Earth Science

New Study Finds Climate Change Is Top Threat To Endangered Species

Credit: CC0 Public DomainThe authors of a BioScience article highlight that climate change has emerged as the leading threat to ESA-listed species, surpassing other causes of biodiversity loss for the first time.Talia E. Niederman and her team at Defenders of Wildlife analyzed species threats using ESA listings, IUCN assessments, and new climate sensitivity evaluations.In...

Innovative Supplement Offers New Hope for Malnourished Beehives

Honeybees chow down on a patty of the pollen-replacing supplementAPIX BiosciencesBeekeepers across various regions are facing growing challenges as their honeybee colonies struggle to gather enough pollen to stay healthy. To help combat this issue, researchers have developed a new dietary supplement being likened to “a PowerBar for bees.”The Pollen Shortage ProblemUnder normal conditions,...

PHNX Materials Found a Way to Cut Concrete’s Carbon Footprint Using Coal Waste

Credit: PixabayCoal-fired power plants have caused considerable harm over the last hundred years, contributing to everything from climate change and acid rain to black lung disease and heart conditions. Overall, their impact has been overwhelmingly negative.However, hidden within the ashes they produce lies a surprising environmental benefit.Up to 30% Cement Replacement: How Fly Ash...

The Urgency of Climate Overshoot: Exceeding 1.5°C Is Almost Inevitable

Credit: Gerd Altmann from PixabayDespite global climate goals aiming to limit warming to 1.5°C, recent data shows that this threshold is rapidly approaching. With emissions still on the rise, the planet is now edging closer to 1.4°C of warming, making a temporary overshoot of the 1.5°C target highly likely.In response, a growing conversation is...

Origins of Earth’s Water May Not Be as Complicated as We Thought

Credit: DepositphotosPlanetary scientists have long believed that Earth's water came from external sources, such as hydrogen-rich rocks and comets, which arrived after the planet formed, given the apparent lack of moisture in the early building blocks of Earth.New Research Challenges the Conventional TheoryHowever, a recent study by researchers from the University of Oxford and...

Cosmic Robotics Machines May Accelerate the Installation of Solar Panels

Image Credits:Cosmic RoboticsThe U.S. is ramping up solar farm construction so quickly that there aren’t enough workers to keep pace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 48% rise in solar installer jobs by 2033, but even with that growth, the industry may still face a shortage of skilled labor. A major challenge: many...

Fusion Energy is Grappling with a Fuel Issue—But Hexium Offers a Laser-Based Fix

Image Credits:Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesFusion startups face a daunting challenge: building a power plant that generates more energy than it consumes—something that’s never been achieved with fusion. That involves proving their tech works, scaling it up, and persuading investors it can be done profitably. But there's another hurdle that gets less attention: securing...

Old Wind Turbine Blades Recycled Into Stronger Plastics

Wind turbine blades are absolutely enormous, and those from the 1990s that are now at the end of their life are hard to recycleEnrique / PixabayRecycling massive wind turbine blades challenges researchers because they use ultra-durable materials designed to withstand harsh conditions for decades.However, researchers at Washington State University have developed a smart way to take...

Earth AI’s Algorithms Discovered Critical Minerals in Overlooked Locations

Image Credits:RiverRockPhotos / Getty ImagesLast summer, mining startup KoBold made headlines with its discovery of one of the largest copper deposits in over a decade in Zambia.Earth AI uncovers overlooked mineral deposits in Australia, showcasing AI’s growing role in modern mineral explorationNow, another startup, Earth AI, has exclusively revealed to TechCrunch its own significant...

Onion-skin Dye May Find Use In Greener UV-Protected Solar Cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells were used in the study, as they're particularly prone to UV damageVäinö AnttalainenSolar cells frequently encounter high levels of harmful ultraviolet light because they capture the maximum possible sunlight.A new eco-friendly coating could protect them from these UV rays, using its active ingredient extracted from onion skin.Currently, manufacturers apply clear films...