Новости за 23.02.2024

Given its green bona fides, it's no surprise that California was the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags 10 years ago. Many were hopeful that would make a dent in the plastic pollution crisis, one canvas tote bag at a time. But if you've been to a California supermarket recently, you may have noticed that plastic bags aren't gone—they're just thicker.

For the first time since the Apollo era, an American spaceship has landed on the Moon: an uncrewed commercial robot, funded by NASA to pave the way for US astronauts to return to Earth's cosmic neighbor later this decade.

Lockdown drills, practiced to help prepare children for shooting incidents at school, make those who have been exposed to violence feel safer, a new study of thousands of students in the US indicates.

Black carbon is the most dangerous air pollutant you've never heard of. Its two main sources, diesel exhaust and wood smoke from wildfires and household heating, produce ultrafine air particles that are up to 25 times more of a health hazard per unit compared to other types of particulate matter.

The 2022 baby formula crisis highlighted the precarious balance between regulation, competition and safety, according to a recent study published last month.

Experts have long pointed out the need for white parents to have conversations that directly address racism with their children to reduce racial bias. But many parents fail to have these crucial discussions.

Researchers have leveraged the power of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system to enhance natural rubber production in rubber dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz). The CRISPR system's efficiency and precision offer a promising avenue to address challenges faced by the rubber industry.

In a study published in the journal Science China Chemistry and led by Prof. Rengui Li (State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), a distinct charge separation difference has been found via rationally tailoring the morphology symmetry of BiVO4 photocatalyst.

Over 29% of global irrecoverable carbon, which once gone is not likely to recover in any reasonable timeframe according to scientific literature, is stored in mountains. This biomass, representing irreplaceable ecosystems, biodiversity, and globally significant ecosystem services, is under threat everywhere by demographic and environmental pressures, as Earth's rapidly changing global climate is affecting mountains at an accelerated rate.

Feeling hungry, you reach for the phone in your pocket. A few taps later, your meal is delivered to your doorstep. Problem solved: you're no longer hungry. It's so quick and easy it almost feels like magic. But what actually occurs when we place our seemingly simple food order via Wolt, Foodora, or a similar app? How are the individuals working via the apps affected?

The market for collectible digital assets, or non-fungible tokens, is an interesting example of a physical system with a large scale of complexity, non-trivial dynamics, and an original logic of financial transactions. At the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow, its global statistical features have been analyzed more extensively.

Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) lives in the subtropical and tropical forests of Central and South America, where it mostly feeds on pepper fruit. The animals spend their days in groups of 10 to 100 individuals in hollow trunks and rocky caverns, and at night they go foraging together. They communicate using sounds that create distinct ambient noise in the colony—like the babble of voices at a lively party.

A recent study at the University of Helsinki reveals that dogs with epilepsy exhibit distinct alterations in trace elements and heavy metal levels in their blood and fur compared with healthy counterparts.

In a new study published in New Phytologist, scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with partners in Latin America, Asia and Australia, present an updated family tree of orchids, tracing their origins to the northern hemisphere some 85 million years ago. Not only does the study shed new light on their complex and fascinating evolutionary history, but the study's authors hope their findings will help inform future orchid conservation planning.