Elusive

A privately funded satellite is set to push methane tracking into a new era, once it launches into space on Monday.A collaborative mission between Environmental Defense Fund, Google, the Government of New Zealand and several other partners, MethaneSAT will track methane emissions around the globe in attempts to identify and quantify sources spewing the climate-heating greenhouse gas. For 20 years after its release into the atmosphere, methane gas is 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in its ability to increase…

Yale chemists have synthesized a unique class of anticancer molecules from bryozoans for the first time, marking a major advance in the field of synthetic chemistry. By employing a novel approach that combines strategic chemical processes and advanced structural determination techniques, the team has opened new possibilities for cancer treatment research.Almost three decades ago, researchers identified a distinct group of anticancer compounds within bryozoans, a category of marine invertebrates native to tropical…

Conceptual diagram of the modeling scenarios including characteristic patterns of pCO2 and the incorporated processes. Scenario 1 is analogous to a degassing groundwater seep with no additional CO2. Credit: Global Biogeochemical Cycles (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023GB007860 A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst that specializes in accounting for the carbon dioxide release by streams, rivers and lakes has…

Michael Gariffo/ZDNETIn the bustling landscape of 2024's technology market, where high-end laptops and desktops often grab the media spotlight, finding a desktop computer that combines affordability with dependable performance remains a critical yet daunting challenge for many. This reality hits home for a diverse group of users -- be they job seekers, students, seniors on social security, or, as in my friend's case, individuals living on a limited disability income. Also: I revived three ancient computers with…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Amid a complex web of disability civil rights legislation in Canada and the United States, one could easily be lulled into thinking that the work is done. Some of this legislation is now several decades old; more recent additions include accessible design standards and guidelines and barrier-free elements of building codes. …

Researchers are exploring the elusive intermediate-mass black holes, theorized to bridge stellar and supermassive black holes. Simulations suggest formation pathways in dense star clusters, but their exact role in the universe remains uncertain. Credit: SciTechDaily.comComputer simulations show how mysterious intermediate-mass black holes could form inside stellar clusters.An international consortium of astronomers, including staff from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, has successfully unraveled the intricate…

Updated Dec. 31, 2023 7:45 pm ETBERLIN—Almost a decade ago, Volkswagenset out on an expensive quest to dominate the new world of software-defined cars and build the electric “people’s car.” It is still trying. The German automaker has invested billions of euros, retooled entire plants and created new software and battery companies to assist in making the transition. However, VW has yet to produce an EV that has matched the success of its historic gas-powered models such as the Beetle and the Golf in its core markets. …

As It Happens6:12Scientists find elusive golden mole for the 1st time in 87 yearsWhen a group of conservation scientists set off in search of a long-lost species of South Africa moles in 2021, their colleagues warned them not to get their hopes up.After all, the last time a scientist had seen a De Winton's golden mole was in 1936. What's more, the critically endangered species dwells entirely underground, and is extremely difficult to distinguish from other types of golden moles who share its habitat.But now, the team…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Autonomous and electric vehicles can be a positive force for people and the planet, but widespread gains require government incentives and investment to ensure access for users across the economic spectrum.…

Exoplanets pushing their atmospheres away may explain a gap in exoplanet masses, according to a team of researchers that recently studied data from NASA’s retired Kepler Space Telescope.What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?The activity could explain an absence of exoplanets with masses between 1.5 to 2 times the size of Earth, according to findings published this week in The Astronomical Journal.“Exoplanet scientists have enough data now to say that this gap is not a fluke,” said Jessie Christiansen, a research…