Policies perceived as fairer when government, schools employ more diverse personnel

Current research suggests minority individuals are more apt to trust government authorities with similar ethnicity because of perceived shared life experiences. But according to new research from the University of Kansas, white individuals also put greater trust in authorities when such personnel are more diverse.

Stocks in environmentally-minded firms fare better than their polluting peers

The stocks of environmentally-minded companies are a better bet for investors than shares in their polluting rivals, reveals a new study by the University of Sussex Business School and Birkbeck, University of London.

Yeah, nah: Aussie slang hasn't carked it, but we do want to know more about it

Writer C.R Read cautioned in 1853 "that Englishmen going to the Australian digging should search their souls and ask themselves 'if they can stand a little colonial slang.'"

Fossil fuel misinformation may sideline one of the most important climate change reports ever released

This week's landmark report on the state of the climate paints a sobering picture. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that, without deep and immediate cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the world is very likely headed for climate catastrophe.

Deforestation leads to flight loss in New Zealand insects

A University of Otago study has revealed new evidence of rapid evolution in New Zealand's native insect species in response to increased exposure to wind from the loss of shelter due to deforestation.

Predicting the spread of wildfires through computer simulations

Computer simulations can predict the spread of wildfires through sections of a real forest using a realistic yet computationally efficient new method to model the combustion of individual trees. The model, which accurately captures wildfire behavior at forest scale, was created by KAUST researchers and their international collaborators.

Trio of tuning tools for modeling large spatial datasets

Predictive modeling of very large datasets, such as environmental measurements, across a wide area can be a highly computationally intensive exercise. These computational demands can be significantly reduced by applying various approximations, but at what cost to accuracy? KAUST researchers have now developed statistical tools that help remove the guesswork from this approximation process.

Modeling uncovers an 'atomic waltz' for atom manipulation

Researchers at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Physics in collaboration with colleagues from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the U.S. have uncovered a non-destructive mechanism to manipulate donor impurities within silicon using focused electron irradiation. In this novel indirect exchange process not one but two neighboring silicon atoms are involved in a coordinated atomic "waltz," which may open a path for the fabrication of solid-state qubits. The results have been published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry.

Humans will always have oxygen to breathe, but we can't say the same for ocean life

There is nothing more fundamental to humans than the availability of oxygen. We give little thought to the oxygen we need, we just breathe, but where does it come from?

Communicating climate change has never been so important, and this IPCC report pulls no punches

On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first installment of their sixth assessment report. As expected, the report makes for bleak reading.

Einstein was 'wrong,' not your science teacher

"Your teacher was wrong!" It's a phrase many a high school or university student has heard. As practicing and former science teachers, we have been challenged with this accusation before.

Uncovering molecular mechanisms behind cell signaling

A study led by Northwestern Medicine investigators has identified the molecular mechanisms within protein complexes that promote cell-to-cell adhesion and communication, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

How the 'sponge' made by the bacteria Geobacter soaks up uranium

For decades, scientists suspected that bacteria known as Geobacter could clean up radioactive uranium waste, but it wasn't clear how the microbes did it.

Study: Artistic acknowledgment depends on a signature style or the pace of outputs

Recognition for musicians is more likely to be achieved if artists focus on a specific style or diverse styles released at a faster pace.

Experts react to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report

University of Bath academics Professors Lorraine Whitmarsh and Marcelle McManus are available for media interviews this week in relation to the latest, landmark IPCC report on the devastating effects of climate change.

Non-line-of-sight imaging with picosecond temporal resolution

Usually, the traditional optical imaging strategies can only image the target objects within the field of camera. However, through the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) which can record the time-of-flight information about single-photon, the target imaging outside of the camera view can also be captured successfully with the assistance of related computational imaging algorithms.

Using aluminum and water to make clean hydrogen fuel

As the world works to move away from fossil fuels, many researchers are investigating whether clean hydrogen fuel can play an expanded role in sectors from transportation and industry to buildings and power generation. It could be used in fuel cell vehicles, heat-producing boilers, electricity-generating gas turbines, systems for storing renewable energy, and more.

Novel technique seamlessly converts ammonia to green hydrogen

A research team led by Professor Guntae Kim in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has announced a breakthrough in technology that efficiently converts liquid ammonia into hydrogen. Their findings have also attracted significant attention from academic research communities owing to its new analysis protocol, capable of finding optimal process environments.

Rain helps firefighters in Greece but flare-ups continue

Rain overnight in wildfire-ravaged areas of Greece have helped "improve the situation" on Thursday, a local mayor said, but hundreds of firefighters were still battling to contain new flare-ups.

Climate change will transform cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, study suggests

Researchers have shown that human-caused climate change will have important consequences for how volcanic gases interact with the atmosphere.

Heat wave hits Northwest, sending people to cooling centers

People headed to cooling centers Wednesday as the Pacific Northwest began sweltering under another major, multiday heat wave just over a month after record-shattering hot weather killed hundreds of the region's most vulnerable people.

Indian launch attempt of earth observation satellite fails

An Indian rocket failed in its attempt Thursday to put a satellite into orbit to provide real-time images used to monitor cyclones and other potential natural disasters.

NASA blames Mars rover sampling fiasco on bad, powdery rock

NASA is blaming unusually soft rock for last week's sampling fiasco on Mars.