Sustainable leather, yarn and paper—from bread-eating fungi
Your next trendy handbag could be fashioned from "leather" made from a fungus. Today, researchers will describe how they have harnessed this organism to convert food waste into sustainable faux leather, as well as paper products and cotton substitute.....»»
A Spider Was Filmed Eating a Shrew, And You Can"t Unsee This
A Spider Was Filmed Eating a Shrew, And You Can"t Unsee This.....»»
Bioinspired yarn can harvest water from fog
Scientists have developed a bioinspired yarn capable of harvesting water from fog, providing an innovative solution to water scarcity in arid regions. By imitating the alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterns seen in desert beetles and the wa.....»»
Pitting good versus bad fungi on sweet corn: A delicate dance
The same defenses that help some varieties of sweet corn resist fungal diseases can also stymie the potency of a beneficial fungus used to kill hungry caterpillar pests, studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists suggest. The researche.....»»
Designing multifunctional framework materials for sustainable photocatalysis
The goal of sustainable chemistry has motivated chemists to use renewable energy in chemical reactions, minimizing hazardous waste, and maximizing atom economy. Nature provides a blueprint with photosynthesis, in which carbohydrates are produced from.....»»
Affordable iron catalysts offer a sustainable route to prized Z-alkenes
Chemists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed an iron-catalyzed method that overcomes a significant challenge in the sustainable synthesis of trisubstituted Z-alkenes by inserting two alkyl chemical groups into a type of com.....»»
New hazard maps may predict rust disease in loblolly pine trees
New models developed by University of Georgia researchers may help guide the fight against rust disease, according to a new study. The paper is published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management......»»
Advancing green chemistry: A tandem catalyst for efficient biomass conversion
The global demand for sustainable energy sources has intensified the search for environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels. Biomass waste, a byproduct of various industrial processes, presents an untapped potential for the production of bi.....»»
"Tamed" molecules for more sustainable catalysts: Chemists succeed in synthesizing a spectacular gallium compound
Catalysts play an important role in the manufacture of many products that we encounter in everyday life—for example in cars for exhaust gas purification or in the chemical industry in the production of fertilizers. Catalysts ensure that these react.....»»
Biologists sequence proteins by pulling them through nanopores
A team of chemical biologists at the University of Washington, working with colleagues at Oxford Nanopore Technologies, has developed a protein sequencing process that involves pulling proteins through nanopores in a lipid membrane. Their paper is pu.....»»
Biofuel production: Rhodococcus strain N1-S transforms succinic acid production
As the global push for sustainable biofuels intensifies, lignocellulosic biomass has emerged as a prime candidate for biofuels and biochemicals owing to its abundance and renewability. This biomass, derived from plant materials, holds great promise a.....»»
Sustainable metal-recycling method reduces cost and greenhouse gas emissions
A research team led by Rice University's James Tour has developed a method to recycle valuable metals from electronic waste more efficiently while significantly reducing the environmental impact typically associated with metal recycling......»»
Current economic system fails examination by sustainability experts
Our current economic system is based on poor science and should not be used to guide government decision-making when faced with threats to existence like climate change. That's the conclusion of a new paper led by UNSW Sydney sustainability scientist.....»»
Medicinal tree successfully grown from 1,000-year-old seed found in cave
An international team of botanists, agriculturists and historians has successfully grown a mature tree from an ancient seed found in a cave in Israel. In their paper, published in the journal Communications Biology, the group describes where the seed.....»»
Nanostructures in the deep ocean floor hint at life"s origin
Researchers led by Ryuhei Nakamura at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan and The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) of Tokyo Institute of Technology have discovered inorganic nanostructures surrounding deep-ocean hydro.....»»
Extreme botany: Paramotorists soar across remote Peru desert to collect threatened plants
In an innovative paper published today in the journal Plants, People, Planet, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Huarango Nature and paramotorists from Forest Air, highlight the exciting potential of paramotoring as a means of aiding res.....»»
Low-temperature ammonia-to-hydrogen conversion achieved by applying an electric field
Hydrogen gas, owing to its high energy density and carbon-free nature, is gaining much attention as the energy source for a green and sustainable future. Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is mostly found in a bound sta.....»»
The "publish or perish" mentality is fueling research paper retractions—and undermining science
When scientists make important discoveries, both big and small, they typically publish their findings in scientific journals for others to read. This sharing of knowledge helps to advance science: it can, in turn, lead to more important discoveries......»»
Study shows treed borders around crops provide a base for pollinating, pest-eating hoverflies
Planting and maintaining a border of trees around agricultural fields will help a family of flies that, in turn, is important to crops, according to a recent University of Alberta study......»»
Graphene at 20: Still no sign of the promised space elevator, but the material is quietly changing the world
Twenty years ago this October, two physicists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, published a groundbreaking paper on the "electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films." Their work described the extraordinar.....»»
Research explores organic semiconductor materials for sustainable temperature sensors
New research into organic semiconductor materials, led by the University of St Andrews, paves the way for more sustainable temperature sensors for use in everyday technology......»»