The U.S. pulp and paper industry uses large quantities of water to produce cellulose pulp from trees. The water leaving the pulping process contains a number of organic byproducts and inorganic chemicals….
42,000-year-old trees allow more accurate analysis of last Earth’s magnetic field reversal
The last complete reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field, the so-called Laschamps event, took place 42,000 years ago. Radiocarbon analyses of the remains of kauri trees from New Zealand now make it…
New method converts methane in natural gas to methanol at room temperature
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered a way to convert the methane in natural gas into liquid methanol at room temperature. This discovery, reported in the journal Proceedings of…
‘See through soil’ could help farmers deal with future droughts
In research that may eventually help crops survive drought, scientists at Princeton University have uncovered a key reason that mixing material called hydrogels with soil has sometimes proven disappointing for farmers. Hydrogel…
Nanowire could provide a stable, easy-to-make Superconducting Transistor
MIT researchers are developing a superconducting nanowire, which could enable more efficient superconducting electronics. Superconductors — materials that conduct electricity without resistance — are remarkable. They provide a macroscopic glimpse into quantum…