Climate Change

Lingnan University held its inaugural Technology Transfer Forum today, 28 February, at the Qianhai International Talent Hub in Shenzhen. Supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Innovation and Technology Commission, the forum focused on “Building a Smart Future for Sustainability”. It brought together over 160 government officials, leading scholars, and industry pioneers from Hong Kong and Mainland China to explore the latest research and practical applications in the four cutting-edge technological areas of New Energy, New Material, New Data, and New Humanity.

LES with an idealized terrain configuration reveals the effect of convection-environment interactions in extreme rainfall over mountainous islands.

Species distribution models (SDMs) help scientists monitor biodiversity by predicting where species are located based on environmental variables. However, many new tools designed for SDMs are becoming increasingly complex, and researchers often struggle with choosing the right statistical package. This challenge has been eased by a recent paper from an associate professor at Tohoku University. The paper introduces a meta-package called sdmverse, which catalogs available packages and provides handy visualizations to illustrate how they relate to one another.

Duke University and Duke-NUS Medical School are proud to announce the recipients of their latest Research Collaboration Pilot Project grants, totalling more than S$1 million.

Because of climate change, harmful algal blooms are increasing in frequency and intensity. New science helps demystify the frequent harmful algal blooms in the Pacific off the coast of Chile by studying how algae species interact with each other and their environment.

Detailed study of a Greenland glacier’s flow rate reveals the impact of environmental conditions.

Tsuyoshi Watanabe uses corals to understand the environment of the past and what it can tell us about people living then.

A research team led by National Taiwan University used geochemical indicators from deep-sea sediments to reconstruct the upper ocean zonal gradients in the tropical Pacific during the last glacial period, providing valuable constraints for future climate projections.

Accidental clogging in geothermal wells reveals need for monitoring to ensure long-term usability

Seed grants have been awarded to six applicants with high quality and well-outlined proposals to organize workshops promoting science advice at an institutional or national level in their respective countries in 2025.

This annual event will bring together innovators, researchers, and industry leaders from around the world to spotlight groundbreaking advancements in sustainable energy and green technology.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are an AI model trained on ‘plant-speak’, how greedy groundwater use is making cities sink, and a lidar system that could find a needle in a very large haystack.

The distribution of traditional wild food sources in the Republic of Sakha could change significantly, affecting the diets and incomes of Indigenous rural communities who depend on them.

Scientists unearth a clue to the molecular mechanisms involved in N2O reduction by deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria.

Just like we recycle waste, repurposing excess CO₂ from the atmosphere could be one way to abate the worsening climate crisis. In electrochemical reduction, CO₂ is converted into industrial products like carbon monoxide, methane, or ethanol. However, scientists have difficulty tailoring the reaction to produce specific products. Now, an international research team has harnessed the versatility of copper to find a solution to this conundrum.

Venice of the Pacific, Membrane transformers, Diverse meals, Nano dots and spirals & Extinct swimmers. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how to make a mouse from a single-celled organism, stimulating tastebuds in VR and how moving water actually ends up moving the planet.

Balancing environmental conditions with energy-saving performance

With the global rise in electric vehicles’ popularity, the demand for lithium-ion batteries has surged, leading to a considerable increase in discarded batteries. The issue of how to efficiently use “retired” batteries has become urgent, and to address this Prof Tang Xiaopeng, Assistant Professor of the Science Unit at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, recently published a groundbreaking research paper titled "Lifespan-based Battery Classification towards Second-life Utilisation", which won the Best Paper Award at the prestigious 2024 IEEE 25th China Conference on System Simulation Technology and its Application (CCSSTA). It was one of only four papers out of 278 submissions to receive recognition.

Researchers have developed a platinum-nickel core-shell catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions. The design improves efficiency and stability, addressing key challenges in catalyst performance, and could open the door to breakthroughs in renewable energy research.

In a pivotal move ahead of COP29, Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has partnered with leading global scientific organisations to issue a unified call to action, spotlighting microbial solutions as pivotal in combating climate change. In a strategic publication, released in multiple high-impact scientific journals at once, the joint paper advocates for the establishment of a global science-driven climate task force. This initiative aims to expedite the deployment of microbiome technologies, providing stakeholders worldwide with access to effective and immediate solutions

Combination enhances microorganisms’ growth environment, uptake of ammonium and phosphate ions

Research suggests that urban areas could reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by optimizing their urban form. However, the relationship between urban form and emissions is highly context-dependent and generalizations cannot be made.

The international team, led by Distinguished Chair Professor Chuan-Chou Shen of the Department, of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, uncovered Nan Madol's history by analyzing the ages of the site's coral rubbles. The research found that subsidence-related sea level rise and climate change posed serious threated to the construction and maintenance of Nan Madol, ultimately leading to the collapse of the chiefdom and abandonment of the site.

Data could help rethink climate change models regarding sources of carbon and CO2 sinks

GDC 2024 will explore how social, economic, and political factors influence the effectiveness of climate resilience strategies.

A new scientific study reveals the complex relationship between the impacts of climate change and the adaptive responses of coastal fishers in the southern coasts of Japan.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how a chatbot prompt can send hackers your personal information, the discovery of tiny crystals first predicted almost 100 years ago, and how microbes influence our brain and our planet.

City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) researchers have made a remarkable scientific breakthrough in developing next-generation passive radiative cooling technology. Their pioneering work on cooling ceramics, pavements and textiles helps mitigate heat impacts without additional energy consumption. This innovation has promising application potential in buildings, roads and clothing, addressing issues such as urban heat islands and greenhouse gas emissions to combat the challenges of climate change.

The equatorial Pacific plays a crucial role in regulating tropical cloud formation and regional weather extremes, earning it the nickname “the pacemaker of global warming.” Though its impact may seem subtle, this oceanic region has been a silent hero, slowing the pace of global warming. Now, climate scientists are on a quest to discover whether this protective mechanism will continue to pulsate in our favor.