news

Environment - Chemistry - 14:17

A promising method for the degradation of nanoplastics in water
Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) have developed a process based on the photo-Fenton method that allows the efficient degradation of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. This breakthrough could be key in the fight against plastic pollution, especially in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).

Health - Environment - 05.09.2023

The UPF Genomics Service analyses the DNA of the bone remains of three skeletons, one of which may belong to Pere d’Aragó i d’Anjou (Peter of Aragon)
Empowering Europe against infectious diseases: innovative framework to tackle climate-driven health risks Empowering Europe against infectious diseases: innovative framework to tackle climate-driven h

Environment - Computer Science - 19.07.2023

New causal inference algorithms to address climate and environmental problems
Researchers from the University of Valencia show recent advances and research opportunities in causal inference for the Earth and environmental sciences. The new algorithms integrate causal reasoning using machine learning techniques. The objective is to improve the understanding, based on observational time series, and promise to advance science and engineering.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 12.07.2023

A new study warns of high levels of plastic waste pollution in lakes and reservoirs around the world
An international study published in Nature, a scientific journal in collaboration with UV researchers, confirms the threat of plastic waste and microplastic contamination to humans and aquatic life. Up till now, the majority of research in this area has been centred on the world's oceans, yet this study reveals the presence of plastic pollutants in lakes and reservoirs, beyond large urban or highly human-transformed areas.

Environment - 26.06.2023

Mapping of areas best suited to restore ecosystems after a mega-fire
A study led by the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) has created a method to predict the optimal conditions of different tree species in areas affected by fires in Spain. Using ecological niche models (ENM), the researchers were able to generate valuable information for the management and restoration of areas affected by mega-fires.

Environment - Astronomy / Space Science - 07.03.2023

Statistics and data science to measure the vital signs of the Earth from satellite
An international research team led by the University of Valencia manages to automatically identify the most relevant changes that have occurred on planet Earth in the last 10 years and determine whether their causes are natural or anthropogenic. The results of the work, published in National Science Review, are obtained by combining a new statistical method with data from ESA-s SMOS satellite, which regularly provides global maps of soil and vegetation water content.

Paleontology - Environment - 01.03.2023

A study reconstructs the habitats and lifestyles of the first sharks capable of emitting light
Sharks acquired bioluminescence in a unique event during the Jurassic Period, after colonising the deep sea.

Environment - 23.02.2023

Carbon sequestration is at risk of destabilisation in large regions of the planet
Recerca The Mediterranean region, the eastern part of East Africa, the western coasts of North and Central America, India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia are the regions of the planet where the carbon sequestration process is most at risk of destabilisation, according to a study published in the journal Nature .

Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 21.02.2023

A study establishes the appropriate level of irrigation for a more profitable and sustainable almond crop
Scientists from the Desertification Research centre (UV-CSIC-GVA) have analysed the irrigation strategies of the almond tree, in order to determine the optimum water levels for this crop. The analysis serves to establish sustainable irrigation protocols under semi-arid conditions such as those found in Spain, the world's second largest producer of almonds.

Environment - Life Sciences - 21.02.2023

Detecting the impact of drought on plants with user-friendly and inexpensive techniques
Recerca Climate change is aggravating the impact of droughts —one of the factors that only affect plant physiology— on all plant ecosystems worldwide. Although new tools have been developed to detect and assess drought stress in plants —transcriptomic or metabolomic technologies, etc.— they are still difficult to apply in natural ecosystems, especially in remote areas and developing countries.

Environment - 14.02.2023

Project Challenge: studying human impact and natural hazards threatening Antarctic marine ecosystems
The Antarctic Peninsula —from Adelaide Island to Hope Bay, the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island— is the marine study region of the second Challenge scientific campaign, which be

Environment - Earth Sciences - 08.02.2023

Marine reserves unlikely to restore marine ecosystems
Recerca Protected marine areas are one of the essential tools for the conservation of natural resources affected by human impact —mainly fishing—, but, are they enough to recover the functioning of these systems? A study published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science , led by researchers from the Biodiversity Research Institute ( IRBio ) of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with researchers from the Group of Ecosystem Oc

Environment - History / Archeology - 02.02.2023

Evolution of wheat spikes since the Neolithic revolution
Recerca Around 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic revolution radically changed the economy, diet and structure of the first human societies in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East. With the beginning of the cultivation of cereals —such as wheat and barley— and the domestication of animals, the first cities emerged in a new social context marked by a productive economy.

Life Sciences - Environment - 23.01.2023

The Emerging Science project shows young research from the Cavanilles, López Piñero and BIOTECMED institutes
Emerging Science, a science dissemination project where the youngest researchers at the University of Valencia explain their work through short videos, has published a new series.

Environment - 19.01.2023

Fire advances the sexual reproduction of pine trees, according to a CIDE study
Un equipo del Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE, UV-CSIC-GVA) ha comprobado que, en lugares con incendios frecuentes, los pinos comienzan a reproducirse a edades más tempranas.

Computer Science - Environment - 12.01.2023

Novel system to predict severe hurricanes using Artificial Intelligence
A team from the University of Valencia develops a novel system to predict severe hurricanes using Artificial Intelligence A research team from the Image Processing Laboratory (IPL) of the University of Valencia has developed a system that allows to optimally analyse and combinie certain structural parameters of the hurricane clouds from GOES satellite images.

Life Sciences - Environment - 21.12.2022

Sharpsnout seabream’s mortality during early life stages has a genetic base
The high mortality in the early stages of life is a common phenomenon in fish and other species, but it is little studied due to its complexity. A study by the University of Barcelona and the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) has analysed whether this mortality in the sharpsnout seabream ( Diplodus puntazzo ), a species of the Mediterranean with an important commercial interest, occurs by chance or whether it is genetically determined.

Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 20.12.2022

Perception and knowledge of food sustainability
Every year, about a third of all food produced in the world —about 1.3 billion tonnes— is wasted in consumers' homes and retail businesses, according to the United Nations (UN). The food sector also accounts for around 30% of the world's total energy consumption and 22% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment - 30.11.2022

A collaborative global network is established for the study of ecological interactions between plants
Researchers from 23 countries on 5 continents, coordinated by the Center for Research on Desertification (CIDE, UV/CSIC/GVA), collaborate and provide open data related to the processes of association between plants.

Life Sciences - Environment - 30.11.2022

Large terrestrial mammals are more vulnerable to the acoustic impact of drones than to the visual impact
Large terrestrial mammals are vulnerable to the acoustic sounds of drones, technological systems which are increasingly used to study the wildlife in open habitats such as the savanna and marshes.