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Category: climatology – Page 50

Researchers develop strategy for adding keystone species to collapsing ecosystems

There are very few animals as important to our world as honeybees. There is, of course, the delicious honey they produce, but they are also essential in maintaining food security and the biodiversity that is threatened by climate change and becoming our strongest natural defense against it.

But with the planet facing a -induced loss of , what happens when honeybees die?

New Northeastern University research, published in Communications Biology, aims to help address the impending biodiversity crisis. The researchers say they have found a new strategy for restoring lost biodiversity by, essentially, identifying the equivalent of a honeybee in different ecosystems and reintroducing it into a particular collapsing ecosystem.

New theoretical framework unlocks mysteries of synchronization in turbulent dynamics

Weather forecasting is important for various sectors, including agriculture, military operations, and aviation, as well as for predicting natural disasters like tornados and cyclones. It relies on predicting the movement of air in the atmosphere, which is characterized by turbulent flows resulting in chaotic eddies of air.

However, accurately predicting this turbulence has remained significantly challenging owing to the lack of data on small-scale , which leads to the introduction of small initial errors. These errors can, in turn, lead to drastic changes in the flow states later, a phenomenon known as the chaotic butterfly effect.

To address the challenge of limited data on small-scale turbulent flows, a data-driven method known as Data Assimilation (DA) has been employed for forecasting. By integrating various sources of information, this approach enables the inference of details about small-scale turbulent eddies from their larger counterparts.

Is nuclear fusion the future of clean energy?

Fusion is a kind of nuclear power, which could revolutionise how clean energy is produced. As a new wave of experiments heats up, can fusion live up to the hype?

00:33 The future of green energy.
02:00 What is nuclear fusion and how does it work?
03:17 Is it achievable?

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Continue reading “Is nuclear fusion the future of clean energy?” | >

Wildflowers Adapting to Insect Apocalypse by Pollinating Themselves, Scientists Say

This may sound great at first glance, but researchers say it could signal the start of a “vicious cycle.”

The world is undergoing an insect apocalypse, with our buggy friends experiencing global mass population decreases at an estimated 2 percent yearly due to a woeful combination of climate change, pesticides, habitat loss, and other human-made ills.

How are flora — which often rely on insects for pollination — adapting to this massive change within the worldwide food chain? Researchers in France have now revealed one way: turning to self-pollination.

In a new study published in the journal New Phytologist, researchers have found that wildflowers in a patch of farm meadow in the Paris region have increasingly adapted to self-fertilization.

‘There has never been such big hype’: Why space tech is booming thanks to AI

The AI gold rush has brought many market opportunities to the space tech sector, said Zainab Qasim, investor at Seraphim.

“AI’s impact on existing tech used in space will no doubt become more prevalent over the coming years allowing faster research and development execution and smarter insights for end customers,” she said.

AI plays a “heavy hand” in the development of future climate and space technologies, said Jeff Crusey, partner at early-stage fund 7percent Ventures, adding that it has “dramatically improved the efficiency of models, improving logistics, fuel savings, and ultimately the environment.”

Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Being, Suggests New Theory

This was suggested by Gustave Fechner and other philosophers.

How about planets? Can they have minds? This idea, that planets are also conscious beings, seems to be at the heart of a new theory put forth by astrobiologists. The premise of this thought experiment is that bacteria and plants working together have altered planets like Earth, giving them a new lease on life.

This research, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, provides a scale by which planets’ intelligence can be evaluated. It’s shocking to consider an extraterrestrial organism intelligent rather than a sentient animal like a human. But in a way, a planet can have a “green mind”; this paradigm suggests novel approaches to coping with climate change, technological upheaval, and other emergencies.

Planetary intelligence was characterised by the researchers as “cognitive activity” and knowledge functioning on a global scale. We understand that the concept of intelligence may be applied to everything from an individual to a community or even the peculiar actions of a virus or mould. For example, fungi’s webs of mycelium beneath the forest floor are its own breath; together, they make up a living system that can detect and adapt to shifting climates. All of Earth’s conditions will be drastically altered by these factors.

The Pursuit of Perfection: Ultimate Mid-Infrared Mirror Achieves 99.99923% Reflectivity

Advanced infrared mirrors enhance climate and biofuel research via precision trace gas sensing.

An international team of researchers from the United States, Austria, and Switzerland has demonstrated the first true supermirrors in the mid-infrared spectral region. These mirrors are key for many applications, such as optical spectroscopy for environmental sensing, as well as laser cutting and welding for manufacturing.

Achieving Near-Perfect Reflectivity

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