Category Environment/Geology

An illustration of a nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot like those being tested at Rice University for use as catalysts to reduce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into valuable hydrocarbons. Courtesy of the Ajayan Group

Graphene quantum dots may offer a simple way to recycle waste CO2 into valuable fuel rather than release it into the atmosphere or bury it underground, according to Rice University scientists. Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) are an efficient electrocatalyst to make complex hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide, according to the research team led by Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan. Using electrocatalysis, his lab has demonstrated the conversion of the greenhouse gas into small batches of ethylene and ethanol.

NGQDs worked nearly as efficiently as copper, w...

Examining local conditions and global patterns at the same time allows scientists to zoom in on regions of high concern (at 30 km resolution), such as areas with complex geography influencing the regional climate, and zoom out on the surrounding areas (at 120 km resolution) that may not need such a detailed analysis. In this way, variable resolution modeling can get a better picture of global climate with minimal computational expense. Credit: MPAS modeling courtesy of the authors at PNNL

Local rain in Asia might cause global splash. That’s what scientists at PNNL found when they discovered connections between rain in Asia and the southern hemisphere’s jet stream, an atmospheric current influencing weather across the globe...

Acute effects of air pollution on pulmonary hemodynamics: new evidence from both population and individual level studies

Authors recommend limiting physical activity in heavily polluted areas. Air pollution limits blood vessel function in the lungs, according to a study in more than 16,000 patients presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2016.1 “This is the first human study to report an influence of air pollution on pulmonary vascular function,” said lead author Dr Jean-Francois Argacha, a cardiologist at the University Hospital (UZ) Brussels, Belgium. “This is a major public health issue for people living in polluted urban areas where exercise could damage the lungs and potentially lead to decompensated heart failure.”

Promoting a safer environment appears to be as important as controlling c...

Gale Crater on surface of Mars was once filled with liquid water for 10,000 to 10 million years, according to findings from the Mars Science Laboratory (MLS). A new study from Penn State scientists suggests dramatic climate cycles may have produced warm periods long enough to thaw the planet and create the water features on the surface today. From Topographic evidence for lakes in Gale Crater, abstract, 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2013). Credit: William Dietrich / University of California Berkley

Dramatic climate cycles on early Mars, triggered by buildup of greenhouse gases, may be the key to understanding how liquid water left its mark on the planet’s surface, according to a team of planetary scientists...