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UCT Study Finds Toxic Pollutants in False Bay Waters

False Bay’s waters and sediments contain a cocktail of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and metals linked to urban development, wastewater discharges and harbour activities, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT).

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Global Crop Models Underestimate How Rice Responds to Extreme Heat

A new study on how rising temperatures will affect rice production in Science Advances compares 214 observations from field-warming experiments with seven crop models, revealing modelled estimates for yield reductions from 1°C of global warming were roughly half those of the real-world observed experiments (3.8 percent instead of 8.1 percent).

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The Sun Contains More Silver Than Previously Estimated

Researchers at Uppsala University have calculated that the Sun contains 55 per cent more silver than previously estimated. 

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Weather Whiplash Helped Fuel the Wildfires in France and Spain

In a summer of record heat waves, France and Spain are now facing wildfires that have forced the evacuations of more than 300,000 people.

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In Germany, Wind and Solar Overtake Fossil Power

In a first, Germany drew more power from wind and solar than from fossil fuels last year.

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Researchers Identify Nonlinear Process of Northern Hemisphere Lake Ice Loss

For lakes across the Northern Hemisphere, winter ice is more than a frozen surface. It is a seasonal regulator that shapes underwater ecosystems and energy balance. But as the planet warms, this frozen season is disappearing faster than expected.

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Herbicide Residues Disrupt Nitrogen Cycling in Soybean Soils, but Beneficial Bacterium Helps Restore Soil Health

Researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have clarified how the herbicide chlorimuron-ethyl affects nitrogen cycling in soybean rhizosphere soils and demonstrated that a chlorimuron-ethyl-degrading bacterial strain, Chenggangzhangella methanolivorans CHL1, can help restore ecological stability in contaminated soils.

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Seabirds Trade Their Survival to Raise More Chicks Next Year Through Flexible Energy Use

A field experiment on wild kittiwakes in Alaska reveals how short-term energy demands ripple across the year, with consequences for future reproduction and survival.

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Can Hawaiʻi Grow Rice Again? Yes, and Faster than in Japan

Last fall, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers asked the question: Can Hawaiʻi grow rice again? 

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Soil Carbon Effectively Measured by New, Efficient AI Model

A new computer model is one of the first artificial intelligence tools to advance scientific discovery in agriculture and biogeochemistry and is 50 times more efficient than its predecessors, according to a study that offers a proof-of-principle for how AI might be used to shed light on obscure biological processes.

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