Berkeley Lab scientists help verify science behind geologic carbon sequestration
A demonstration project on the southeastern tip of Australia has helped to verify that depleted natural gas reservoirs can be repurposed for geologic carbon sequestration, which is a climate change mitigation strategy that involves pumping CO2 deep underground for permanent storage. (more…)
Biologists have learned in recent years that wild chilies develop their trademark pungency, or heat, as a defense against a fungus that could destroy their seeds. But that doesn’t explain why some chilies are hot and others are not.
New research provides an answer: Hot chilies growing in dry areas need more water to produce as many seeds as non-pungent plants, but the Fusarium fungus is less of a threat in dryer environments so chilies in those areas are less likely to turn up the heat. In wetter regions, where Fusarium thrives, wild chilies build up their reserves of spicy capsaicin in self-defense. (more…)
Clark Roberts and Mike Cook dreamed up a better way to do code reviews one night in a bar. Today their side project, CodeFlow, is used by every division at Microsoft and will ship in the next version of Microsoft Visual Studio
REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 5, 2012 — Two Microsoft developers walk into a bar, order $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys, and talk code. (more…)
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan State University researcher is working with vintners to introduce passito, an age-old Italian wine to the United States. (more…)
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As the U.S. economy continues to lag, many investors remain wary about taking risks with the stock market. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have concluded that this attitude toward investment risk-taking is influenced by the age of the investor and the economic climate of the time period. Rui Yao, an assistant professor of personal financial planning in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at MU, found that willingness to take financial risks, or “risk tolerance,” decreases as investors age.
“Age has a pragmatic relationship with financial risk,” Yao said. “Each additional year of life represents a shortened time horizon for recouping market losses. In addition, individuals approaching or in retirement may shift focus from asset accumulation to asset preservation. These individuals may become relatively more concerned about potential loss of money when they are closer to retirement or no longer have a steady source of income.” (more…)
Humans pump thousands of tons of vapor from the metallic element mercury into the atmosphere each year, and it can remain suspended for long periods before being changed into a form that is easily removed from the atmosphere.
New research shows that the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere work to transform elemental mercury into oxidized mercury, which can easily be deposited into aquatic ecosystems and ultimately enter the food chain. (more…)
*Combination of colossal canines and forceful forelimbs arose repeatedly over time*
The toothiest prehistoric predators also had beefier arm bones, according to results of a study published today in the journal Paleobiology.
Saber-toothed tigers may come to mind, but these extinct cats weren’t the only animals with fearsome fangs.
Take the false saber-toothed cats–also known as nimravids–and their catlike cousins, a family of carnivores called the barbourofelids. (more…)
Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes throughout the Northern Hemisphere for more than a century and the fingerprint of these changes is evident even in remote lakes located thousands of miles from the nearest city, industrial area or farm. (more…)
