNA. Their insights could lead to improved treatments for diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders while chan.....»»
Broadcast police communications may pose privacy risks, especially to Black men
Police radio transmissions contain personally identifiable information that could pose privacy risks for members of the public, especially Black males, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State and the University of Chicago......»»
Study: Yes, tapping on frescoes can reveal defects
Acousticians put a traditional "knock" test for delaminated areas to the test. The US Capitol building in Washington, DC, is adorned with multiple lavish murals created in the 19t.....»»
Introducing "UFO" galaxies—the Milky Way"s dustier cousins
In a new study, a team of astrophysicists led by CU Boulder has set out to unravel the mysteries of UFOs—not the alien spacecraft, but a class of unusually large and red galaxies that researchers have nicknamed Ultra-red Flattened Objects, or UFOs.....»»
Oldies but goodies: Study shows why elderly animals offer crucial scientific insights
A new study on aging in the animal kingdom has highlighted how urgently Earth's oldest and wisest creatures must be protected, with knowledge and environmental stability lost due to human intervention......»»
Florida panthers deemed unaffected by emerging fatal genetic condition in new research
University of Central Florida researchers have helmed a study that found Florida panthers are not particularly susceptible to a potentially transmissible disease that causes cognitive decline leading to death in their prey. The findings abate concern.....»»
Infrastructure and communication challenges can be barriers to food safety in the low-moisture food industry
Low-moisture foods such as dried fruits, seeds, tree nuts and wheat flour were once considered to carry minimal microbial risks. However, the increased number of outbreaks linked to bacteria-contaminated low-moisture foods has resulted in product rec.....»»
A nearby supernova could end the search for dark matter
The search for the universe's dark matter could end tomorrow—given a nearby supernova and a little luck. The nature of dark matter has eluded astronomers for 90 years, since the realization that 85% of the matter in the universe is not visible thro.....»»
Origin of life research finds RNA can favor both left- and right-handed proteins
The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a discovery that RNA—a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for life before DNA emerged—can favor making the building blocks of proteins.....»»
Cash grants are better than earmarked matching grants for businesses in Burkina Faso
Cash grants appear to be more promising than matching grants, especially if the survival of small businesses, rather than innovation, is the key objective in fragile political contexts. This is the result of a study conducted by economists from the U.....»»
Gene expression shifts help explain how a shrew changes brain size to match the seasons
New research shows how the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus) changes its brain and bodily size throughout the year. The study, published online in eLife, reveals how changes in gene expression enable these small mammals to shrink their brain in.....»»
Math-selective US universities reduce gender gap in STEM fields, analysis finds
Nationally, men in colleges and universities currently outpace women in earning physics, engineering, and computer science (PECS) degrees by an approximate ratio of 4:1. To better understand the factors driving these gaps, NYU researchers analyzed ba.....»»
Establishing a general theory of metal-support interaction: AI-driven advances in catalysis
How can artificial intelligence (AI) help accelerate scientific discovery based on vast amounts of experimental data? A new study by Prof. Li Weixue's team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Scienc.....»»
Fewer than 7% of global hotspots for whale-ship collisions have protection measures in place, researchers report
According to the fossil record, cetaceans—whales, dolphins and their relatives—evolved from four-legged land mammals that returned to the oceans beginning some 50 million years ago. Today, their descendants are threatened by a different land-base.....»»
Durable supramolecular plastic is fully ocean-degradable and doesn"t generate microplastics
Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a new durable plastic that won't pollute our oceans. The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, but what makes it spec.....»»
Race-blind college admissions harm diversity without improving quality, study finds
Critics of affirmative action in higher education have argued that the policy deprives more qualified students of a spot at a university or college. A new study by Cornell researchers finds that ignoring race leads to an admitted class that is much l.....»»