Treated municipal wastewater often contains nitrogen, which has been linked to algal blooms that can devastate coastal ecosystems. In a recent study, researchers characterized the primary nitrogen-removal pathways in a horizontal levee, an engineered subsurface water-treatment system consisting of a gently sloping strip of land adjacent to storm-control levees. Read more »
Structural organization of the spongy mesophyll
Many leaves have two layers of photosynthetic tissue: the palisade and spongy mesophyll. The latter is not well characterized and often treated as a random assemblage of irregularly shaped cells. These results show that simple principles may govern the organization and scaling of the spongy mesophyll in many plants and demonstrate the presence of structural patterns associated with leaf function. Read more »
Biomineralization: Integrating mechanism and evolutionary history
In this review, Gilbert et al. develop a model for calcium carbonate biomineralization applicable to all phyla. Their model may help elucidate the key genetic components that drive biomineralization and offers insight into the consequences of global climate change on marine organisms. Read more »
How Iron Remediates Arsenic in Groundwater
Though iron has been demonstrated as an effective means to remediate arsenic contamination in groundwater, the mechanism was not well understood until now. For the first time, researchers have untangled the detailed steps of the interaction, informing more robust strategies for cleanup. Read more »
In a Hawaiian Lava Fountain, Fluid Magma Turns Brittle
Compared to the violent explosions of Mount Vesuvius or Mount St. Helens, Hawaiian volcanic eruptions are relatively calm, characterized by flowing rivers and fountains of lava. Here, researchers have discovered that even low-viscosity magma sometimes behaves more like brittle glass that shatters into fine particles. Read more »
Mineral Microstructures Shed Light on Planet-Scale Dynamics
To explore what happens to minerals under the extreme conditions in Earth’s mantle, researchers developed an x-ray technique that bridges the gap between methods that reveal bulk properties and those that focus on individual crystals. Use of the technique has shed light on the dynamics of tectonic-plate subduction in Earth’s lower mantle. Read more »
Meteorites Reveal Magnetic Record of Protoplanet Churn
Researchers detected the signatures of ancient magnetic fields imprinted in the ferromagnetic grains of meteorites that originated from the same parent body. The results, combined with radioisotopic dating of the samples, support an extended time frame for the cooling of molten protoplanetary cores. Read more »
Scientists Design New Framework for Clean Water
A promising solution to water pollution from abandoned copper mines relies on materials that adsorb copper ions from wastewater, but commercially available products lack the required chemical specificity and load capacity. A team of scientists has designed a new crystalline material that targets and traps copper ions from wastewater with unprecedented precision and speed. Read more »
X-Rays Recount Origin of Oddball Meteorites
Reconstructions of 3D patterns of magnetic orientation imprinted in rare meteorites helped resolve questions about their origins. Known as type IIE iron meteorites, they appear to have originated from a parent body that had a composition featuring both fully melted and unmelted parts—other meteorite types display only one composition. Read more »
Direct Imaging of Fracture Closure in Reservoir Shales
Using x-ray microtomography at the ALS, researchers identified and characterized the microscale factors affecting fluid flow through shale fractures propped open with sand or ceramic spheres. A better understanding of propped fractures can lead to safer and more efficient recovery of hard-to-reach oil and gas resources. Read more »
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