Organic matter is important for soil health and crop productivity. While an indicator of soil quality, a lot of organic matter is in extremely stable forms, and the nutrients in such forms are difficult for plants to use. ...

Biology - Other

Feb 11, 2013 not rated yet 0

(Phys.org)—Scientists made a major step forward recently towards transforming biomass-derived molecules into fuels. The team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers elucidated the chemical mechanism ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Feb 08, 2013 4.5 / 5 (2) 0 |

Fishing communities living on the islands of Indonesia's Karimunjawa National Park have found an important balance, improving their social well-being while reducing their reliance on marine biodiversity, ...

Biology - Ecology

Feb 07, 2013 not rated yet 0

New protein probes are now helping scientists find the best biomass-to-biofuel production enzymes that nature has to offer. Turning biomass into biofuel hinges on the breakdown of the energy-rich primary ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Feb 06, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 0

Scientists studying an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes—long carbon-chain molecules that could be a direct replacement for the hydrocarbons in gasoline—have figured out why the natural reaction ...

Chemistry - Biochemistry

Feb 04, 2013 5 / 5 (7) 0 |

(Phys.org)—Winemakers have long known that blending different grape varietals can favorably balance the flavor characteristics of the wine they produce. In the future, makers of advanced biofuels might ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Jan 30, 2013 4 / 5 (1) 1 |

(Phys.org)—Researchers seeking to improve production of ethanol from woody crops have a new resource in the form of an extensive molecular map of poplar tree proteins, published by a team from the Department ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Jan 30, 2013 4 / 5 (1) 0

As fish get smaller under Man's environmental impact, they become more exposed to predators, which means a crucial food source will become more endangered than thought, scientists said on Wednesday.

Biology - Ecology

Jan 30, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 0

Marginal lands ­– those unsuited for food crops – can serve as prime real estate for meeting the nation's alternative energy production goals.

Technology - Energy & Green Tech

Jan 16, 2013 4 / 5 (4) 13 |

The DISCO project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed powerful enzymes, which accelerate plant biomass conversion into sugars and further into products such as bioethanol. The project's results ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Jan 08, 2013 3 / 5 (1) 0

Marine resource managers often gauge the health of species based on overall biomass, but a new study of predator-prey relationships in the Bering Sea found that it isn't the total number of individuals that ...

Biology - Ecology

Jan 03, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 1 |

Day after day, legions of microorganisms work to produce energy from waste in biogas plants. Researchers from Bielefeld University's Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec) are taking a close look to find out ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Dec 21, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 0

Some European wolves have a distinct preference for wild boar over other prey, according to new research.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Dec 20, 2012 4 / 5 (1) 0

In a letter to Science published last week, Karl-Heinz Erb from the Institute of Social Ecology Vienna and a number of co-authors discuss how the measurement of biomass production and consumption can be used to gain a bett ...

Biology - Ecology

Dec 19, 2012 5 / 5 (1) 0

Remains of dead bacteria have far greater meaning for soils than previously assumed. Around 40 per cent of the microbial biomass is converted to organic soil components, write researchers from the Helmholtz ...

Space & Earth - Environment

Dec 14, 2012 4.8 / 5 (4) 3