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EU-FP7 DATA SIM Project Studies Consequences of Mass Switch to Electrical Vehicles

The technology behind the design of electric vehicles is ever improving and the EU predicts that these vehicles could be in mass production by 2020. By developing a completely new way of using information from GPS and location data shown by GSM, the EU DATA SIM project simulated the consequences of a massive switch to electric vehicles, and studied the impact on mobility and electricity distribution networks.

6 Mar 2015

Trophic Coherence Could Help Solve the Mystery of Coexistence within Complex Ecosystems

Scientists from the universities of Granada and Warwick have published an article in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA) in which they suggest one possible answer for the enigma of stability in complex ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest or coral reefs. Many similar species coexist in these complex ecosystems without one of them prevailing above all the rest and displacing them.

6 Mar 2015

New 2MW Solar Array on RIT Campus to Commence Operation in April

Six-and-a-half acres of a farm field on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus has been transformed this winter into a massive solar array, which is scheduled to be operational early next month.

6 Mar 2015

More Efficient Alternative to Make Carbon Capture Less Energy-Intensive

Trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power plants and various industries could play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the future. But current materials that can collect CO2 -- from smokestacks, for example -- have low capacities or require very high temperatures to work. Scientists are making progress toward a more efficient alternative, described in the ACS journal Chemistry of Materials, that could help make carbon capture less energy-intensive.

6 Mar 2015

New Method to Improve Fuel Production from Biomass Fermented by Yeast

Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership that includes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, have found a way to increase the production of fuels and other chemicals from biomass fermented by yeast. By introducing new metabolic pathways into the yeast, they enable the microbes to efficiently ferment cellulose and hemicellulose, the two major families of sugar found in the plant cell wall, without the need of environmentally harsh pre-treatments or expensive enzyme cocktails.

6 Mar 2015

Study Finds Miscanthus as Ideal Ethanol Source Compared to Switchgrass and Stover

A recent study simulated a side-by-side comparison of the yields and costs of producing ethanol using miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn stover. The fast-growing energy grass miscanthus was the clear winner. Models predict that miscanthus will have higher yield and profit, particularly when grown in poor-quality soil. It also outperformed corn stover and switchgrass in its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

5 Mar 2015

Natural Gas-Powered Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Could Increase Power Reliability, Reduce Carbon Emissions

Large facilities like big box stores or hospitals could keep the lights on by using a fuel cell that runs off the natural gas that already flows in pipelines below most city streets.

5 Mar 2015

New Patented Technology Could Significantly Reduce Pollution Worldwide

A new provisionally patented technology from a New Mexico State University researcher could revolutionize carbon dioxide capture and have a significant impact on reducing pollution worldwide.

5 Mar 2015

Traffic-Related Air Pollution Slows Cognitive Development among School Children

Attendance at schools exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution is linked to slower cognitive development among 7-10-year-old children in Barcelona, according to a study published by Jordi Sunyer and colleagues from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Spain, published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

5 Mar 2015

New Technique Could Help Generate More Sustainable Biofuels

Researchers at the Institute of Food Research have developed a new way of rapidly screening yeasts that could help produce more sustainable biofuels.

5 Mar 2015

Climate Change Has Negative Impact on Patients' Health

The American Thoracic Society has published the results of a survey of the ATS membership on climate change which found that the majority of ATS members believe that climate change is real and that it is having a negative impact on the health of the patients that they care for.

5 Mar 2015

Significant Water Vapor in Smog Comes from Fossil-Fuel Combustion

The chemical signature of water vapor emitted by combustion sources such as vehicles and furnaces has been found in the smoggy winter inversions that often choke Salt Lake City. The discovery may give researchers a new tool to track down the sources of pollutants and climate-changing carbon dioxide gas.

4 Mar 2015

Climate Change Could Worsen Impact of Pollution on Wildlife

The impact of pollution on wildlife could be made dramatically worse by climate change according to a new study published today in the journal PNAS.

4 Mar 2015

Climate Change Leads to More Frequent Drought in California

California has experienced more frequent drought years in the last two decades than it has in the past several centuries. That observed uptick is primarily the result of rising temperatures in the region, which have climbed to record highs as a result of climate change, Stanford scientists say.

4 Mar 2015