Survey finds American support for human-animal chimera research
In September 2015, the US National Institutes of Health placed a funding moratorium on research that involves introducing human pluripotent stem cells into animal embryos. To assess attitudes on human-animal chimeric embryo research, investigators conducted a survey among 430 Americans. The results of the survey found that 82% of people are supportive of at least some parts of this research.
Blue whales change their tune before migrating
(Cell Press) While parsing through years of recorded blue whale songs looking for seasonal patterns, researchers were surprised to observe that during feeding season in the summer, whales sing mainly at night, but as they prepare to migrate to their breeding grounds for the winter, this pattern reverses and the whales sing during the day. This finding, published October 1 in the journal Current Biology, may explain known inconsistencies in whale song patterns.
Greenland is on track to lose ice faster than in any century over 12,000 years
If human societies don’t sharply curb emissions of greenhouse gases, Greenland’s rate of ice loss this century is likely to greatly outpace that of any century over the past 12,000 years, a new study concludes. Scientists say the results reiterate the need for countries around the world to take action now to reduce emissions, slow the decline of ice sheets, and mitigate sea level rise.
DOI Halts Grants To Eco-Groups For Funding Human Rights Abuses
The Trump administration halted certain grant funding to select environmental organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, which have used federal money to fund alleged human rights violations in Africa, according to an internal memo. The Department of the Interior (DOI)…
Advancing carbon dioxide catalysis
(University of Delaware) Feng Jiao is a leader in the field of carbon capture and utilization, working on ways to subtract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by capturing the greenhouse gas and transforming it into another substance altogether. And now he’s received two major Department of Energy grants, totaling $3.5 million, to advance those efforts.
Mixing of the planet’s ocean waters is slowing down, speeding up global warming, study finds – Washington Post
The reduced up and down mixing is expected to have sweeping implications beyond just accelerating global warming. It is projected to increase energy available to hurricanes and other storms, reduce essential nutrients for fish in upper ocean layers and diminish…
Untapped potential exists for blending hydropower, floating solar panels
Hybrid systems of floating solar panels and hydropower plants may hold the technical potential to produce a significant portion of the electricity generated annually across the globe, according to a new analysis.
Lessons from a cooling climate
Usually, talk of carbon sequestration focuses on plants: forests storing carbon in the trunks of massive trees, algae blooming and sinking to the seabed, or perhaps peatlands locking carbon away for tens of thousands of years. While it’s true that plants take up large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, the rocks themselves mediate a great deal of the carbon cycle over geological timescales. Processes like volcano eruptions, mountain building and erosion are responsible for moving carbon through Earth’s atmosphere, surface and mantle.
Lessons from a cooling climate
Usually, talk of carbon sequestration focuses on plants: forests storing carbon in the trunks of massive trees, algae blooming and sinking to the seabed, or perhaps peatlands locking carbon away for tens of thousands of years. While it’s true that plants take up large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, the rocks themselves mediate a great deal of the carbon cycle over geological timescales. Processes like volcano eruptions, mountain building and erosion are responsible for moving carbon through Earth’s atmosphere, surface and mantle.
EU hydrogen strategy
(European Academies’ Science Advisory Council, Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften) Hydrogen is an important alternative for sectors that are stuck in the fossil fuel economy. As national governments and European parliamentarians negotiate the EU’s hydrogen strategy, EASAC issues a new commentary.
Recent Comments