Earth | Page 671 | Science Codex

Fungi may help drought-stressed wheat

Scientists at Aarhus University have discovered that fungi associated with plant roots may improve growth and yield of drought-stressed wheat.

Water scarcity has a negative impact on wheat production. As a consequence of exposure to drought, crops show poorer growth and lower yield. This is a serious problem as the predicted increase in frequency of extreme climate episodes will lead to multiple drought conditions during crop growth which in turn will reduce the yield of wheat, one of the world's most important foods.

Clues on the development of magnetic sensors with pure spin current

Electrons have two degrees of freedom, or attributes: charge and spin. With the development of microfabrication technology in recent years, through the active combination of these two attributes, it has become possible to create devices that are head and shoulders above electronics of the past. This field of study has been called "spintronics," and some notable achievements in the field include the magnetic head of hard disk drives and magnetic random access memory (MRAM).

Lakes warming at alarming rates, York U-led global study warns

TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2015 -- Climate change has led to warming of lakes at a rapid rate, even faster than the air or the oceans, according to York U Biologist Sapna Sharma, a lead author of a new global study.

"We found that lakes are warming at an average of 0.34 degrees Celsius each decade all around the world, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems," Professor Sharma says. "This can have profound effects on drinking water and the habitat of fish and other animals."

New technique both enhances oil recovery and sequesters carbon dioxide

A proposed recovery technique for oil extraction developed by a Penn State-led research team not only outperforms existing drilling and recovery techniques, but also has the potential to sequester more carbon dioxide in the process.

The patchy weather in the center of the Earth

The temperature 3,000 kilometres below the surface of the Earth is much more varied than previously thought, scientists have found.

The discovery of the regional variations in the lower mantle where it meets the core, which are up to three times greater than expected, will help scientists explain the structure of the Earth and how it formed.

"Where the mantle meets the core is a more dramatic boundary than the surface of the Earth," said the lead researcher, Associate Professor Hrvoje Tkalči?, from The Australian National University (ANU).

Study: Climate change rapidly warming world's lakes

SAN FRANCISCO--Climate change is rapidly warming lakes around the world, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems, according to a study spanning six continents.

The study is the largest of its kind and the first to use a combination of satellite temperature data and long-term ground measurements. A total of 235 lakes, representing more than half of the world's freshwater supply, were monitored for at least 25 years. The research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, was announced today at the American Geophysical Union meeting.

Number of severe algal blooms in Lake Erie to double, forecast says

SAN FRANCISCO--By the latter half of this century, toxic algal blooms like the one that cut off drinking water to the city of Toledo in 2014 will no longer be the exception, but the norm, a study suggests.

While researchers have long suspected that climate change will lead to stronger and more frequent blooms, a new fusion of climate models and watershed models has proven those suspicions right: For Lake Erie, at least, the number of severe blooms will likely double over the next 100 years.

Fewer landslides than expected after 2015 Nepal earthquake

Fewer landslides resulted from the devastating April 2015 Nepal earthquake than expected, reports a University of Arizona-led international team of scientists in the journal Science.

In addition, no large floods from overflowing glacial lakes occurred after the magnitude 7.8 quake, which struck near the town of Gorkha, Nepal on April 25, 2015.

Aphids balance their diets by rebuilding plant amino acids

Aphids suck up an almost endless supply of sugary sap from their plant hosts. They can survive on this junk food diet because bacterial partners help them convert the handful of amino acids in the sap into other, essential amino acids--not by recycling them, but by breaking them down and rebuilding from scratch, a new study finds.

New metamaterial manipulates sound to improve acoustic imaging

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Duke University have developed a metamaterial made of paper and aluminum that can manipulate acoustic waves to more than double the resolution of acoustic imaging, focus acoustic waves, and control the angles at which sound passes through the metamaterial. Acoustic imaging tools are used in both medical diagnostics and in testing the structural integrity of everything from airplanes to bridges.

Catastrophic medieval earthquakes in the Nepal

16.12.2015: Pokhara, the second largest town of Nepal, has been built on massive debris deposits, which are associated with strong medieval earthquakes. Three quakes, in 1100, 1255 and 1344, with magnitudes of around Mw 8 triggered large-scale collapses, mass wasting and initiated the redistribution of material by catastrophic debris flows on the mountain range.

After the Paris climate deal: What's next for climate change research?

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The climate accord reached in Paris this month aims to cut planet-warming emissions worldwide with the goal of averting the most disastrous effects of climate change.

But even if the deal's ambitious targets are met, there will still be a lot of uncertainty about how global warming could affect some of the world's most vulnerable populations: island nations and other coastal communities.

Oxford team demonstrates 'hybrid' logic gate as work towards quantum computer continues

Oxford team demonstrates 'hybrid' logic gate as work towards quantum computer continues

Just over a year ago, the UK government announced an investment of £270m over five years to help get quantum technology out of laboratories and into the marketplace.

Oxford was chosen to lead one of four EPSRC-funded 'Hubs' looking at different aspects of quantum technology - in Oxford's case, shaping the future of quantum networking and computing, towards the ultimate goal of developing a functioning quantum computer.

Natural or manmade quakes? New technique can tell the difference

A new study by Stanford researchers suggests that earthquakes triggered by human activity follow several indicative patterns that could help scientists distinguish them from naturally occurring temblors.

The findings were presented this week at the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting in San Francisco.

Reading the smoke signals

Laser-based measurements permit detailed analyses of the amounts of carbon dioxide released by the burning of tropical peatlands - and the data show that the answers depend on how many previous fires have raged in the same spot.