A review of over 100 scientific studies found that natural gas mining operations release complex mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals, which could harm human development and reproduction. Researchers recommend a process to examine the total endocrine disrupting activity from exposure to these chemicals.
Researchers developed a 'reusable holdout' tool to identify meaningful correlations in adaptive data analysis. The algorithm, tested on two rigged datasets, correctly identified true statistical significance and eliminated false discoveries.
Researchers from Spain and Portugal used photonic crystal optical fibers to develop innovative sensors capable of withstanding high temperatures. The system successfully measured toxic gas levels and temperature variations in coal waste piles, allowing for early detection of potential fires.
Researchers from the University of Kent have developed an automated data mining system that can mimic human expert classification of potentially illegal elephant ivory with high accuracy. The system has shown a 93% accuracy rate and is expected to significantly increase the detection of illegal ivory sales on eBay.
The International Seabed Authority is poised to set the groundwork for future deep-sea environmental protection and mining regulations. Researchers recommend establishing networks of Marine Protected Areas to balance economic interests with conservation benefits, potentially benefiting both mining and biodiversity interests.
A Dartmouth-led study using a 600-year-old ice core shows that global mercury pollution increased dramatically during the 20th century, but declined faster than previously thought after emissions started to decrease in the late 1970s. The study suggests present-day efforts to cut mercury emissions will reduce pollution more quickly tha...
A recent study published in PNAS reveals that half of the iron in banded iron formations originated from ancient bacteria metabolizing iron two and a half billion years ago. The findings provide new insights into the evolution of our planet and the origins of life, with significant implications for fields like mining and astrobiology.
Researchers at Columbia University found that students who wrote about values important to them showed improved academic performance and challenged negative stereotypes. The study used text mining to analyze thousands of essays written by middle school and college students.
Researchers Alyson M. Thibodeau and colleagues used lead and strontium isotopic ratios to distinguish geological sources of turquoise, shedding light on pre-Hispanic mining practices in the region. The study provides a new approach to investigate turquoise provenance, enabling scientists to better understand ancient mining activities.
A large data-mining study by Stanford University School of Medicine has linked proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) to an elevated risk of heart attack. The study found a 20% increase in the rate of subsequent heart-attack risk among all adult PPI users, even when excluding those also taking clopidogrel.
Groundwaters in southern Western Australia have pH levels as low as 2.4 and salinities up to 28%, affecting bedrock and sediments. Human activities like mining and agriculture contributed to this extreme acidity, with deforestation and irrigation using desalinized seawater exacerbating the issue.
A new tool uses seismic signals to estimate the energy released by military ordnance, mining events, industrial accidents, plane crashes, and terrorist attacks. The method can calculate yields for explosions hundreds or thousands of kilometers away from a seismic station.
New research reveals that mining pollution has led to a significant reduction in the genetic diversity of brown trout populations in southwest England. The study found that these fish have adapted to live in water with high levels of metal contaminants, but this adaptation comes at the cost of reduced genetic variation.
The new system dynamic model supports investment decision-making and optimizes production guidance in mining investments. The model has already sparked interest among international mining companies.
Researchers analyzed musical properties using signal processing and text-mining to identify trends with consistency. The study found that hip-hop's arrival in 1991 was the greatest musical revolution in US pop history, followed by a diverse year in 1986 attributed to drum machines and samplers.
Scientists have discovered that ferromanganese crusts, up to 26 cm thick, record past climate changes in the Arctic. The crusts' slow growth rates and geochemical fingerprints of their source regions provide valuable information on ocean currents and climate conditions over millions of years.
Researchers created a publicly available website, neuroelectro.org, to collect and standardize data on neuronal function. The site enables the comparison of physiological information across different types of neurons, promoting new methods of analysis.
Scientists are finding valuable metals in sewage, including gold, silver, and rare elements like palladium and vanadium. The discovery could reduce the need for mining and decrease environmental pollution by recovering these metals from treated solid waste.
Researchers at Uppsala University discovered that Moringa seed protein can be used to separate different materials from water, a process important in mining industries. The study found that the optimal amount of seeds needed varies depending on the material, allowing for more efficient separation.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered that treated carbon-60 molecules can remove metals from water and other liquids, with the ability to reserve them for future use. The process also shows promise for separating specific metals from complex fluids, potentially addressing contaminated water issues.
Research from Griffith University demonstrates silicon carbide's superiority as a semiconductor for high-performance sensors in various industries, including mining and aerospace. The compound's unique electronic structure provides mechanical strength, chemical inertness, thermal durability, and electrical stability.
Texas-based Shackleton Energy Company plans to mine lunar water ice and convert it into rocket propellant, with Moon Express also interested in using the resource as fuel. Meanwhile, China is making headway in mining rare-earth elements on the Moon, sparking interest in establishing a human settlement.
A new report by UCSB researchers highlights the alarming rate of marine animal extinctions, driven by industrial activities such as factory farming and seafloor mining. Climate change is also degrading marine habitats, posing a significant threat to ocean wildlife.
A recent study found that gold mining has led to significant deforestation in tropical forests of South America, resulting in the loss of around 1680 km2 of forest between 2001 and 2013. The research highlights the growing environmental impact of gold mining in biologically diverse regions.
Researchers have found hazardous levels of mercury hundreds of miles downstream from Peruvian gold mines, contaminating local soil, sediment, and water resources. The study highlights the widespread impact of artisanal small-scale gold mining on human health and the environment.
Researchers have found that green walls are suitable for absorbing environmental noise and acting as acoustic insulation, improving life quality and reducing pollution. The study also shows that green walls can be effective in high and low frequencies, making them a potential solution for acoustic insulation.
Scientists have installed a degasing pipe in the Guadiana pit lake to remove extremely high concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide. The system uses buoyancy to drive the flow and release gas to the atmosphere, reducing the risk of human exposure to deadly CO2 levels.
A new study reveals that nearly 20% of tropical forests across Amazonia are at risk from human activities such as logging, mining, and agriculture. Protecting these carbon-rich ecosystems is crucial for global climate stability and the cultural identity of indigenous peoples.
Academic researchers are mining social media data to learn about online and offline human behavior, but flaws in studies point to need for more aware analysis methods. The study highlights issues such as user demographics, data filtering, platform design, spam bots, and biased results.
A Michigan State University study found that mining can damage fish habitats miles downstream and even in streams not directly connected to the mine. The research suggests that mines are a regional stress on stream fish assemblages, affecting downstream communities.
A recent study using LiDAR technology has uncovered the ancient Roman goldmines in Spain, including channels, reservoirs, and a double river diversion. The findings provide new insights into the labour-intensive extraction process and highlight the importance of geo-archaeology in understanding Roman mining techniques.
Researchers warn that new Brazilian laws could weaken environmental protection and threaten protected areas. At least 20% of Brazil's most strictly protected areas overlap with mining interests, while large hydroelectric dams will influence many river systems.
The 2014 Semantic Web Challenge was won by three teams: Mining the Web of Linked Data with RapidMiner, Enabling Live Exploration on The Graph of Things, and DIVE into the Event-Based Browsing of Linked Historical Media. The Big Data Track was won by Extending Tables with Data from over a million websites.
Researchers at SnT develop an algorithm that reduces computing overhead in smart grid control by storing only changes in system state and automatically identifying suitable measurement values from the past. This enables micro mining, resulting in increased computing efficiency and a significant reduction in computing capacity.
The Department of Environmental Quality has awarded a $1.6 million grant to continue the water cleanup project at the Tar Creek Superfund site, led by Professor Robert Nairn and his team. The project aims to restore balance to the communities and wildlife in northeast Oklahoma.
Researchers explore challenges and opportunities of mining large climate datasets with powerful analytical methods, scientific theory, and solid data engineering. By combining theory and Big Data, scientists aim to explain and predict important climate change phenomena.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will develop new strategies for mining and understanding complex biomedical data sets. The center's findings will help shape guidelines for future data integration and use.
Rong Xu's research aims to automate identification of drug effects using artificial intelligence, data mining, and machine learning on thousands of existing drugs and over 100,000 diseases. Her approach could lead to a more efficient drug discovery process with a lower failure rate.
The University of Texas at Arlington has received a $1.3 million grant to produce an oral history documentary about the 1984 Wilberg Mine disaster, which killed 27 miners. The film will be accompanied by multi-media components and leadership training for first-line supervisors.
A five-year project will create a large, distributed infrastructure called LearnSphere to securely store data on student learning. By accessing over 550 datasets, course developers and instructors can improve teaching and learning through data-driven design.
Researchers at UT Arlington have developed a scalable data-mining framework that can help manufacturers quickly discover desired materials. The framework, which uses genomic data, aims to reduce the time it takes for materials to go from discovery to market.
A new tool called KnIT has shown promise in mining all public medical literature and generating hypotheses that can lead to breakthroughs in cancer research. The tool was tested on the protein p53, which is a critical tumor suppressor protein, and accurately predicted the existence of proteins that modify it.
A new study reveals that only five percent of the world's pre-agricultural primary forest cover is found in protected areas, with most forests under threat from industrial logging, mining, and agriculture. Experts call for international policies to reduce pressure on primary forests, preserving their biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The construction of the Upamayo Dam in Peru's central Andes led to the discharge of Río San Juan waters into Lake Junín, causing widespread contamination with heavy metals. Climate change and mining activities have exacerbated this environmental disaster, highlighting the need for sustainable hydroelectric practices.
Industrial air pollution from smelting and mining activities arrived at the South Pole in the late 19th century, decades before Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's historic visit in 1911. The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that lead concentrations peaked in 1900 and remained high until the 1920s.
Scientists found industrial lead pollution in Antarctic ice cores from 1600 to 2010 A.D., with peak concentrations in 1900 and remaining high until the late 1920s. Lead contamination persisted despite mitigation efforts and still affects the continent today.
Leaf-mining insects completely disappeared after the dinosaur extinction event, only to reappear a million years later with diverse damage patterns. The researchers found nine different mine-damage types at Mexican Hat attributable to moths, wasps, and flies, suggesting an influx of novel insect herbivores during the early Paleocene.
A team of astronomers led by Ivana Damjanov has found a treasure trove of compact, densely packed 'red nugget' galaxies in online archives. These galaxies are abundant in the middle-aged universe, providing new constraints on theoretical models of galaxy formation and evolution.
A team of biologists has catalogued all 31 species of the Plectostoma snail genus from West-Malaysia, Sumatra, and Thailand, including ten new species. The study highlights the plight of these tiny creatures, whose habitats are being destroyed due to mining and development, leading to their extinction.
A team of researchers at the University of California - San Diego examined over 2,000 pieces of malware used by Bitcoin mining operations and found that they made at least 4,500 Bitcoins over two years. The study highlights how malware operators use low-cost and no-investment infrastructure to mine Bitcoin.
A study published in PLOS ONE found that the horse-chestnut leaf-mining moth has spread rapidly across England and Wales since its arrival in London in 2002. The data collected by citizen scientists revealed that it takes just three years from the first sighting to maximum levels of damage to the horse-chestnut trees.
A handheld mineral analyzer has been developed for mining applications, enabling rapid analysis of minerals in the field. The device combines X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques to identify and quantify minerals within 1-2 minutes.
Researchers at University of Eastern Finland developed a new method to remove uranium and other heavy metals from water using a solid material that collects metal ions directly from the solution. The CH Collector method is efficient, selective, and can recover even small amounts of metal without adjustments to the solution's pH.
A new study by UCSB researcher Michael Singer shows that sediment-absorbed mercury is being transported from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Central Valley lowlands through major floods. This process poses a huge risk to the region's ecosystems and human population, as mercury-laden sediment is carried into ecologically sensitive re...
A new study mapping gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon reveals a 400% increase in mining extent from 1999 to 2012 and tripled average annual rate of forest loss. The research used satellite monitoring and field surveys to detect small-scale mining operations, confirming up to 94% accuracy.
Researchers have developed a computational method that analyzes mouse behavior to categorize psychiatric drugs more efficiently. The algorithm, called Pattern Array, identifies complex behaviors in mice on various drugs and classifies them into six classes, such as antidepressants or antipsychotics.
A study found that people living in areas with mountaintop coal mining face an increased risk of major depression. The research explored the relationship between environmental degradation and psychological health, highlighting the importance of nature for human wellbeing.
A new study calculates the environmental cost of a ton of mountaintop coal, finding that it pollutes 2,300km of Appalachian streams and loses 193g of carbon sequestration potential. This translates to a staggering 5,000 years for reclaimed mine land to capture equivalent CO2.
Researchers used clustering techniques to analyze 300 patient cases and identify specific risk factors associated with heart attack risk. Key findings include the importance of age, gender, and lifestyle habits in determining cardiac risk levels.
A new gamma-activation analysis (GAA) technique can detect gold more accurately and quickly than traditional methods, allowing mining companies to recover small traces of gold worth millions of dollars. This could save the Australian mining industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year.