Feature Channels: Environmental Science

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Morning glory plants that can resist the effects of glyphosate also resist damage from herbivorous insects, according to a University of Michigan study.

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Dr. Hyang-Tag Lim's research team at the KIST has implemented a quantum computing algorithm that can estimate interatomic bond distances and ground state energies with chemical accuracy using fewer resources than conventional methods, and has succeeded in performing accurate calculations without the need for additional quantum error mitigation techniques.

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A new program at Wayne State University supported by a four-year, $749,991 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will use data to study the future of agriculture and train students to better understand how to keep people fed in an ever-changing world.

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Over a typical two-year rotation of corn and soybeans, 40% of nitrous oxide emissions are in the fertilizer-free soybean year, according to new Iowa State University research. Winter cover crops and planting soybeans earlier could reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas by one-third while increasing yields.

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A report out today by The Washington Post finds most cities in the United States are not prepared for climate change. ...

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WCS welcomes this scientific opinion by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA), which provides recommendations to support the successful implementation of European Union (EU) policies deriving from a One Health approach.

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Chemists have developed a novel way to capture and convert carbon dioxide into methane, suggesting that future gas emissions could be converted into an alternative fuel using electricity from renewable sources.

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A groundbreaking review article delves into the critical challenges facing electric vehicle (EV) battery technology, offering insights into current research trends and future advancements. The study examines the performance, safety, and environmental impact of various battery types, including lithium-ion and solid-state batteries. It also explores innovative management techniques and highlights the importance of developing cost-effective, sustainable, and safe battery solutions to support the growth of electric mobility.

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Flying robots capable of inspecting and repairing building envelopes, interacting with natural ecosystems, and monitoring climate change and biodiversity are being developed and tested at the DroneHub at Empa's NEST.

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Geology researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso are partnering with scientists in the Kingdom of Bhutan to detect and mitigate the impact of glacial floods on rural mountain villages. The new project is supported by approximately $380,000 from the National Science Foundation.

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In this week’s Physics of Fluids, researchers employ machine learning to more accurately model the boundary layer wind field of tropical cyclones. Conventional approaches to storm forecasting involve large numerical simulations run on supercomputers incorporating mountains of observational data, and they still often result in inaccurate or incomplete predictions. In contrast, the author’s machine learning algorithm is equipped with atmospheric physics equations that can produce more accurate results faster and with less data.

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A few years back, a group of weed scientists showed that soil-applied herbicides are less effective against agricultural weeds in the context of our changing climate. Now, the same research group, led by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has shown the same is true of post-emergence (POST) herbicides.

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Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution partner with the University of the Virgin Islands to create a resilient artificial reef

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Media and invited guests are welcome to tour a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) atmospheric observatory recently installed in Alabama’s Bankhead National Forest. Speak with scientists and federal and local officials, see a weather balloon launch, and get a tour of the state-of-the-art atmospheric instruments installed at the observatory.

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Climate change is a persistent and growing challenge to plant life on our planet. Changes to the environment that plants are unaccustomed to affect how they grow, putting much at risk. Increasingly, plant scientists are trying to determine how these environmental changes will impact plant life and whether plants will be able to acclimate to a new status quo.

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Following an Earth Day pledge to significantly reduce the organization’s environmental footprint by 2050, the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) announced its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP), an ambitious strategy to halve emissions by 2030, and eliminate them by 2042, underscoring the goal to become the nation’s most environmentally friendly health care organization.

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Teams from Northern Arizona University and the Salt River Project collaborated on several research projects, including ones aimed at protecting the Salt and Verde River watersheds and ensuring the power grid can handle the increasing number of electric vehicles on the road.

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Irvine, Calif., Nov. 18, 2024 — The severity of California’s wildfires has rapidly increased over the last several decades as a result of human-driven climate change, resulting in accelerated tree losses during more intense wildfires, an Environmental Research Letters study from University of California, Irvine and the University of Utah scientists reveals.

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As part of a $12-million inter-university research program, geography professor Oliver Sonnentag will help document the long-term storage potential of this chemical element in Canada.

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Citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing, is a plant disease that has decimated citrus production in the U.S., particularly in Florida, California and Texas, the top three citrus-producing states. It affects almost all citrus species, including orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime trees. It has caused reduced yields, financial losses for producers and higher citrus prices for consumers.