Top Stories

Sea Star Murder Mystery: What’s Killing a Key Ocean Species?

It started in the summer of 2013. Sea stars were dying in huge numbers in Washington State’s Olympic National Park: They became covered in white lesions.

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In Hunt for Rare Earths, Companies Are Scouring Mining Waste

Over many decades, coal mining in West Virginia has exposed sulfur-bearing rocks to oxygen, creating a widespread problem that continues to plague the region: the draining of highly acidic water into streams and creeks, which are then rendered lifeless.

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Domestication Has Changed the Chemicals Squash Flowers Use to Attract Bees

Flowers emit scented chemicals to attract pollinators, but this perfume — and how pollinators interact with the plant — can go through profound changes as a crop becomes domesticated.

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Understanding Ammonia Energy’s Tradeoffs Around the World

Many people are optimistic about ammonia’s potential as an energy source and carrier of hydrogen, and though large-scale adoption would require major changes to the way it is currently manufactured, ammonia does have a number of advantages.

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Safeguarding the Winter Olympics-Paralympics Against Climate Change

Study reveals changes International Olympic and Paralympic Committees could implement to keep Games viable and safer for athletes.

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Magnetic Avalanches Power Solar Flares, Finds Solar Orbiter

Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become more violent. 

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New Technology Enters the Race to Decarbonise Commercial Buildings

University of Birmingham researchers have designed a novel energy storage system that could pave the way for decarbonisation of commercial buildings by charging from surplus renewable power that would otherwise be wasted, and delivering heat or cooling when required.

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World-Leading Rare Earth Magnet Recycling Facility Launches in West Midlands

The University of Birmingham today (15 Jan) launched a new West Midlands-based facility for separating and recycling rare earth magnets that will help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of rare earth metals, alloys, and magnets.

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How Social Animals Can Spread Diseases

Whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are highly social, but those social ties can also help diseases spread through populations of rare or threatened species.

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Measuring Movement Creates New Way to Map Indoor Air Pollution

University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new way of measuring and analysing indoor air pollution that - in initial trials - has established a clear link between office occupancy, physical activity, and air quality.

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