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 …
Grass plants, such as maize, dramatically alter their root structure in order to preserve water in the soil column during droughts, say researchers Grass species of crops adopt an "austerity" strategy and limits the development of its root system during times of drought, a study has revealed. The results offer …
Boosting food production with limited water availability is of great importance to humanity. However, our current water usage is already unsustainable today. The fact that plant leaves lose a great deal of water through photosynthesis is the greatest limiting factor for larger harvests worldwide. Scientists at the Technical University of …
Can you imagine your phone being solely powered by microscopic bacteria? A team of scientists from Oxford University has devised a way to harness energy from the natural movement of bacteria, which, they say, could power man-made micromachines. According to the study published in the journal Science, these bacteria powerplants …
An international project to develop a large, globally accessible bank of new cancer cell culture models for the research community launched today. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health; Cancer Research UK, London, England; the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, England; and the foundation Hubrecht …
PARIS – Calling the AIDS epidemic “the most important global health challenge in modern history,” more than 50 top scientists pressed their case Monday for a drive to stop the killer disease in its tracks. Anchored by Nobel medicine laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, the group unveiled an aggressive research strategy for …
For the first time, on the dimly glowing remnants of a failed star mere light-years from Earth, scientists have found evidence of water clouds beyond our solar system. The clouds belong to a brown dwarf called WISE 0855, a celestial body five times as big as Jupiter and 7.2 light-years …
Australia's top scientists and health experts have declared that Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is no longer a public health issue, with Australia joining the small number of countries worldwide to have successfully overcome the epidemic. The number of AIDS cases diagnosed now is so low that researchers from the …
Liquid water is a requirement for life on Earth. But on Saturn' s largest moon Titan, life might exist beyond the bounds of water-based chemistry, according to a new study by scientists at Cornell University. Reporting in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published …
Today’s climate scientists have a lot more to worry about than peer review. Organizations with perverse financial incentives harass scientists with lawsuit after lawsuit, obstructing research and seeking to embarrass them with disclosures of private information. On June 14th, an Arizona court ruled that thousands of emails from two prominent …
The summer sea ice cover over the Arctic raced towards oblivion in June, crashing through previous records to reach a new all-time low. The Arctic sea ice extent was a staggering 260,000 sq km (100,000 sq miles) below the previous record for June, set in 2010. And it was 1.36m …
Scientists use a variety of approaches to estimate the Earth’s climate sensitivity – how much the planet will warm as a result of humans increasing greenhouse effect. For decades, the different methods were all in good general agreement that if we double the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, …
For the first time, scientists have built a microbial fuel cell that produces an electrical current without any external power, which means it's now possible to use bacteria that poop electricity as an energy source. The 3D fuel cell is made out of paper, and is only a a proof-of-concept …
Climate change is already affecting inland fish across North America -- including some fish that are popular with anglers. Scientists are seeing a variety of changes in how inland fish reproduce, grow and where they can live, according to four new studies published today in a special issue of Fisheries …
Prof Kibble has been awarded The Isaac Newton Medal by the Institute of Physics for his outstanding lifelong commitment to the field. He is noted for his work in the development of theories about the Higgs boson. Many believe Prof Kibble should have been awarded a Nobel Prize for his …
Scientists — just like everybody else — have little idea what will happen now that the United Kingdom has voted to exit the European Union. (Editorial) Original Source
Kampala — A Ugandan is one of four scientists who have won $250,000 (about Shs851.2m) for their efforts in fighting malnutrition. According to a June 28 press statement, the four won the World Food Prize for proving "science matters, and that when matched with dedication, it can change people's lives". …
Australian researchers believe they've cracked the code which could lead to keeping the dreaded herpes virus, which causes cold sores, at bay for good. The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is known to remain dormant in an infected person's nerve cells long after any cold sores have healed, and scientists at …
Forget mousetraps -- today's scientists will get the cheese if they manage to build a better battery. An international team led by Texas A&M; University chemist Sarbajit Banerjee is one step closer, thanks to new research published today (June 28) in the journal Nature Communications that has the potential to …
The discovery of a vast reserve of helium in east Africa has allayed fears of a global shortage of the precious gas crucial for the running of brain scanners, major scientific facilities, and parties that require floating balloons and squeaky voices. According to independent analysts, the natural store of helium …
