Plankton feces could move plastic pollution to the ocean depths
Exeter, UK (SPX) Mar 01, 2016 -
Plastic waste could find its way deep into the ocean through the faeces of plankton, new research from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory shows. The study is further evidence of the widespread impact plastic pollution could have on the marine environment.
Researchers have found tiny marine creatures called zooplankton readily ingest "microplastics", plastic debris smal ...
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Mexico issues alert after theft of radioactive material
Mexico City (AFP) Feb 29, 2016 -
Five Mexican states were put on alert Sunday after a truck carrying a container of potentially dangerous radioactive material was stolen, the interior ministry said.
The National Coordination of Civil Protection issued the warning after a company in the central state of Queretaro reported that a pick-up truck carrying radioactive iridium-192 had been stolen.
The ministry said the materia ...
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Watching new species evolve in real time
London, UK (SPX) Mar 01, 2016 -
Sometimes evolution proceeds much more rapidly than we might think. Genetic analysis makes it possible to detect the earliest stages of species formation and to gain a better understanding of speciation processes.
For example, a study just published in PLOS Genetics by researchers from Eawag and the University of Bern - investigating rapid speciation in threespine stickleback in and around ...
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Glitch halts Japan reactor days after restart: utility
Tokyo (AFP) Feb 29, 2016 -
A Japanese utility on Monday said that a surprise glitch has switched off a nuclear reactor just days after it was turned on again after a nationwide shutdown following the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
Kansai Electric Power had been planning to start generating electricity on Monday from its No. 4 reactor at the Takahama plant, 380 kilometres (236 miles) west of Tokyo.
But the reactor unexpe ...
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New theory of deep-ocean sound waves may aid tsunami detection
Boston MA (SPX) Mar 01, 2016 -
Acoustic-gravity waves are very long sound waves that cut through the deep ocean at the speed of sound. These lightning-quick currents can sweep up water, nutrients, salts, and any other particles in their wake, at any water depth. They are typically triggered by violent events in the ocean, including underwater earthquakes, explosions, landslides, and even meteorites, and they carry information ...
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Quantum dot solids: This generation's silicon wafer
Ithaca NY (SPX) Mar 01, 2016 -
Just as the single-crystal silicon wafer forever changed the nature of communication 60 years ago, a group of Cornell researchers is hoping its work with quantum dot solids - crystals made out of crystals - can help usher in a new era in electronics.
The team, led by Tobias Hanrath, associate professor in the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and gradu ...
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Increasing oil's performance with crumpled graphene balls
Chicago IL (SPX) Jan 28, 2016 -
When an automobile's engine is improperly lubricated, it can be a major hit to the pocketbook and the environment. For the average car, 15 percent of the fuel consumption is spent overcoming friction in the engine and transmission. When friction is high, gears have to work harder to move. This means the car burns more fuel and emits more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
"Every year, mil ...
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