Environment

A freesia's root architecture helps the plant store food to survive seasonal weather conditions. Image credit - Brian Atkinson

16 October 2018

Root architecture discoveries could help breed drought-resistant crops

We should breed new varieties of crops based on their root architecture rather than just focusing on the top half of the plant, according to scientists looking at how to cultivate plants that use water more efficiently and better withstand drought conditions.

Dr Keywan Riahi said the first step in limiting global warming should be curbing energy demand. Image credit - Dr Riahi

environment | energy

12 October 2018

Climate actions that lift people out of poverty are often most cost-effective

The most cost-effective climate change actions are also those that could help us achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as ending poverty and hunger, according to Dr Keywan Riahi, director of the energy program of the International Institute Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, who says the first step should be to cut our energy demand.

Researchers are using computer simulations to estimate how 11 different species of extinct archosaurs such as the batrachotomus might have moved. Image credit: John Hutchinson

environment | ict

09 October 2018

Models of dinosaur movement could help us build stronger robots and buildings

From about 245 to 66 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Although well-preserved skeletons give us a good idea of what they looked like, the way their limbs worked remains a bigger mystery. But computer simulations may soon provide a realistic glimpse into how some species moved and inform work in fields such as robotics, prosthetics and architecture.

The hardest part about recycling used nappies is opening them. Image credit - Wagga Wagga City Council 2010-2018

environment

08 October 2018

Scientists want to use dirty nappies as a source of raw materials

Thousands of soiled nappies that were destined to clog Italian landfill sites or incinerators are being redirected to a recycling plant that is turning them into streams of high quality raw materials, in a new process that it is hoped will be replicated around Europe.

The infrastructure for turning seaweed into a sustainable alternative for livestock feed, chemicals and energy is still in its infancy. Image credit - MacroFuels

environment | industry

05 October 2018

Seaweed-powered trucks - hope or hype?

Seaweed has long been touted for its potential as a sustainable ingredient for biofuels, green chemicals and biodegradable materials, but scaling up production to industrial levels in a way that maintains its environmental credentials is proving a real challenge for scientists.

Magnetic fields are among the techniques being developed to extract metal particles from slags (stony waste matter). Image credit - Slag heap at Rammelsberg / Goslar by B.Nunold is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

industry | environment

01 October 2018

Discarded waste could be a treasure trove of rare metals

Miners could soon be scouring mounds of industrial waste to extract rare metals that are needed for products such as electronics, pacemakers, aircraft parts and bicycle gears.

Agriculture should be a good example of a circular economy, but modern farming practices and international markets have changed that. Image credit - Hemmo/ Pixabay.

environment | agriculture

24 September 2018

Recharging soils with carbon could make farms more productive

Turning crop waste and discarded paper into a material called biochar could help to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil while also helping to enrich farmland.

Earthworms are being used to break down sewage sludge, which can otherwise clog treatment systems. Image credit - Earth worms by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

environment

20 September 2018

Worms, water fleas and bacteria could bring clean water to remote areas

Earthworms and tiny water fleas could help deliver clean water to billions of people living in remote areas of the world by eating up sewage and other pollution.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Amatrice, Italy, in August 2016 killed nearly 300 people. Image credit - Amatrice Corso by Mario1952 is licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and 2016 Amatrice earthquake by Leggi il Firenzepost is licensed under CC BY 3.0

environment | policy | open science

13 September 2018

Plate tectonics observatory to create seismic shift in earthquake research

We may never be able to entirely predict earthquakes such as those that hit central Italy in 2016, but we could better assess how they’re going to play out by joining up data from different scientific fields in a new Europe-wide observatory, say scientists.

Plant-based air-cleaning wall. Image credit-NAAVA

environment

04 September 2018

Artificial forest air and light-based chemical reactions tackle indoor pollution

The air in our offices and homes can contain a higher mix of chemicals than outdoors, but next-generation purifiers - including one that uses plants as natural biofilters and another that turns pollutants into water and carbon dioxide - are aiming to absorb the harmful particles and let us all breathe a bit easier.