Are tropical forests threatened by democracy?

Democracy may lead to more deforestation in the tropics. So write environmental scientist Joeri Morpurgo and his colleagues in Biological Conservation. They found that competitive elections are associated with more loss of tropical rainforest than elections without competition. "We must prevent politicians from exploiting the remaining rainforest for...

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Translating an RNA boosts its degradation, find researchers

In the cell, messenger RNAs—or mRNAs—are translated into proteins and eventually degraded, but the relationship between translation and mRNA decay remains cloudy. FMI researchers developed an innovative tool to control and visualize mRNA translation and decay, one molecule at the time. The team discovered that translation promotes mRNA degradation—a...

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Tropical French territory battles green monkey invasion

French officials on the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin are seeking ways to battle an invasion of green monkeys, blamed for threatening the tropical tourism hotspot's fragile biodiversity, local authorities said.

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What to know about the big quake that hit Turkey and Syria

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Monday devastated wide swaths of Turkey and Syria, killing thousands of people.

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Microwave irradiation might increase the sustainability of the chemicals industry

Much of what the chemicals industry produces, except for metals, is derived from fossil resources. Using renewable biomass and even one-carbon sources, such as formaldehyde, is necessary to increase the sustainability of the chemicals industry.

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Sustainable chemistry will not solve CO2 emissions problem, claims paper

In a paper published in the journal Sustainable Chemistry for Climate Action, Prof. Gadi Rothenberg of the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences presents a realistic look at carbon dioxide emissions, climate change and the role of sustainable chemistry. Using simple back-of-the-envelope calculations he shows that the climate goals of the Paris...

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How carbon fiber–reinforced epoxy composite laminates fail when wet

Scientists from two Asian universities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Newcastle University in Singapore, have completed a study to understand how the mechanical behavior of carbon fiber–reinforced epoxy composite laminates could be compromised by moisture seepage.

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Study finds connection between social presence and online social capital in social commerce

A recent research study published in the International Journal of e-Collaboration (IJeC) has explored the relationship between social presence, online social capital, and social commerce (s-commerce) behavior. The study used an online survey and analyzed the collected data through a structural equation model (SEM).

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New research suggests that investors who make decisions with others are half as likely to bet on falling stock prices

Consulting with others on money matters reduces financial overconfidence and improves the quality of investment decisions a newly published paper from University of Sussex researchers, has found. The counter-intuitive effect is most pronounced when non-experts, including family and friends, are consulted.

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New research reveals lessons from Black Summer bushfires to avoid future biodiversity devastation

The Australian Black Summer bushfires caused extraordinary losses of Australian biodiversity. Comparable losses can be avoided in future fire events with enhanced funding, planning and management, a new book reveals.

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