Researchers identify novel approach to minimize nitrogen loss in crops

Researchers identify novel approach to minimize nitrogen loss in crops

A soil chamber in a field of sorghum is installed to collect near-continuous measurements of greenhouse gases. Credit: Nithya Rajan/Texas A&M AgriLife While agriculture producers apply nitrogen fertilizer to supply nutrients to their crops, they can’t always keep those nutrients in the soil for maximum efficiency, often losing them into the atmosphere or water supply … Read more

Edible insects show promise as sustainable nutritional source

Edible insects show promise as sustainable nutritional source

Effects of feeds on body weight of rats. (A) Mean body weight distribution of rats fed different diets. (B) Mean body weight distribution of rats in different genders. (C) Changes in body weight of rats over time; (C1) Female; (C2) Male. Credit: Food Science of Animal Products (2024). DOI: 10.26599/FSAP.2024.9240068 As the global population grows … Read more

Stuck-in-space astronauts make first public comments since Boeing capsule left without them

Stuck-in-space astronauts make first public comments since Boeing capsule left without them

This image made from a NASA live stream shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a press conference from the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP Stuck-in-space astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said Friday it was hard to watch their Boeing capsule return to Earth without … Read more

The promise of summer wheat in Zimbabwe

The promise of summer wheat in Zimbabwe

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Africa currently imports around 40 million tons of wheat annually at a staggering cost of $15 billion. Most African countries rely heavily on wheat imports, with some importing up to 100% of their supply. However, countries like Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have made significant strides toward self-sufficiency. Ethiopia has expanded irrigated wheat … Read more

Earth to have new mini-moon for two months

Earth to have new mini-moon for two months

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A pair of asteroid dynamics researchers from Universidad Complutense de Madrid Ciudad Universitaria have found that a small asteroid will make one orbit around the Earth starting this month before departing back into other parts of the solar system. In their paper published in the journal Research Notes of the AAS, … Read more

Hawk-eyed photographer snaps threatened bird feared lost

Hawk-eyed photographer snaps threatened bird feared lost

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A hawk-eyed photographer has thrilled scientists by snapping a threatened bird of prey in Papua New Guinea, more than five decades since it was last officially documented, the World Wildlife Fund said Friday. The New Britain Goshawk is only found on Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island and is considered threatened, … Read more

Risks rise more rapidly for the rich, study finds

Risks rise more rapidly for the rich, study finds

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), researchers analyzed how erratic weather events, increasingly intensified by global warming, affect global production and consumption across different income groups. The paper, “Global economic impact of weather variability on the rich and the poor,” has been published in … Read more

Cooler weather helps, but Los Angeles fires still out of control

Cooler weather helps, but Los Angeles fires still out of control

Three huge blazes are burning in hills around Los Angeles. Cooler weather on Thursday aided firefighters battling out-of-control blazes around Los Angeles, but officials warned the fast-moving fires were unpredictable and could suddenly explode. Around 173 square miles (450 square kilometers) have been torched in the three fires, which have destroyed dozens of homes and … Read more

Dual-feedback mechanism can enhance anti-oxidation coatings in fiber composites

Dual-feedback mechanism can enhance anti-oxidation coatings in fiber composites

(a) Unoxidized cracks in SOAC@BNf/SiBN under oxygen atmosphere, (b) Initial oxidation structure of SOAC@BNf/SiBN fibers under oxygen atmosphere, (c) Microscopic dynamic process of the dual-feedback mechanism, (d) Self-healing morphology of dual-feedback cracks, (e) Crystal structure of the mullite. Credit: Journal of Advanced Ceramics, Tsinghua University Press Fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have been the primary … Read more

Enzyme-inspired catalyst puts chemicals in right position to make ethers

Enzyme-inspired catalyst puts chemicals in right position to make ethers

A new enzyme-inspired, small-molecule catalyst developed at the University of Illinois holds alcohols and alkenes in just the right proximity and position to join into ethers, key functional components of many consumer goods and pharmaceuticals. Credit: Jose Vazquez Taking inspiration from enzymes, chemists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a catalyst to simplify the … Read more