Satellite measurements detected declining photosynthetic activity in Western U.S. forests two years before bark-beetle mortality appeared in aerial detection surveys, according to new University of Utah-led research. The first-of-its-kind study suggests that satellite-observed chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), a measure of plant photosynthesis, could provide an early warning of forest stress. As drought, wildfire and insect outbreaks occur with increasing frequency across the American West, the technology could also help scientists understand how these disturbances affect forests’ ability to absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere.

Harvard researchers have created a layered semiconductor and metasurface optical device that exhibits strong nonlinear frequency conversion, including at near-infrared wavelengths.

SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech has received a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to build a prototype virtual reality (VR) course in agricultural engineering and lay the groundwork to test it with students, a step toward giving rural and place-bound farmers a way to gain technical skills without leaving their land. 

A new study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts reports a scalable strategy for producing multifunctional cellulose-based foam without relying on freeze-drying or solvent exchange. The researchers constructed a hierarchical network from bamboo fibers, TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNFs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), followed by zinc-ion crosslinking and in-situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI). The resulting foam combines low density, mechanical robustness and electrical conductivity with electromagnetic interference shielding and thermal protection. The optimized material achieved an EMI shielding effectiveness of 61.56 dB, a specific shielding efficiency of 2,375.2 dB cm²/g, a limiting oxygen index of 56.8% and a thermal conductivity of 0.085 W/(m·K). It also demonstrated electrically controlled heating and infrared camouflage, highlighting the potential of biomass-derived porous networks for multifunctional protection.

A study investigated how ingesting expanded polystyrene (EPS) affects wharf roaches, a common shoreline scavenger. EPS-fed animals showed no significant reduction in lifespan, but their guts displayed altered expression of genes involved in chemical defense, DNA repair, and digestion. Gut microbial communities were largely unchanged, although several rare taxa were detected only in EPS-fed specimens. The findings highlight the need for a more comprehensive understanding of how microplastic pollution affects marine ecosystems.