Photosynthesis

• Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) announced today the regional winners of the 32nd annual ExploraVision program, the largest K-12 science competition designed to build problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills that are central to the Next Generation Science Standards.
• This year’s regional winners’ projects include innovative ideas ranging from technology drones that help reduce the carbon footprint to technologies that ensure safety in emergency situations.
• In the next phase of the competition, the 24 regional winners will advance to the national level.
• All first- and second-place national winners will be formally recognized for their creativity and accomplishments at an ExploraVision awards ceremony in mid-June.

• WASHINGTON, March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has chosen the first science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during Artemis III.
• Once installed near the lunar South Pole, the three instruments will collect valuable scientific data about the lunar environment, the lunar interior, and how to sustain a long-duration human presence on the Moon, which will help prepare NASA to send astronauts to Mars.
• "These three deployed instruments were chosen to begin scientific investigations that will address key Moon to Mars science objectives."
• The instruments will address three Artemis science objectives: understanding planetary processes, understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles, and investigating and mitigating exploration risks.

• Now, two such ring-like molecules have been successfully synthesized, with possible applications including sensors and catalysts.
• Cyclic compounds are molecules in which some of the atoms are connected to form a closed ring.
• Given their key roles in living organisms, porphyrins have inspired the design of synthetic compounds for various applications.
• Recently, Naoya Kumagai from Keio University and colleagues have succeeded in synthesizing two new members of the porphyrin family, with promising physicochemical properties such as fluorescence and catalytic activity.

• Globally, dust plays a critical role in regulating our climate, radiation balance, nutrient cycles, soil formation, air quality and even human health.
• These models, built on methods developed decades ago, struggle to accurately simulate the properties and quantities of dust.
• The latest research by my colleagues and I sheds light on these limitations and suggests a more nuanced picture of dust.

Dust’s complexity

• Variations in dust composition, like mineral type and colour, create a complex cocktail of particles injected into the atmosphere.
• Dust emission models were developed nearly 30 years ago when there was far less data available.
• Vegetation covering the soil reduces the wind’s speed at reaching the soil surface, which then reduces dust emission.
• This is mainly because modellers assume that by adjusting their dust cycle models to the measurements of dust in the atmosphere they overcome any weaknesses in the dust emission modelling.

A new approach

• Almost a decade ago we developed a new approach using shadow to estimate how much of the wind’s speed is reduced by roughness, such as vegetation, on the Earth’s surface.
• This approach was still limited by the previous model assumptions described.
• So, we adopted a new approach.
• We found that existing models overestimated the role of north Africa as the primary source of global dust emissions.

Adrian Chappell receives funding from the UK Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC).