With wind generation one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sectors in the world, experts are using machine learning and other signal processing techniques to characterize annoying noise features from wind farms. Two new publications from the ongoing Wind Farm Noise Study take another step towards improving wind turbine noise assessment methods, guidelines and wind turbine…

Darwin’s theory of evolution should be expanded to include consideration of a DNA stability ‘energy code’ — so-called ‘molecular Darwinism’ — to further account for the long-term survival of species’ characteristics on Earth, according to scientists. The iconic genetic code can be viewed as an «energy code» that evolved by following the laws of thermodynamics…

Compounds from elderberries can directly inhibit the virus’s entry and replication in human cells, and can help strengthen a person’s immune response to the virus. However, a recent study by a group of Chemical and Biomlolecular Engineering researchers from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering and IT has determined exactly how a popular ancient…

The ocean is getting too loud even for crabs. Normally, shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) can slowly change their shell color to blend in with the rocky shore, but recent findings show that prolonged exposure to the sounds of ships weakens their camouflaging powers and leaves them more open to attack. The work illustrates how human-made…

Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. «This report is a…

By analyzing the fossilized teeth of some of our most ancient ancestors, scientists have discovered that the first humans significantly breastfed their infants for longer periods than their contemporary relatives. The results, published in the journal Science Advances, provide a first insight into the practice of weaning that remain otherwise unseen in the fossil record.…

A new process uses bacteria to filter wastewater while creating electricity. «Why is it waste?» asked Zhen (Jason) He, professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. «It’s organic materials,» He said, and those can provide energy in a number of…

The transition from coal to natural gas in the US electricity sector is reducing the industry’s water use, research finds. For every megawatt of electricity produced using natural gas instead of coal, the water withdrawn from rivers and groundwater drops by 10,500 gallons, and water consumed for cooling and other plant operations and not returned…

Rising oceans get more attention in climate change discussions, but rivers are rising, too, according to new research by a University of South Carolina postdoctoral fellow. The research shows that rivers need more attention in policy management and disaster preparation, both at the coast and farther inland. New research from a University of South Carolina…

Sexual conflict in fruit flies is governed by specifically wired neurons in the brain which have been pinpointed by scientists. The research uncovers a gene directing development of these neurons and sheds new light on how certain behaviours — in this case sexual behaviours — are ‘hardwired’ into the brain. It also shows how sexual…