Wiping out all of Africa’s elephants could accelerate Earth’s climate crisis by allowing 7% more damaging greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, scientists say. But conserving forest elephants may reverse the trend, providing a service worth $43billion in storing carbon, the academics found. The research, published in Nature Geoscience, shows that …
As scientists and policymakers around the world try to combat the increasing rate of climate change, they have focused on the chief culprit: carbon dioxide. Produced by the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and car engines, carbon dioxide continues to accumulate in the atmosphere, warming the planet. But …
This breakthrough from the University of Illinois at Chicago seems to be an artificial leaf that demonstrates the process of photosynthesis wherein plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to create fuel in the form of sugar. A team of scientists reported that they have created a device that absorbs carbon …
Variations in seasonal rainfall are often related to weather in other parts of world, such as El Niño events in the Pacific Ocean As news both good and bad pours from across India, the monsoon is once again in the limelight. From farmers, scientists and economists to astrologers, the monsoon …
“When the earth burps, Law Dome records it,” says Australian climate scientist Dr David Etheridge. Law Dome is a special spot in eastern Antarctica where scientists have been drilling down into the continent’s long-frozen surface to pull out cores of ice. Trapped in the ice cores are bubbles that give …
Record temperatures in the first half of 2016 have taken scientists by surprise despite widespread recognition that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, the director of the World Climate Research Program said. The earth is on track for its hottest year on record with June marking the …
New research could lead to the fine-tuning of pesticide formulations to further increase crop yield. The findings also show a way to develop advanced performance formulations which will interact reversibly with plant surfaces and will leave their protective cuticles unharmed. New research published today could lead to the fine-tuning of …
The world’s most widely used insecticide is an inadvertent contraceptive for bees, cutting live sperm in males by almost 40%, according to research. The study also showed the neonicotinoid pesticides cut the lifespan of the drones by a third. The scientists say the discovery provides one possible explanation for the …
RIO DE JANEIRO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Contamination as people and agriculture crowd around water sources has hiked the cost of water treatment by 50 percent in some major cities, a study said on Monday, making it harder to provide safe drinking water for a growing urban population. An expansion …
As climate change garners more attention around the world, scientists at the University of Virginia and Cornell University have made critical advances in understanding the physical properties of an emerging class of solar cells that have the potential to dramatically lower the cost of solar energy. Solar cells remain a …
The numbers of polluting plastic beads commonly found in everyday face scrub have been revealed by scientists. Researchers at Plymouth University found that each time facewash is used, 94,500 “microbeads” can be released into the oceans. The small plastic balls, also found in toothpaste, are too small to be filtered …
Researchers discover significant amounts of hydrogen can be unlocked from everyday garden grass England's green and pleasant land could soon become a major of source of clean energy, thanks to research published late last week by a team of British scientists. The researchers have discovered that significant amounts of hydrogen …
Next month, Chinese researchers will edit adult human DNA using the revolutionary CRISPR/Cas-9 tool, commonly known as CRISPR, for the first time anywhere in the world. The researchers will attempt to cut faulty DNA out of the cells of lung cancer patients who have failed to respond to all other …
Garden grass could become a source of cheap and clean renewable energy, scientists have claimed. A team of UK researchers, including experts from Cardiff University's Cardiff Catalysis Institute, have shown that significant amounts of hydrogen can be unlocked from fescue grass with the help of sunlight and a cheap catalyst. …
The Antarctic Peninsula, among the fastest warming places on Earth last century, has since cooled due to natural swings in the local climate, scientists said on Wednesday, adding that the respite from the thaw is likely to be brief. Rapid warming until the late 1990s on the peninsula, which snakes …
It sounds like a pretty 'fowl' suggestion but the odour of chickens could be the key to preventing malaria or even Zika, scientists believe. Experiments by Swedish and Ethiopian scientists found that mosquitoes steer clear of homes which contain a live chicken suspended in a cage. The researchers believe mosquitoes …
Routine scientific procedures using millions of animals are still being authorised when there is a tried and tested alternative, according to a group of scientists investigating the production of antibodies. The scientists, writing in the Cell Press journal, Trends in Biotechnology, say the use of animals in consumer society is …
But the summer visitor is in decline and, according to a new study, its migratory habits may be to blame. Scientists have tagged birds leaving the UK and believe they take two different routes on their journey to spend the winter in Africa. Surprisingly, survival is lower on the shorter …
This simulated cross-section shows how the lipid-like peptoids interact to form a membrane. Each peptoid has two sections: a fatty-like region that interacts via benzene rings (shown in pink) with its neighbors to form a sheet. And a water-loving region that juts above or below the flat sheet. Each region …
MIT scientists have developed an inexpensive, solar-powered water treatment system for rural Indian villages, which lack affordable potable water and electricity. The researchers have designed, built and tested their prototype system, and their next step is to implement it in a village outside of Hyderabad. For the water treatment system, …
Researchers are finding that kelp, eelgrass, and other vegetation can effectively absorb CO2 and reduce acidity in the ocean. Growing these plants in local waters, scientists say, could help mitigate the damaging impacts of acidification on marine life. Oregon’s picturesque Netarts Bay has long been known for its oysters. But …
