Earth

Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., have taken atomic-level images of individual nanoparticles during heating that could lead to improved fuel-cell technologies at lower cost, reduce dependence on imported oil and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

Heating nanoparticles and atomic-level tracking allows for the development of other less expensive catalysts, such as platinum-iron nanoparticles. Typically, pricey platinum nanoparticles are used.

The extinction of large animals from tropical forests could make climate change worse -- according to researchers at the University of East Anglia.

New research published today in Science Advances reveals that a decline in fruit-eating animals such as large primates, tapirs and toucans could have a knock-on effect for tree species.

This is because large animals disperse large seeded plant species often associated with large trees and high wood density -- which are more effective at capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than smaller trees.

NASA'S Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) data collected from December 12 to 17, 2015 were used to update Typhoon Melor's rainfall totals. The central Philippines received the largest amount of rainfall that measured almost three feet.

Researchers at the RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia have drawn inspiration from the way kestrels hover above their prey to develop an autonomous fixed-wing micro air vehicle (MAV) that can gain height from convenient updrafts.

The results are published today, Friday 18th December, in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics.

Work of physicists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), in which they connected two materials with unusual quantum-mechanical properties through a quantum constriction, could open up a novel path towards both a deeper understanding of physics and future electronic devices. Their results have just been published in the journal Science.

A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University and Stony Brook University has, for the first time, created a two-dimensional sheet of boron -- a material known as borophene.

Scientists have been interested in two-dimensional materials for their unique characteristics, particularly involving their electronic properties. Borophene is an unusual material because it shows many metallic properties at the nanoscale even though three-dimensional, or bulk, boron is nonmetallic and semiconducting.

After Tropical Depression 29W formed west of Palau, NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image that showed wind shear is affecting the storm.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that Tropical depression 29W formed on Dec. 16 at 2100 UTC (4 p.m. EST) west of Palau and is not expected to strengthen into a tropical storm. Tropical Depression 29W (TD29W) is known in the Philippines as Onyok.

Predictions of physicists of the University of Luxembourg recently lead to the discovery of a material with special electric properties which engages the interest of plastics producing industry. Three years ago, physicists from Luxembourg had theoretically predicted the unusual characteristics of a particular composite material.

Controlled manipulation of matter on the scale of atoms is the topic of a new cutting edge Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project "Heteroatom quantum corrals and nanoplasmonics in graphene" (HeQuCoG), led by Finnish-born physicist Toma Susi.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., December 17, 2015--Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new, more thorough method for detecting underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) by coupling two fundamental elements--seismic models with gas-flow models--to create a more complete picture of how an explosion's evidence (radionuclide gases) seep to the surface. Their findings will appear in today's edition of the journal Nature's Scientific Reports in a paper titled, "Radionuclide Gas Transport through Nuclear Explosion-Generated Fracture Networks."

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2015 -- What is expensive, a delicious addition to pasta and grows underground on the roots of trees? You guessed it -- truffles. While some people find the smell of truffles awful, for many people, the smell and flavor is worth tens of thousands of dollars. What makes truffles so alluring? In this Speaking of Chemistry episode, Sarah Everts explains the chemistry behind this valuable fungus. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/ltXd2BOrIHs.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 17, 2015 - An ultra-high-resolution technique used for the first time to study polymer fibers that trap uranium in seawater may cause researchers to rethink the best methods to harvest this potential fuel for nuclear reactors.

Scientists are involved in a non-stop search of an ideal catalyst, which could facilitate discovery of new reactions, as well as make known reactions more selective, environmentally friendly and economically efficient. Introduction of N-heterocyclic carbine ligands (NHC) made a real breakthrough in the catalysts' development. In combination with transition metal, M/NHC complexes are ubiquitously utilized for developing catalytic applications in modern chemistry.

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.

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).