Chemicals within microplastics that are found in our world’s oceans and waterways, and in drinking water sources, remain of concern to scientists and public health officials. A new study that investigated the presence of the smallest particles of microplastics (MPs) in ocean waters from the Caribbean to the Arctic found that the most abundant (and…
Timing of settlement rules out the island as first ‘staging ground’ to reach Australia. Timing of settlement rules out the island as first ‘staging ground’ to reach Australia. The Sciences All Articles | Discover Magazine
A new, higher-resolution infrared camera outfitted with a variety of lightweight filters could probe sunlight reflected off Earth’s upper atmosphere and surface, improve forest fire warnings, and reveal the molecular composition of other planets. A new, higher-resolution infrared camera outfitted with a variety of lightweight filters could probe sunlight reflected off Earth’s upper atmosphere and surface,…
A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign urban and environmental economics expert shows that social networks can play a significant role in influencing the financial behaviors and perception of catastrophic risks brought about by climate change. A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign urban and environmental economics expert shows that…
For the first time, nuclear physicists have made precision measurements of a short-lived radioactive molecule, radium monofluoride (RaF). In their study published in the journal Nature Physics, the researchers combined ion-trapping techniques with specialized laser systems to measure the fine details of the quantum structure of RaF. For the first time, nuclear physicists have made precision…
Following numerous attempts at peace, in 2016, the Colombian government and the FARC, the largest left-wing guerilla group, signed a peace treaty. Although Colombians were deeply divided about the treaty’s prospects when it was first signed, the agreement put an end to six decades of armed conflict in which hundreds of thousands of Colombians, 80%…
By imitating nature, it may be possible to recover seabed minerals by extracting hot water from the Earth’s crust. We can harvest green energy and be sensitive to the environment—all at the same time. By imitating nature, it may be possible to recover seabed minerals by extracting hot water from the Earth’s crust. We can harvest…
Due to the capacity to directly and reversibly convert heat into electricity, thermoelectric (TE) material has potential applications in solid-state heat pumping and exhaust heat recuperation, thus attracting worldwide attention. Bi2Te3 stands out for its excellent thermoelectric properties and has been used in commercial thermoelectric devices. Due to the capacity to directly and reversibly convert heat…
Researchers have identified three distinct spatial types for summer extreme precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau: Northwest, Southeast, and Southern Himalayas types based on predefined thresholds for extreme precipitation. The study is published in the journal Science China Earth Sciences. Researchers have identified three distinct spatial types for summer extreme precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau: Northwest, Southeast,…
For centuries the Makuleke community lived in the northeastern corner of South Africa, close to the modern-day border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But by the beginning of the 20th century, the squeeze on a disenfranchised community had begun, as they were forced to make way for the private game reserves that were springing up in…