Earth

Cold snaps in sub-tropical ecosystems, life under cities in soils, drought in rainforests, and desertification in grasslands are among the topics featured at the 2016 meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), held from August 7-12, 2016, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Subjects to be addressed include new findings on long-term ecological research, Earth's coupled natural and human systems, and the critical zone: the region between the top of the forest canopy and the base of weathered rock.

Animals that live at high elevations are often assumed to be at risk for extinction as habitats warm and change. But a new study led by Colorado State University researchers found that ptarmigan, which live in cold ecosystems, are not strongly affected by fluctuations in seasonal weather at two populations studied in Colorado.

The results, published July 15 in the journal PLOS ONE, are surprising, given the general perception of alpine animal populations as vulnerable to recent climate warming, study authors said.

Quantum physics: The human body is controlled by electrical impulses in, for example, the brain, the heart and nervous system. These electrical signals create tiny magnetic fields, which doctors could use to diagnose various diseases, for example diseases of the brain or heart problems in young foetuses. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have now succeeded in developing a method for extremely precise measurements of such ultra-small magnetic fields with an optical magnetic field sensor. The results are published in the scientific journal, Scientific Reports.

Everybody knows the force that is required to activate a light switch on a wall - a finger is enough. But how much force do you need to apply if the device was dramatically reduced to the "nanoscale world", that is, how much force do you need to operate a "single-molecule switch"? This fundamental question is related not only to basic science but also to potential future applications of molecular devices.

The sixth tropical depression of the Eastern Pacific Ocean formed on July 15 and was captured in an image from NOAA's GOES-West satellite.

The image NOAA's GOES-West at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) showed the center of Tropical Depression 6E (TD6E) about 370 miles (595 km) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. NOAA manages the GOES series of satellites. The NASA/NOAA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center uses the satellite data to create images and animations.

Powerful tropical cyclones like the super typhoon that lashed Taiwan with 150-mile-per-hour winds last week and then flooded parts of China are expected to become even stronger as the planet warms. That trend hasn't become evident yet, but it will, scientists say.

So far, the warming effects of greenhouse gases on tropical cyclones have been masked, in part by air pollution.

ETH researchers have developed a method using a nanosyringe whose tiny needle is able to penetrate single living cells and extract their content. The technology can be used for cell cultures, for example, in order to investigate the interior of the cells. This allows scientists to identify the differences between individual cells at the molecular level, as well as to identify and analyse rare cell types. "Our method opens up new frontiers in biological research. It is the start of a whole new chapter, so to speak", says Professor Julia Vorholt from the Department of Biology.

Using computational chemistry, it is possible to characterize the motion of individual atoms of a molecule. Today, the latest simulation techniques allow scientists to quantitatively describe the dynamics of molecules and systems containing hundreds of thousands of atoms. These techniques are important, above all, for characterizing molecular states that are difficult to observe directly in experiments due to their short lifetime. Here, computer simulations are a source of valuable complementary insight.

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2016 -- Sushi wouldn't be the same without wasabi. But odds are that even if you have dined at a nice sushi restaurant, you probably haven't had real wasabi. That green paste may have a very real, very spicy kick, but it likely is made from a European horseradish. Speaking of Chemistry compares the real deal with the commonly used substitute found in most sushi restaurants, and explains the chemistry behind wasabi's burn. Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/808HUaxP538.

Work by University of Exeter experts to predict the weather in India could help millions of people prepare for the devastating effects of the country's summer monsoons.

Climatologists from the University of Exeter have identified a location in central India where they can predict excess monsoon rainfall or drought, which have an enormous impact on the national and global economy.

Boulder, Colo., USA - The specific mechanisms by which ubiquitous, ever-present temperature cycling caused by the sun might serve to break down rocks remains debated. Here, M.C. Eppes and colleagues directly measure real-time rock cracking for a boulder sitting on the ground in open sun. They also model how sun-driven temperature cycling can stress the boulder. The team observed that cracking occurs in conjunction with these thermal stresses, but only when the rock surface temperature is disturbed by other factors such as a sudden storm.

A team of physicists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) has predicted the existence of a new kind of spin liquid. A spin liquid is an exotic phenomenon that intrigues scientists: it is a magnetic material in which the magnetism of the atoms fluctuates continuously between different directions. Their theoretical discovery found confirmation through computer simulation. Notably, this mathematical description of a spin liquid shares important similarities with a gauge symmetry, which is a key element in the way physics describes the world.

Unlike classical crystals, quasicrystals do not comprise periodic units, even though they do have a superordinate structure. The formation of the fascinating mosaics that they produce is barely understood. In the context of an international collaborative effort, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now presented a methodology that allows the production of two-dimensional quasicrystals from metal-organic networks, opening the door to the development of promising new materials.

Wind tunnel and high-speed camera data help researchers to explore the zigzag secrets of one of football's most unpredictable shots and provide clues to much older scientific mysteries

The zigzag trajectory of knuckleballs through the air has bamboozled goalkeepers and batsmen the world over. Scientists have been puzzled too by these strange shots and pitches, which are delivered at relatively slow speeds with little or no spin and yet travel in such an unpredictable way.

The Northeast Pacific's largest marine heatwave on record was at least in part caused by El Niño climate patterns. And unusually warm water events in that ocean could potentially become more frequent with rising levels of greenhouse gases.