What is the level of carbon emissions across the United States? This is what a recent study published in AGU Advances hopes to address as a team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted the first nationwide analysis of carbon emissions across the United States with the goal of putting constraints on previous analyses regarding the amount of carbon emissions across the United States, also known as the carbon cycle. This study holds the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, and the public better understand the United States’ contribution to climate change and the steps that can be taken to mitigate them.

“We need to know how much CO₂ is being generated so we can predict how it will respond to climate change,” said Dr. Matthew Winnick, who is an assistant professor of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a co-author on the study. “As temperature rises, we tend to think that a lot of the natural carbon cycle processes will respond to that and potentially amplify climate change.”

For the study, the researchers collected data on carbon emissions across more than 22 million rivers, lakes, and water reservoirs with the goal of developing a model that could put tighter constraints on previous carbon cycle models. In the end, the researchers’ models estimated approximately 120 million metric tons of carbon, which is approximately 25 percent lower than previous models which estimated approximately 159 million metric tons of carbon. The researchers note these more accurate findings could benefit carbon capturing methods to mitigate climate change.

Dr. Abba Zubair, MD: “Our hope is to study these space-grown cells to improve treatment for age-related conditions such as stroke, dementia, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.”

What can microgravity teach us about stem cell growth? This is what a recent study published in NPJ Microgravity hopes to address as a pair of researchers from the Mayo Clinic investigated past research regarding the growth properties of stem cells, specifically regeneration, differentiation, and cell proliferation in microgravity and whether the stem cells can maintain these properties after returning to Earth. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand how stem cell growth in microgravity can be transitioned into medical applications, including tissue growth for disease modeling.

“The goal of almost all space flight in which stem cells are studied is to enhance growth of large amounts of safe and high-quality clinical-grade stem cells with minimal cell differentiation,” said Dr. Abba Zubair, MD, who is a faculty at the Mayo Clinic and the sole co-author on the study. “Our hope is to study these space-grown cells to improve treatment for age-related conditions such as stroke, dementia, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.”

For the study, the researchers examined past research that launched stem cell cultures to the International Space Station (ISS) to have astronauts onboard evaluate the stem cells’ growth patterns and behavior under microgravity conditions. Dr. Zunair has launched stem cells to the ISS on three occasions and the various types of stem cells examined on the ISS in previous research include mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, cardiovascular progenitor stem cells, and neural stem cells.

“Al-determined tumor volume has the potential to advance precision medicine for patients with prostate cancer by improving our ability to understand the aggressiveness of a patient’s cancer and therefore recommend the most optimal treatment,” said Dr. David D. Yang, MD.

How can artificial intelligence (AI) help medical professionals identify, diagnose, and treat prostate cancer? This is what a recent study published in Radiology hopes to address as a team of researchers developed an AI model designed to identify prostate cancer lesions, which holds the potential to help medical professionals and patients make the best-informed decisions regarding diagnoses and treatment options.

For the study, which was conducted between January 2021 to August 2023, the researchers had their AI model examine MRI scans from 732 patients, including 438 patients who underwent radiation therapy (RT) and 294 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP). The goal was to compare a potential success rate of the AI model identifying tumors compared to patient treatment between 5 to 10 years after being diagnosed.

In the end, the AI model demonstrated an 85 percent accuracy in identifying cancerous lesions. Additionally, the AI model identified the larger volume lesions that resulted in failed treatment and metastasis, which is when cancer tumors spread beyond the original location within the body. Finally, the AI model determined that RT patients were at a decreased risk of metastasis based on their tumor volumes.

“The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions,” said Dr. Sarah Noble. “It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds.”

Where will NASA’s Artemis Program precisely land astronauts near the lunar south pole? This is what the famed space agency hopes to figure out as they recently narrowed the list of potential landing regions from 13 to 9, underscoring NASA’s ongoing urgency in selecting a final landing site prior to landing astronauts on the Moon with the Artemis III in the next few years, along with landing the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface, as well. The selected regions will provide scientific opportunities based on geology, terrain, and access to water ice, the latter of which can be used for fuel, drinking, creating oxygen through electrolysis, and much more.

NASA has identified the following potential landing regions not listed in priority: Peak near Cabeus B, Haworth, Malapert Massif, Mons Mouton Plateau, Mons Mouton, Nobile Rim 1, Nobile Rim 2, de Gerlache Rim 2, Slater Plain. Each landing region consists of several square miles with more precise landing sites being determined later.

Can water be harvested from the air to help mitigate water scarcity across the globe? This is what a recent study published in Technologies hopes to address as a team of researchers from The Ohio State University have developed a novel device that can provide faster and more efficient methods for harvesting water from the air compared to longstanding devices, also called atmospheric water harvesting (AWH). This study holds the potential to help regions around the world mitigate the need for access to clean drinking water, as approximately 2 billion people suffer from lack of clean drinking water in their respective regions.

“You can survive three minutes without air, three weeks without food, but only three days without water,” said Dr. John LaRocco, who is a research scientist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The Ohio State University and lead author of the study. “But with it, you can begin to solve a lot of problems, like national security, mental health or sanitation, just by improving the accessibility of clean drinking water.”

For the device, the researchers designed a nickel titanium-based dehumidifier with temperature-sensitive materials, resulting in harvesting greater amounts of water at 0.18 milliliters per watts per hour compared to 0.16 milliliters per watts per hour for traditional harvesters after 30 minutes. Additionally, the temperature-sensitive materials help regulate the amount of heat used during the harvesting process, resulting in approximately half the power needed to use the harvester. Finally, the reduced size of the harvester provides mobility to be used anywhere in the world, whereas traditional harvesters tend to be large and require significant amounts of energy to operate.

Dr. Lauren Schurmeier: “The methane clathrate crust warms Titan’s interior and causes surprisingly rapid topographic relaxation, which results in crater shallowing at a rate that is close to that of fast-moving warm glaciers on Earth.”

How does Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, have such a methane-rich atmosphere? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how methane that resides with Titan’s crust could be responsible for the lack of depth in Titan’s impact craters, which could explain why Titan’s atmosphere has so much methane, as well. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of Titan and whether it could host life as we know it.

For the study, the researchers used computer models to simulate the formation and evolution of impact craters on Titan, of which only approximately 90 have been identified via satellite imagery from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

“This was very surprising because, based on other moons, we expect to see many more impact craters on the surface and craters that are much deeper than what we observe on Titan,” said Dr. Lauren Schurmeier, who is a research associate in the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) and lead author of the study. “We realized something unique to Titan must be making them become shallower and disappear relatively quickly.”

Black holes are some of the most mysterious and awe-inspiring celestial objects in science, and while pairs of black holes or a black hole orbiting another object like a star, known as binary black holes, have been confirmed to exist, what about triple systems? This is what a recent study published in Nature hopes to address as a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announced the discovery of a “black hole triple”, meaning three black holes are orbiting each other simultaneously. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of black holes and what this can teach us about the universe, overall.

For the study, the researchers examined the binary black hole system V404 Cygni, which consists of a central black hole being orbited by two stars, with one orbiting in 6.5 days while the other takes approximately 70,000 years to complete one orbit. It is this second object that has scientists scratching their heads, as it is confounding how an object so far away can be influenced by a black hole’s gravity. While black holes are often created from a supernova, or the collapse and explosion of a large star, this means the explosion should have pushed away the farther star in this system. Therefore, the team postulates this black hole was formed by what’s known as a “direct collapse”, which is a smaller and gentler process when a star collapses in on itself as opposed to producing an outward explosion.

“We think most black holes form from violent explosions of stars, but this discovery helps call that into question,” said Dr. Kevin Burdge, who is a Pappalardo Fellow in the MIT Department of Physics and lead author of the study. “This system is super exciting for black hole evolution, and it also raises questions of whether there are more triples out there.”

Can rocky exoplanets orbiting stars smaller than our Sun support life as we know it? This is what a recent study published in Nature Communications hopes to address as an international team of researchers examined the atmospheric stability of exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars, which typically range from 7.5 percent to 50 percent of our Sun’s mass and surface temperatures of approximately 3,500 degrees Celsius (6,300 degrees Fahrenheit) with our Sun boasting surface temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Celsius (9,000 degrees Fahrenheit). This study holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the conditions for finding life beyond Earth and where we can find it.

For the study, the researchers examined TRAPPIST-1, which is an M-dwarf star located approximately 40 light-years from Earth while boasting seven rocky exoplanets, several of which orbit within its star’s habitable zone (HZ). Using computer models, the team simulated the formation and evolution of the orbiting exoplanets to ascertain if their individual atmospheres could remain stable over time to form a habitable environment. In the end, the team found that the exoplanets that orbit close to their star likely do not possess stable atmospheres, but found promising results for exoplanets orbiting farther out, specifically TRAPPIST-1 e.

“One of the most intriguing questions right now in exoplanet astronomy is: Can rocky planets orbiting M-dwarf stars maintain atmospheres that could support life?” said Dr. Joshua Krissansen-Totton, who is an assistant professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington and lead author of the study. “Our findings give reason to expect that some of these planets do have atmospheres, which significantly enhances the chances that these common planetary systems could support life.”

How much carbon dioxide (CO₂) do plants absorb from the atmosphere? This is what a recent study published in Nature hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated what’s known as the Terrestrial Gross Primary Product (GPP), which measures the amount of CO₂ that photosynthesis removes from the atmosphere. This study holds the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, legislators, and the public better understand the role that plants play in reducing carbon emissions, along with mitigating the effects of climate change worldwide.

“Figuring out how much CO₂ plants fix each year is a conundrum that scientists have been working on for a while,” said Dr. Lianhong Gu, who is a distinguished research scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and a co-author on the study. “The original estimate of 120 petagrams per year was established in the 1980s, and it stuck as we tried to figure out a new approach. It’s important that we get a good handle on global GPP since that initial land carbon uptake affects the rest of our representations of Earth’s carbon cycle.”

Petagrams are the standard measurement used for GPP, with one petagram equaling 1 billion metric tons, and the latter being the amount of CO₂ discharged from the total number of gas-powered passenger vehicles in the world, which is approximately 1.4 billion.

How does social media influence safety messages during a natural disaster? This is what a recent study published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction hopes to address as a pair of researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology investigated how the perspectives of natural disasters and the corresponding government responses could be impacted by false or irrelevant information being shared across a myriad of social media platforms, specifically X (Twitter) and Facebook. This study holds the potential to help scientists, governments, disaster relief efforts, and the public better understand the ramifications of social media messages and discussions on responding to natural disasters worldwide.

“It’s like being at a crowded party—if everyone’s arguing loudly about politics, it’s hard to make yourself heard over the noise,” said Dr. Jose Ramirez-Marquez, who is an associate professor in the Stevens School of Systems and Enterprises and the sole co-author on the study.

For the study, the researchers examined online discussions that occurred during four recent hurricanes: Harvey, Imelda, Laura, and Florence. The goal of the study was to ascertain online discussion patterns, and which posts and comments got the most attention as the crises unfolded. For example, the researchers found that dogs being trapped by flooding comprised 24 of the 50 most active discussions compared to 7 of those 50 being comprised of public safety. During Hurricane Florence, it was found that more than half of the 50 top discussions involved politics or animals, whereas 19 of the 50 discussed public safety.