Study links flammable tap water to fracking
When the documentary 'Gasland' revealed an instance of flaming tap water, the gas industry tried to debunk it. A peer-reviewed study now confirms the finding.
Whole Foods takeout containers don't pass test
Study of grocery store containers finds PFAS chemicals in two-thirds of containers tested, and Whole Foods' salad bar containers were the most problematic.
You're betting on moisturizer with sunscreen to save your skin. You shouldn't.
Study finds that moisturizer with sunscreen isn't as effective as straight sunscreen.
Studying ducklings to understand the impact of nesting behaviors
Find out what wood ducks are revealing about threats to our fine feathered friends.
Confirmed: Frequent ejaculation reduces cancer risk
Study found that men who ejaculated more than 21 times a month were significantly less likely to develop prostate cancer.
Kids who create imaginary worlds grow up to be better at open-ended thinking
Study finds that only 17 percent of children create deep imaginary worlds but they also exhibit higher levels of creativity.
Study: Commuters to ditch public transport in favour of cars
Traffic could be worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic as people feel safer in cars than catching trains and buses, transport experts have warned.
Study investigates attitudes of soil-remediation experts to phytoremediation
An investigation into the attitudes of Canadian soil-remediation experts has shown that they tend to prefer conventional remediation methods over phytoremediation — which relies on plants to clean soils — despite evidence that the latter can have advantages. The researchers behind the study highlight that this ‘status-quo bias’ poses a barrier to the uptake of novel technologies such as phytoremediation, and that scientists may need to find different ways of disseminating evidence to increase the use of new techniques among practitioners.
Study suggests anaerobic digestion may reduce microplastics in sewage sludge
European policy permits the application of nutrient-rich sewage sludge on agricultural land as a means of recycling1. However, contamination of sludge with microplastics may pose a risk to ecosystems. This study looked at the characteristics of microplastics in sewage sludge after three types of waste-water treatment, finding that anaerobic digestion should be explored as a method of microplastic reduction.
Study calls for triclosan to be restricted
A new review of the anti-microbial substance triclosan argues that past risk assessments have underestimated its toxicity to aquatic organisms. New data from Germany suggest that aquatic organisms are frequently overexposed to damaging levels of triclosan in waterways, and the researchers suggest it could be restricted under EU legislation.
Study sheds light on socio-economic impacts of targets
Environmental targets for sustainable agriculture can usually be met in a variety of ways, but their exact impacts are rarely known. A new study has compared the social, economic and environmental impacts of different policy approaches to hitting conservation targets in Australia, to help regional governments understand the costs, benefits and trade-offs of different policy options.
Study links autism severity to genetics, ultrasound
For children with autism and a class of genetic disorders, exposure to diagnostic ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy is linked to increased autism severity, according to a study by researchers at UW Medicine, UW Bothell and Seattle Children's Research Institute.
Study details Zika virus disrupting fetal brain development during pregnancy
For the first time, abnormal brain development following a Zika infection during pregnancy has been documented experimentally in the offspring of a non-human primate.
Study indicates decline in seabed-dwelling fish in the Mediterranean
Using data gathered by satellites, scientists have monitored changes in fishing activity around Italy in the Mediterranean Sea for the period 2007-2010. From this, they developed new ecological indicators that gave a more detailed pattern of fishing activity in the Italian seas. In addition, the new indicators suggest that fish stocks on the seabed around Italy are continuing to decline.
Study finds big increase in ocean carbon dioxide absorption along West Antarctic Peninsula
Full Text:
A new study shows that the West Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing some of the most rapid climate change on Earth, featuring dramatic increases in temperatures, retreats in glaciers and declines in sea ice. The Southern Ocean absorbs nearly half of the carbon dioxide -- the key greenhouse gas linked to climate change -- that is absorbed by all the world's oceans. The study tapped an unprecedented 25 years of oceanographic measurements in the Southern Ocean and highlights the need for more monitoring in the region. The research revealed that carbon dioxide absorption by surface waters off the West Antarctic Peninsula is linked to the stability of the upper ocean, along with the amount and type of algae present. A stable upper ocean provides algae with ideal growing conditions. During photosynthesis, algae remove carbon dioxide from the surface ocean, which in turn draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. From 1993 to 2017, changes in sea ice dynamics off the West Antarctic Peninsula stabilized the upper ocean, resulting in greater algal concentrations and a shift in the mix of algal species. That's led to a nearly five-fold increase in carbon dioxide absorption during the summertime. The research also found a strong north-south difference in the trend of carbon dioxide absorption. The southern portion of the peninsula, which to date has been less impacted by climate change, experienced the most dramatic increase in carbon dioxide absorption, demonstrating the poleward progression of climate change in the region.
Image credit: Drew Spacht/The Ohio State University
Study Committee Members Brief Congress on Election Security
As jurisdictions around the nation explore how to shore up their voting systems against vulnerabilities revealed by the 2016 election, Congress held a hearing yesterday to learn more about cyberthreats and options for thwarting them.
Study finds big increase in ocean carbon dioxide absorption along West Antarctic Peninsula
Full Text:
A new study shows that the West Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing some of the most rapid climate change on Earth, featuring dramatic increases in temperatures, retreats in glaciers and declines in sea ice. The Southern Ocean absorbs nearly half of the carbon dioxide -- the key greenhouse gas linked to climate change -- that is absorbed by all the world's oceans. The study tapped an unprecedented 25 years of oceanographic measurements in the Southern Ocean and highlights the need for more monitoring in the region. The research revealed that carbon dioxide absorption by surface waters off the West Antarctic Peninsula is linked to the stability of the upper ocean, along with the amount and type of algae present. A stable upper ocean provides algae with ideal growing conditions. During photosynthesis, algae remove carbon dioxide from the surface ocean, which in turn draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. From 1993 to 2017, changes in sea ice dynamics off the West Antarctic Peninsula stabilized the upper ocean, resulting in greater algal concentrations and a shift in the mix of algal species. That's led to a nearly five-fold increase in carbon dioxide absorption during the summertime. The research also found a strong north-south difference in the trend of carbon dioxide absorption. The southern portion of the peninsula, which to date has been less impacted by climate change, experienced the most dramatic increase in carbon dioxide absorption, demonstrating the poleward progression of climate change in the region.
Image credit: Drew Spacht/The Ohio State University
Study identifies main culprit behind lithium metal battery failure
Full Text:
A National Science Foundation-funded research has discovered the root cause of why lithium metal batteries fail -- bits of lithium metal deposits break off from the surface of the anode during discharging and are trapped as "dead" or inactive lithium that the battery can no longer access. The discovery challenges the conventional belief that lithium metal batteries fail because of the growth of a layer, called the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), between the lithium anode and the electrolyte. The researchers made their discovery by developing a technique to measure the amounts of inactive lithium species on the anode -- a first in the field of battery research -- and studying their micro- and nanostructures. The findings could pave the way for bringing rechargeable lithium metal batteries from the lab to the market.
Image credit: University of California - San Diego
Study: Large shady forest plots essential to survival of post-fledgling songbirds during drought
According to a new study by biologists at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and Virginia Tech the offspring of a certain songbird, the wood thrush, […]
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Study reveals soil fungi has final say in survival of seeds from tropical trees
How specific fungi interact with seeds in tropical forest soils may be the ultimate arbiter in the struggle for survival among tropical trees. “Depending on […]
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Study shows parasites may be among earliest victims of climate change
The Earth’s changing climate could cause the extinction of up to a third of its parasite species by 2070, according to a global analysis reported […]
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Study dates corn as staple crop in Central America beginning 4,300 years ago
Corn, known also as maize, is a vital crop in the U.S. and throughout the Americas. First domesticated in Mexico some 9,000 years ago, scientists […]
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Study: Managed beehives can discourage crop-raiding elephants
Strategically placed honeybee hives can deter African elephants from raiding crops, but the hives must be actively managed by beekeepers to work, according to a […]
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Study backs restoring green buffers along streams to reduce Chesapeake Bay pollution
Current plans to protect the Chesapeake Bay include planting trees along hundreds of miles of streams that empty into the Bay. This study provides realistic limits for how much these buffers might further reduce nitrate pollution, and it helps identify where buffer restoration can offer the greatest additional nitrate removal.
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Study reveals hazards of the high-wire life for bromeliads
Botanists Gerhard Zotz of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Stefan Wester of the University of Oldenburg in Germany decided to take a closer look at these high-wire bromeliads. They were interested to find out how the growth and survival rates of these plants on electrical cables compared to the growth and survival of plants of the same species growing in trees--their natural environment.
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Studying lionfish’s impact in Western Atlantic
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Studying migratory connectivity of shorebirds on the Texas coast
Scientists from the Migratory Bird Center of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are using transmitters to track the movements of shorebirds–the long-billed curlew, red knot, […]
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Study of bacteria inside guts of wild Canada geese shows greater danger than earlier studies exposed
In the early 20th century, Canada geese were considered endangered in the U.S. So in the 1950s and 1960s, birds from the Midwest were released […]
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Study determines microscopic water bears will be Earth’s last survivors
The world’s most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the Sun dies, according to a […]
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Study shows ancient California Indians risked toxins from bitumen-coated bottles
Finding clean ways to store water is a challenge that humans have faced for millennia. In a new paper in Environmental Health, anthropologist Sabrina Sholts […]
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Study shows how birds dive safely at high speeds
To surprise their prey, some species of seabirds dive into the water at speeds greater than 50 miles per hour. A human diver entering the […]
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Study reveals ancient link between mammoth dung and pumpkin pie
New research by a team of archaeologists has revealed a curious connection between our traditional Thanksgiving dinner and the taste buds of prehistoric mammoths and […]
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Study reveals Agriculture and Fishing Cause Coral Reef Decline
Since researchers began surveys in the 1980s, coral reefs in the Caribbean have undergone widespread change following bleaching and disease epidemics that have reduced the […]
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Study reveals more Pygmy Sloths, But There Still Aren’t Many
Size isn’t the only thing that’s small about the pygmy sloth―its population is too. But scientists at the Smithsonian say things may be looking up […]
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Study: Male bonding brings peace, lets primates live in big groups
While studying the social dynamics of the bearded saki, a primate living in the rainforests of Suriname, primatologist Tremaine Gregory of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology […]
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Study: Bleaching events impair long-term coral reproduction
A new study by Florida State University and Smithsonian Institution biologists shows that bleaching events brought on by rising sea temperatures are having a detrimental […]
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Study shows turkey vulture is doubly blessed with acute vision and sense of smell
It is one of the most sensitive noses in the animal kingdom but what its owner seeks is no pungent bed of roses, in fact […]
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Study reveals environmental impact of American Indian farms centuries before Europeans arrived in North America
The new research reveals that from the period between 1100-1600 small agricultural settlements up and down the Delaware River Valley caused a 50-percent increase in sediment runoff into the Delaware River.
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Study finds facial structure of men and women has become more similar over time
Looking at more than 200 skulls dating to 20th and 16th century Spain, as well as approximately 50 skulls from 20th century Portugal, the researchers found that craniofacial differences between contemporary men and women are less pronounced than they were in the 16th century.
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Study reveals road salt may promote health and well-being of roadside ant colonies
To understand the effects of road salting on ants, Michael Kaspari of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Oklahoma led a team that looked at how ant colonies are affected by these conditions; their research is published in a recent issue of the journal Ecological Entomology.
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Study aims to give endangered Shenandoah salamander better odds at survival
Each year thousands of vacationers enjoy the scenery along Virginia’s Skyline Drive, little knowing that for a few brief moments they are passing through the territory of an endangered […]
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Study suggests sleep disturbances among infants may lead to altered brain development
Study reveals early family history-based screening of colorectal cancer may help in diagnosis
Study Shows Ultraviolet Lamps Could Light the Way in Fight Against Coronavirus
A team at Columbia's Center for Radiological Research is experimenting with UVC, rays whose wavelength of 222 nanometers makes them safe for humans but still lethal to viruses.
Studying more may not make you a top-performer (OECD Education Today Blog)
As this month’s PISA in Focus reveals, students spend considerably more time learning in some countries than in others, but this does not necessarily translate into better learning outcomes.
Study abroad
More students are looking beyond their borders to give their education a competitive edge. Despite shrinking support for scholarships and tightening travel budgets, 177 million students left their home countries in 2012 to pursue formal tertiary education, an increase of 77 million students since 2000.
Rebooting Public Service Delivery - How can Open Government Data help drive innovation?
Study outlining how OECD countries are dealing with the challenges of Open Government Data with a special chapter on the policy context of OGD in the United Arab Emirates.