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…

Egg white is one of the most important protein ingredients for the food industry. The first assessment of the environmental impact of egg white protein — ovalbumin — production by fungus Trichoderma reesei shows that the ovalbumin produced by precision fermentation reduced land use requirements by almost 90 per cent and greenhouse gases by 31—55…

In order to assess the risk of bats dying at wind turbines, it is common practice to record the acoustic activity of bats within the operating range of the rotor blades. In a recent analysis, a team of scientists concludes that the effectiveness of this acoustic monitoring is insufficient to reliably predict mortality risk, especially…

Next generation triple-pane windows provide builders with lower cost options and help homeowners conserve energy, reduce noise, and lower home energy bills. «Lower costs, greater availability, and the drive to reduce carbon emissions are pushing us toward a tipping point where triple-pane windows start making a lot of economic sense,» said Kate Cort, a research…

A new study found that measuring the time it takes for a radar pulse to travel from a satellite to the sea surface and back again can reveal the thickness of river ice and dates when it is safe to travel on ice roads and bridges in Arctic regions. Many northern communities in Canada rely…

A new study simulated the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on a flight from London to Hanoi and on another flight from Singapore to Hangzhou. When simulating the dispersion of droplets of different sizes generated by coughing, talking, and breathing activities in an airline cabin by an infected person, researchers found that…

New research has shown that traveling fires pose a risk to the structures of large open building spaces over 100m2. The lesser-known ‘travelling fires’, which travel within large building compartments rather than engulfing whole rooms at once, can cause at least as much structural damage and potential building collapse as typical fires. They are likely…

An article reports that whooping cranes migrating through the U.S. Great Plains avoid ‘rest stop’ sites that are within 5 km of wind-energy infrastructure. Avoidance of wind turbines can decrease collision mortality for birds, but can also make it more difficult and time-consuming for migrating flocks to find safe and suitable rest and refueling locations.…

Ecologists have long relied on their senses when it comes to recording animal populations and species diversity. However, modern programmable sound recording devices are now the better option for logging animal vocalizations. Scientists have investigated this using studies of birds as an example. «Data collection by people is less reliable, provides only approximate values, and…

Porous rock containing oil and natural gas are buried so deep inside the earth that shale operators rely on complex models of the underground environment to estimate fossil fuel recovery. These simulations are notoriously complex, requiring highly-skilled operators to run them. These factors indirectly impact the cost of shale oil production and ultimately, how much…