A new study from the University of Illinois Chicago proposes an alternative theory for the formation of Earth's continents, challenging the long-held leading theory. The researchers used computer models to investigate the origin of Archaean zircons, which date back to 2.5-4 billion years ago.
A new study reveals that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor can produce oxygen, even in complete darkness. This discovery challenges long-held assumptions that only photosynthetic organisms generate Earth's oxygen and has significant implications for our understanding of the origin of life.
Researchers at Curtin University used a new geochronology technique to accurately date iron oxide minerals, finding the Hamersley deposits formed between 1.4 and 1.1 billion years ago. This discovery enhances our understanding of ancient geological processes and improves predictions for future exploration.
Researchers discovered a new mechanism by which iron oxide minerals recycle phosphorus from DNA and RNA molecules, transforming them into bioavailable inorganic forms. This finding uncovers a missing piece of Earth's puzzling phosphorus cycle, highlighting the importance of understanding natural phosphorus recycling mechanisms.
A new study reveals that whole wheat retains major minerals and trace minerals better than refined flour during milling and baking. The study also found that vitamin E levels dropped substantially with each processing step, regardless of the type of flour used.
Research findings suggest that higher intakes of calcium and zinc before conception can lower the risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Participants with higher pre-conception intakes of these essential minerals were 24% less likely to experience hypertensive disorders compared to those with lower intakes.
A new study reveals the Jøtul hydrothermal field in the Arctic Ocean, which is rich in minerals and metals. The discovery of high concentrations of methane indicates a significant interaction with magma, contributing to ocean acidification and climate change.
The OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Team found that Bennu contains essential components for life, including carbon and nitrogen, as well as organic compounds. The presence of magnesium-sodium phosphate in the sample suggests a possible history of interaction with water, but also reveals a chemically primitive asteroid.
Researchers found stishovite's unit-cell volume expands excessively with water, but only briefly and at high pressures. The excess volume decreases rapidly with increasing temperature, suggesting stishovite may not be a stable water carrier in the lower mantle.
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have discovered a novel method for forming bastnåsite, a crucial mineral in extracting rare earth elements. The study reveals that fluocerite can act as a 'seed' to promote the rapid formation of bastnåsite, with significant implications for efficient and cost-effective extraction methods.
A new study by Tulane University found that dark chocolate is safe for consumption and even nutritionally beneficial, containing essential minerals like copper and zinc. Only four out of 155 dark chocolate bars sampled had cadmium levels that posed a risk to children weighing less than 33 pounds.
Researchers have documented 75 locations across northern Alaska's Brooks Range where remote streams and rivers are turning from crystal clear blue to cloudy orange. The staining is likely caused by minerals exposed by thawing permafrost, resulting in highly acidic and corrosive conditions.
Researchers have discovered concentrated rare earth elements in coal mines and adjacent formations in Utah and Colorado. The findings could enable the extraction of these critical minerals from domestic sources, supporting the transition to renewable energy.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin unveil a deeper understanding of bastnäsite and rare earth carbonates' formation, influenced by multiple factors including temperature, time, and host grain solubility. This discovery could reshape the tech industry's reliance on rare earth elements.
The project aims to extract and concentrate rare earth elements from domestic coal-based acid mine drainage, producing high-purity materials for magnet and super alloy applications. The goal is to establish a 100% domestic supply chain, reducing U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a simple, water-based solution to separate and purify rare earth elements from e-waste. The new process uses the unique properties of metals to form solids at different rates, resulting in nearly pure minerals recovered in hours rather than days.
Researchers studied rodent incisors and discovered tiny pockets of iron-rich materials that form a protective shield for teeth, but don't contribute to the orange-brown hue. This finding could lead to improved human dentistry by incorporating small amounts of iron minerals into dental care products.
Researchers developed a framework to ensure food safety by retaining vitamins and minerals. The study used bootstrapping to estimate kill ratios in low-moisture foods, allowing for more accurate risk assessments and potentially relaxed standards, while maintaining high levels of food safety.
Scientists used lithium isotope data to show that continental clay export promoted organic carbon burial and thus atmospheric oxygenation during the Cambrian period. This finding challenges traditional views on marine oxygen levels during this time, suggesting a complex interplay between oceanic and atmospheric processes.
Researchers at the University of Arizona used computer simulations and spacecraft data to study the moon's geology, finding that a dense layer of titanium-rich material sank into the interior and rose on the near side. The findings suggest that the moon 'turned itself inside out' during its formation.
A recent study reveals that the demand for critical minerals in Africa is putting African Great Apes at risk due to deforestation and habitat destruction. The study estimates that more than 180,000 gorillas, bonobos, and chimpanzees are at risk, with West African countries like Guinea being the most severely affected.
Researchers from KIST have found that nitrate enhances the natural purification of groundwater through the formation of new iron oxides, increasing removal efficiency and duration. This breakthrough is expected to revolutionize water quality management strategies for ASR systems.
A recent analysis of six species of seaweeds found in Hawaii reveals that they are rich in essential minerals and nutrients, yet may also contain unsafe levels of heavy metals. The study highlights the need for regulation and informed cooking practices to ensure nutritious and safe seaweed products.
A recent study found that microbial communities thrive on inactive hydrothermal vent smokers, producing organic carbon and fixing CO2. These ecosystems are crucial for understanding the deep-sea carbon cycle and its interactions with the environment.
Researchers discovered novel compounds in shrimp by-products offering promising health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-aging properties. The study highlights the potential of converting seafood waste into valuable health-promoting agents, promoting sustainable seafood processing.
A new study finds that mountains can switch from being a sink of carbon dioxide to a source as their erosion rate increases. The optimal erosion rate for maximizing carbon dioxide removal through mineral weathering is approximately 0.1 millimeter per year.
A new study found that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) drawdown from chemical weathering of rocks is limited to a narrow range of moderate erosion rates. This has significant implications for understanding the constraints of weathering-mediated CO2 drawdown and resolving conflicting data on its impact on the climate.
Researchers have discovered that produced water, often considered waste, contains nearly every element in the periodic table, including critical minerals like lithium and platinum group metals. A new approach using CO2 desalination can extract these valuable minerals, making it a lucrative means of offsetting reclamation costs.
A common mineral in red soils, goethite locks away trace metals over time, rendering them unavailable for plants and animals. The study found that up to 70% of nickel was non-recoverable and only 8% of cadmium was irreversibly bound.
A Chinese spacecraft returned a sample of the moon's surface, containing minerals that provide insights into its past. Researchers found high-pressure minerals in the sample, which are unusual in lunar rocks.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo found evidence of a tropical island with rich mineral deposits, including cobalt and nickel, in the South Atlantic Ocean. The team's analysis of seafloor sediment samples suggests the area was once home to vegetation and had volcanic activity between 30-40 million years ago.
Living organisms produce minerals through a complex process involving pre-nucleation clusters, mobile water molecules, and dissolved hydroxide ions. The study provides a structural model for amorphous calcium carbonate and sheds light on the conductivity of ACC particles.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge identified iron-bearing sulfate minerals as the cause of the mysterious UV absorption feature on Venus' clouds. The discovery was made possible by synthesizing and analyzing minerals under extreme chemical conditions.
The study reveals that excited electrons in perovskites cause a shift towards increased symmetry in the crystal lattice. This attractive interaction between excitons could be exploited to enhance electron transport and improve solar cell performance.
A clay mineral called smectite, formed through plate tectonics, efficiently traps organic carbon and could help buffer global warming. Smectite's accordion-textured folds effectively trap dead organisms, preventing them from being consumed by microbes.
Researchers developed indoor solar panels to power smart home devices, identifying efficient PV materials and minimizing heat production. Gallium indium phosphide shows promise but is expensive, while perovskite minerals and organic films offer a cost-effective solution.
The study predicts thermal conductivity of bridgmanite and post-perovskite at high pressure and temperature, clarifying heat flow distribution and magnitude at the core-mantle boundary. The team obtained a heat flux of 7.1 ± 0.5 TW, which is significant for understanding Earth's coupled core-mantle evolution and geodynamo operation.
A team of scientists and philosophers identifies a new law of nature that governs the evolution of complex systems, including plants, animals, stars, and minerals. The law states that complex systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity, regardless of whether they are living or nonliving.
A new global study assesses the scale of metal mining contamination in river systems worldwide, impacting human populations and ecosystem services. The research estimates 23 million people affected by toxic waste, highlighting the need for new safeguards to address growing demand for 'green' minerals.
Researchers discovered how corrosion and crystallization over centuries created nanofabrication of photonic crystals in ancient Roman glass. The crystals have applications in modern technology, including waveguides, optical switches, and devices for fast optical communications.
Researchers will track how key minerals form in a watershed to build a fuller picture of the processes that allow soil to store carbon as organic matter. Understanding these mechanisms can help develop practices and incentives for a carbon market economy, potentially harnessing Earth's natural mechanisms to combat climate change.
A new NIH study found that high levels of certain minerals and metals in environmental water supplies may increase the risk of nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary infections in people with cystic fibrosis. The presence of sulfate, vanadium, and molybdenum was positively associated with increased incidence of lung infections.
A new UCF project aims to examine a method to keep carbon from escaping soils and trapping heat in Earth's atmosphere. Researchers will focus on histosols in the Everglades Agricultural Area, adding fine minerals to prevent carbon release.
A team of Swiss robots, including legged ANYmal and wheeled robots, is sent to explore a challenging terrain, showcasing the benefits of redundancy and specialization. The robots work together to detect minerals and identify rocks, with semi-autonomous capabilities for direct task assignment.
Researchers at DTU Health Tech created a multi-levelled scaffold that enables near-perfect bone healing in just eight weeks, without using growth factors or endocrine factors and cells. The scaffold combines essential bone minerals with mechanical properties matching human bone compressive strength.
This study reconstructs long-term clay mineral records to show the progressive aridification of Asia's interior since late Oligocene, driven by Tibetan uplift and global cooling. Clay mineral evolution reveals strengthened continental weathering and erosion in Asia.
Researchers found tiny salt crystals in an asteroid sample, indicating the presence of liquid water. The discovery challenges previous assumptions that ordinary chondrite asteroids lack hydrated minerals.
A new study published in Geology evaluates the potential for domestic cobalt extraction from the Idaho Cobalt Belt, which hosts the second largest known domestic resource of critical mineral cobalt. The researchers conclude that the ore from Idaho should be divided and processed for copper and cobalt separately to meet growing demand.
A previously unidentified marine reptile fossil from Svalbard has been classified using X-ray analysis, providing unique insights into ancient life in the Norwegian archipelago. The study's findings suggest that fossils from this formation are particularly well-suited for radiographic imaging due to the presence of sulfur minerals.
A new study published in Geology concludes that an extinct volcano off the shore of Portugal could store as much as 1.2-8.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to ~24-125 years of the country's industrial emissions.
A machine learning model uses patterns in mineral associations to predict previously unknown mineral occurrences, including geologically important minerals like uraninite and rutherfordine. The model also identified promising areas for critical rare earth element and lithium minerals.
Researchers have discovered that extremophilic bacteria from high-temperature marine environments can be used to remove iron, silicon, and magnesium from asbestos minerals, reducing their toxicity. This finding has the potential to develop new methods for detoxifying and reusing asbestos as a secondary raw material.
Researchers found that golden fossils from Germany's Posidonia shale are primarily made up of phosphate minerals, hinting at the presence of oxygen in the environment. The discovery suggests that oxygen played a crucial role in driving chemical reactions needed for fossilization.
Researchers have developed a method to extract valuable metals from old mining waste using microbes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30%. This process also captures carbon dioxide from the air and stores it in the tailings as new minerals.
A team of scientists, led by University of South Florida professor Matthew Pasek, discovered a new phosphorus material in a fulgurite created by a lightning strike. The material is transitional between space minerals and those found on Earth, and its formation could have implications for our understanding of high-energy events.
The increasing adoption of electric vehicles will significantly raise the global demand for battery-grade critical metals, leading to supply chain disruptions. By mid-century, the need for lithium could more than double, while nickel demand is expected to eclipse other critical metals.
Scientists measured and compared amino acid abundances with rocky components of Ryugu particles, demonstrating water's role in their formation. The results suggest more ice was present in the precursor of one particle than the other, which may have contributed to the high abundance of a specific amino acid.
The West Virginia University researchers will develop and advance a pioneering method to extract and separate rare earth elements from acid mine drainage and coal waste with the new funding. The project aims to create employment in regions of West Virginia impacted by the US transition away from fossil fuels.
Researchers at Heidelberg University developed new methods to detect biogenic carbon in zircon minerals, which can preserve traces of life hundreds of millions of years old. The study's findings open up new possibilities for research into the Earth's early period, where fossils and sediments are scarce.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are developing a new mining technology that uses CO2 to weaken rock containing critical minerals, reducing energy needed for mining. The goal is to make mining carbon negative by storing more carbon than produced.