In a new study, researchers set out to understand the air pollutant emissions impacts of electrifying motorcycle taxis in Kampala, Uganda. The findings indicate that electrified motorcycles can reduce emissions of global and some local air pollutants, yielding global and potentially local sustainability benefits. Air pollutants harm the well-being of individuals and the climate. Those…

New research could help in boosting the efficiency of nuclear power plants in the near future. By using a combination of physics-based modeling and advanced simulations, they found the key underlying factors that cause radiation damage to nuclear reactors, which could then provide insight into designing more radiation-tolerant, high-performance materials. «Reactors need to run at…

A new luminescent sensor can detect terbium, a valuable rare earth element used in smart phone displays, from complex environmental samples like acid mine waste. Terbium, one of the rarest of the rare earth elements, produces the green color in cell phone displays and is also used in high-efficiency lighting and solid-state devices. However, there…

A research team has revealed the basis to variability across different fish species and uncovered that some species evolve more rapidly, providing them with evolved molecular toolkits and allowing them able to cope with future ocean acidification. Global ocean surface pH is projected to decline with the ongoing uptake of anthropogenic atmospheric CO2 by the…

A new study evaluates the association between a series of environmental factors and disease effects in over 400 patients. The health-related quality of life has become one of the most relevant parameters to measure the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). «We know that several clinical and psychological factors can affect this parameter, but…

Studying radiation chemistry and electronic structure of materials at scales smaller than nanometers, scientists prepared samples of clay in ultra-thin layers. Working at the TRIUMF particle accelerator, they bombarded the samples with antimatter subatomic particles. They found their system is a proven tool for radiation studies of material to be used to store nuclear waste…

Researchers explored the consequences of drought and lack of environmental resources on women in less-developed countries. The research shows the direct and indirect associations to women’s percentage of HIV. The paper, «Drying Climates and Gender Suffering: Links Between Drought, Food Insecurity, and Women’s HIV in Less-Developed Countries,» is published in Social Indicators Research. This study…

Emission reductions due to policy interventions have reduced air pollutant concentrations and health impacts of UK air pollution since 1970. Research led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology charted the levels of emissions of a variety of air pollutants in the UK between 1970 and 2010 — a period in which there was a…

Membrane filters don’t require much energy to purify water, making them popular for wastewater treatment. To keep these materials in tip-top condition, they’re commonly cleaned with large amounts of strong chemicals, but some of these agents destroy the membranes in the process. Now, researchers have developed reusable nanoparticle catalysts that incorporate glucose to help efficiently…

Researchers have evaluated data from the Sentinel 1 satellite mission of the European Union’s Copernicus program and thus demonstrated new possibilities for monitoring mining areas. The researchers used a special radar method, the Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR), to investigate lignite regions in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The InSAR method in itself is not new…