Top Stories

Scientists pioneer a new way to turn sunlight into fuel

The quest to find new ways to harness solar power has taken a step forward after researchers successfully split water into hydrogen and oxygen by altering the photosynthetic machinery in plants.

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Alpine ecosystems struggle to recover from air pollution

What happens to high mountain ecosystems when you take away air pollution? Not much, not very quickly.

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Not so fast: From shrews to elephants, animal reflexes surprisingly slow

While speediness is a priority for any animal trying to escape a predator or avoid a fall, a new study by Simon Fraser University researchers suggests that even the fastest reflexes among all animals are remarkably slow.

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Fact vs. fiction: 3 things you thought you knew about jellyfish

Jellyfish. Jellies. Sea nettles. Whatever you call them, the likelihood of running into these stinging tentacled creatures generally increases in the summer.

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Natural Gas Engine Can Reduce Smog from Heavy-Duty Trucks

Simulated on-road testing shows the engine maintains near-zero emissions during all duty cycles.

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Dual-Layer Solar Cell Sets Record for Efficiently Generating Power

A solar cell developed by UCLA Engineering researchers converts 22.4 percent of incoming energy from the sun, a record for this type of cell.

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Prehistoric Vegetation Helps Predict Future Ecosystems

An international research team found that planet warming drove major changes in vegetation and future warming may drive similarly dramatic changes around the world.

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Most Land-Based Ecosystems Worldwide Risk ‘Major Transformation’ Due to Climate Change

Researchers compiled and evaluated pollen and plant-fossil records from nearly 600 sites worldwide for their study of vegetation change.

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A new way to remove ice buildup without power or chemicals

From airplane wings to overhead powerlines to the giant blades of wind turbines, a buildup of ice can cause problems ranging from impaired performance all the way to catastrophic failure. But preventing that buildup usually requires energy-intensive heating systems or chemical sprays that are environmentally harmful. Now, MIT researchers have developed a completely passive, solar-powered way of combating ice buildup.

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Genetics and pollution drive severity of asthma symptoms

Asthma patients, with a specific genetic profile, exhibit more intense symptoms following exposure to traffic pollution, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and collaborators. The study appeared online in Scientific Reports.

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