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Improved soil condition increases moisture for crops

Tillage practices that conserve moisture, plants that use water more efficiently and soil with more organic matter have produced higher yields even in dry conditions, according to soil scientist David...

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Clay can be used for carbon capture

Carbon capture will play a central role in helping the nations of the world manage and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Many materials are being tested for the purpose of capturing CO2. New...

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Long-term study on ticks reveals shifting migration patterns, disease risks

Over nearly 15 years spent studying ticks, Indiana University's Keith Clay has found southern Indiana to be an oasis free from Lyme disease, the condition most associated with these arachnids that are...

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Bio-based insulation materials may be the construction industry's best kept...

Good news for those planning to build a new home: novel insulation materials based on plant waste, such as straw, clay and grasses could offer 20% better insulation than traditional materials.

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Opportunity's 7th Mars winter to include new study area

Operators of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity plan to drive the rover into a valley this month where Opportunity will be active through the long-lived rover's seventh Martian winter, examining...

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Image: July 7, 2003, NASA's Opportunity rover launches to Mars

On July 7, 2003, NASA launched its second Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, aboard a Delta II launch vehicle. Opportunity's dash to Mars began with liftoff at 11:18:15 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral...

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Clay sheets stack to form proton conductors

Northwestern Engineering professor Jiaxing Huang has developed a cheaper, more stable proton-conducting system. To find the key ingredient, he had to look no further than his own backyard.

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Chimpanzees binge on clay to detox and boost the minerals in their diet

Wild chimpanzees in the forests of Uganda are increasingly eating clay to supplement the minerals in their diet, according to a long-term international study published in the early version of the...

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Opportunity Mars rover preparing for active winter

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is conducting a "walkabout" survey of "Marathon Valley," where the rover's operators plan to use the vehicle through the upcoming Martian winter, and beyond,...

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Opportunity rover driving between 'lily pads' in search of Martian sun and...

Just shy of an unfathomable 4200 Sols traversing ravishing alien terrain on the Red Planet, the longest living 'Martian' – NASA's robot 'Opportunity' – is driving between "lily pads" down steep walled...

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Ceres reveals its salty secrets – and blurs the line between comets and...

When Guiseppe Piazzi reported his observations of a minor planet in 1801, he originally thought it might be a comet. But follow-up observations by fellow astronomers suggested that Ceres was actually...

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Study finds evidence for more recent clay formation on Mars

Recent orbital and rover missions to Mars have turned up ample evidence of clays and other hydrated minerals formed when rocks are altered by the presence of water. Most of that alteration is thought...

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Scientists discover how blue and green clays kill bacteria

Since prehistoric times, humans have used clays for medicinal purposes.

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Ancient medicinal clay shows promise against today's worst bacterial infections

Naturally occurring clay from British Columbia, Canada—long used by the region's Heiltsuk First Nation for its healing potential—exhibits potent antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant...

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New simulation model for predicting bentonite clay swelling in nuclear waste...

Bentonite clay is planned to be used as a key barrier in the deep geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste. To ensure the safety of disposal, it is crucial to understand and predict the swelling...

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Antibiotics hide within soil mineral layers

A Cornell study revealed the molecular mechanism of how antibiotics from human and farm animal waste become trapped in soils, findings with the potential to explain the behavior and consequences of...

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Blast behaviour research could save British troops

New research that sheds unprecedented light on the behaviour of blasts produced by landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) could aid the development of enhanced protection for UK soldiers on...

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Cost-effective production of hydrogen from natural resources

Owing to their unbeatable electro-optical properties and compatibility with existing silicon technology, silicon nanosheets (SiNSs) are one of most exciting recent discoveries. They have been the most...

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Are calcareous sediments weak points in seismogenic zones?

Where a tectonic plate dives under another, in the so-called subduction zones at ocean margins, many strong earthquakes occur. Especially the earthquakes at shallow depths often cause tsunamis. How...

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Modeling the contractive behavior of soft clay in a heating test

Unlike other geomaterials, soft clay can paradoxically contract upon heating. This phenomenon is termed the "volumetric contraction of soft clay due to heating."

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Mars rock-ingredient stew seen as plus for habitability

NASA's Curiosity rover is climbing a layered Martian mountain and finding evidence of how ancient lakes and wet underground environments changed, billions of years ago, creating more diverse chemical...

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Conservation practices may leave African indigenous populations behind

Conservation and logging groups in Central and West Africa are failing to fully incorporate local concerns into management, marginalizing the livelihoods of the local population, according to Nathan...

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A new idea connects the synthesis of clays and the origin of metabolism

The question of how life has begun has fascinated scientists from many disciplines and it was the organic chemist Graham Cairns-Smith who proposed the theory for the origin of life starting from clays...

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New paper explores why Peru's parrots eat clay

For more than 16 years, researchers and volunteers have been observing wildlife along the clay cliffs of Southeastern Peru's Tambopata River. They've gathered data every day, logging more than 20,000...

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Mathematical mystery of ancient Babylonian clay tablet solved

UNSW Sydney scientists have discovered the purpose of a famous 3700-year old Babylonian clay tablet, revealing it is the world's oldest and most accurate trigonometric table, possibly used by ancient...

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Spectroscopy: Simple solution for soil sample

Farmers and gardeners know their soil texture can make a big difference in their success. Different plants have different needs for water, nutrients, and air. When they grow in soil that has the right...

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In a high-tech world, car designers still rely on clay

Car designers have every kind of software and virtual reality tool. But when they want to make sure a car's curves look just right, they rely on one of the world's oldest materials: clay.

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New study analyzes causes of 2010 landslide in Saint-Jude, Quebec

In May 2010, a landslide devastated the municipality of Saint-Jude, Quebec, and was responsible for four fatalities when a house was destroyed by sediment movement. Building on investigations that took...

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Clay minerals on Mars may have formed in primordial steam bath

Planetary scientists from Brown University have proposed a new scenario for the formation of ancient clay minerals on Mars that, if shown to be true, could rewrite the early history of the red planet.

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Research on clay formation could have implications for how to search for life...

Today Mars has only a thin atmosphere, and its surface is very dry with the possible exception of some localised and temporary water seeps. However, ancient eroded valley networks that were discovered...

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