It is well known to scientists that the three common phases of water – ice, liquid and vapor – can exist stably together only at a particular temperature and pressure, called the triple point.
Also well known is that the solid form of many materials can have numerous phases, but it is difficult to pinpoint the temperature and pressure for the points at which three solid phases can coexist stably. (more…)
Bündnis fordert einheitlichen Energieausweis für Gebäude
Der bisherige Energieausweis ist weit hinter seinen Erwartungen als klimapolitisches Instrument zurück geblieben. Zum einen existieren derzeit parallel der Bedarfsausweis und der Verbrauchsausweis, zudem sind bei dem Bedarfsausweis verschiedene Berechnungsmethoden möglich. Die Ergebnisse sind untereinander in keiner Weise vergleichbar. Zum anderen lässt die Verbraucherfreundlichkeit beim Design und die Aussagekraft des derzeitigen Ausweises zu wünschen übrig. Eigentümer und Mieter können mit der Darstellung nur wenig anfangen und auch die Aussagekraft des Bandtachos ist nicht nur in Fachkreisen umstritten.
„Der Ausweis in der jetzigen Form bietet weder verlässliche Ergebnisse über das energetische Niveau des jeweiligen Gebäudes, noch ist er von den Verbrauchern als Instrument angenommen worden“, so der Bündnispartner des NABU, Dr. Michael Herma vom Branchenverband VdZ. Ein neuer Gebäudeenergieausweis soll das Bewusstsein bei Eigentümer und Mieter dafür schärfen, dass jede verschwendete Kilowattstunde Energie auch eine Verschwendung finanzieller Ressourcen ist. (more…)
ANN ARBOR — University of Michigan researchers and their University of Hawaii colleagues say they’ve solved the longstanding mystery of how mercury gets into open-ocean fish, and their findings suggest that levels of the toxin in Pacific Ocean fish will likely rise in coming decades.
Using isotopic measurement techniques developed at U-M, the researchers determined that up to 80 percent of the toxic form of mercury, called methylmercury, found in the tissues of deep-feeding North Pacific Ocean fish is produced deep in the ocean, most likely by bacteria clinging to sinking bits of organic matter. (more…)
Poverty and all its related concerns require so much mental energy that the poor have less remaining brainpower to devote to other areas of life, according to research based at Princeton University. As a result, people of limited means are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions that may be amplified by — and perpetuate — their financial woes.
Published in the journal Science, the study presents a unique perspective regarding the causes of persistent poverty. The researchers suggest that being poor may keep a person from concentrating on the very avenues that would lead them out of poverty. A person’s cognitive function is diminished by the constant and all-consuming effort of coping with the immediate effects of having little money, such as scrounging to pay bills and cut costs. Thusly, a person is left with fewer “mental resources” to focus on complicated, indirectly related matters such as education, job training and even managing their time. (more…)
Young people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are twice as likely to have smoked than their heterosexual peers, according to new research published in BMJ Open. Lesbian and gay young people were also more likely to drink alcohol frequently and more hazardously.
The interdisciplinary research team comprised researchers from five UK Universities (UCL, University of Cambridge, London Metropolitan University, De Montfort University Leicester and Brunel University), a doctor working in General Practice and a consultant from Public Health England. (more…)
NABU-Wolfsbotschafter auf dem Bürgerfest des Bundespräsidenten
Beim alljährlichen Bürgerfest des Bundespräsidenten im Park des Schloss Bellevue hat sich Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck am Wochenende am Stand der Wolfsbotschafter über die Rückkehr der Wölfe informiert.
NABU-Wolfsbotschafter Sven Kühlmann erläuterte dem Bundespräsidenten unter anderem das Beutespektrum des Wildtieres: Anhand einer präparierten Wolfslosung konnte er zeigen, wie Wissenschaftler den Ernährungsplan der Wölfe untersuchen und das kleine Mädchen mit roten Kappen nicht zum Beutespektrum des Wolfes gehören. (more…)
U faculty and leaders reflect on the historic day and its aftermath
Fifty years ago, on August 28, 1963, a young preacher delivered a speech that would go down as one of the most important and powerful in all of American history. “I Have a Dream” became the cornerstone of the March on Washington, a march which galvanized a people and energized the civil rights movement. One year later, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. (more…)
Milk has a reputation for strengthening bones. In Malawi, the growing dairy industry is strengthening the livelihoods of small dairy farmers and the health of the country’s inhabitants. (more…)
