Climate Change

Study shows that ancient reef-building stromatoporoids survived the Late Devonian extinction and continued to thrive during the Carboniferous Period

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an electrochemical process in which water or hydroxide ions are oxidized to produce oxygen gas, playing a crucial role in water splitting and energy conversion. The OER requires efficient catalysts, and now a research group has enhanced the efficiency of traditional cobalt oxide catalysts by doping them with erbium.

As global demand for clean energy solutions grows, the development of cost-effective and efficient catalysts will be pivotal in advancing renewable energy systems. Now, a group of researchers has made significant progress in this regard by employing chromium doping on transition metal hydroxides.

Ammonia plays a vital role in food production, industrial development, and the emerging hydrogen economy. However, efficient synthesis methods are crucial since the conventional process is energy-intensive. An international group of researchers has focused on nitrate reduction, discovering a more efficient way to produce ammonia and unveiling new insights into sustainable catalytic processes.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how choosing the right drink can reduce your chance of developing gout, how warmer waters mean tougher conditions for some fish, and combining crystals with dye to reinforce anti-counterfeit labels.

If we are to realize better renewable energy technologies, it is vital that scientists develop catalysts that improve the oxygen evolution reaction. A group of researchers has done just that by introducing rare-earth single atoms into manganese oxide.

Ammonia is a gas that plays a crucial role in agriculture and industry and has the potential to become a zero-carbon fuel for energy conversion and storage technologies. However, the current methods of producing ammonia are highly energy-intensive, contributing to approximately 1.8% of global CO2 emissions. By focusing on spinel cobalt oxides, a research team has revealed how understanding and optimizing these catalysts could offer a solution to this challenge.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how playing video games can help you feel better, how we age rapidly in two “bursts”, and a spider that tricks male fireflies into its web.

One of the smallest lifeforms may have the biggest impact on marine ecosystems. Researchers at Tohoku University modeled how climate change can affect phytoplankton – and our future.

Over millions of years, Earth has experienced cycles of ice ages and warm periods. Today, we find ourselves in a warm period heavily influenced by human activities. As greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere rise, global warming intensifies, causing ice sheets to melt rapidly, sea levels to rise, and posing severe threats to global ecosystems and human societies. Understanding the mechanisms behind these warming periods by studying past extreme warm periods is a crucial task for modern scientists.

Growing use of AI reveals the need for global sustainability initiatives

Commercially important marine fish and invertebrate species will likely shift northwards under a warmer climate.

Applied Microbiology International has announced that it has recruited 11 new Global Ambassadors from around the world.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the smallest and lightest drone that can pave the way for new models, how good intentions may have provoked a heatwave, and how eating fruit can stave off depression.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how changing cloud patterns might be promoting a warmer climate and technology to see through walls or part of the invisible light spectrum.

Topological insulators have an interior that acts as an electrical insulator, with a surface that acts as an electrical conductor. Most of the discovered topological insulators to date have been either three or two-dimensional. But researchers have recently unveiled a one-dimensional topological insulator, with the discovery paving the way for further developments in qubits and solar cells.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how drug-resistant bacteria survive in space, omnipresent microplastics, and a glowing treatment for brain tumors.

On the occasion of World Environment Day today (5 June), the Science Unit of Lingnan University and Friends of the Earth (HK) (FoE (HK)) have signed a partnership agreement to launch the first Executive Certificate in Sustainable Finance & ESG Analytics for executives of higher education institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and aligned with the CESGA global certification. Acting in response to our era of digital transformation, this executive certificate training programme not only explores the concepts of Sustainable Finance, but also incorporates Lingnan’s expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics, reflecting the global shift towards Sustainable Finance and the increasing integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors in financial decision-making.

An urgent call for increased international support and collaboration for science in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) has been released in a declaration by the International Science Council (ISC) SIDS Liaison Committee at the 4th international conference on SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda.

Researchers have harnessed artificial intelligence to identify multicomponent metal oxide electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. The breakthrough will make it easier for future researchers to identify the materials needed to address sustainable energy demands.

Japanese washi paper is renowned for its aesthetic beauty and its wide-array of usages. Now, a group of Tohoku University researchers have made a green composite material from washi which boasts a 60% increase in strength as well as being more biodegradable. They hope that their research will revive interest in this traditional craft.

Paper-based battery for wearable devices, To pass or not to pass? Kirigami hydrogels rise from cellulose, Climate impact on mountains, Effects of space weathering. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Four delegates attending the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) meeting in Kigali, Rwanda (1-2 May) share their work to ensure trusted science advice is integrated into decision-making and government policy.

As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the discovery that baby stars “sneeze”, how to increase panda reproduction and detect fiddler crab signals, and how being slightly overweight in our older years can be beneficial.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a floating platform that needs no energy, how shredding your anger can make you feel better, and an automatic lid that can help reduce bacteria in your bathroom.

Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.

Species living in 17 mountains around the world are facing the risk of extinction due to the rapid rate of warming attributed to climate change. However, the establishment of additional meteorological monitoring stations in mountainous areas globally is essential for a deeper understanding of the extent of these threats.

Nanocellular graphene, a specialized form of the revolutionary material graphene, is coveted for its ability to improve the performance of electronic devices, energy devices and sensors. But its development has been stymied by cracks that appear during the manufacturing process. Now, researchers have discovered a means to achieve crack-free, robust NCG - something they successfully put to use in a sodium battery.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are where music affects our bodies, a battery powered by the oxygen inside our bodies, and the largest bird family tree to date.