(Press-News.org) Anthropogenic climate warming has led to increased precipitation variability over much of the globe, according to a new study, which points to several hotspots for this trend. This effect is particularly prominent over Europe, Australia, and eastern North America, say the study’s authors, and is largely driven by increasing atmospheric moistening and decadal-scale changes in atmospheric circulation. As the climate warms, the atmosphere becomes more capable of holding moisture, leading to greater fluctuations between extreme precipitation events and wider swings between wet and dry episodes. Such amplified precipitation variability can profoundly impact human society and ecosystems, posing challenges for weather and climate forecasting as well as for adaptation and resilience planning. Although many global climate models project increasing precipitation variability – especially in wet regions – due to higher atmospheric moisture and weakened large-scale atmospheric circulation, the phenomenon is far easier to predict than to observe. As a result, it remains unclear whether increased precipitation variability has already emerged in observations. To address these uncertainties, Wenxia Zhang and colleagues leveraged five global-scale and eight regional-scale datasets of daily precipitation observations, which spanned 1900 to 2020. Zhang et al. report that precipitation variability has systematically amplified over the past century across various timescales and regions, driven primarily by increased atmospheric moisture from anthropogenic warming. According to the findings, roughly 75% of land area has experienced an amplification of precipitation variability, with daily variability increased by 1.2% per decade globally. The authors note these precipitation swings pose “threats to the climate resilience of infrastructures, risk management, agriculture, ecosystem functions, and economic development.”
END
Human-induced warming has driven increasing precipitation variability
Summary author: Walter Beckwith
2024-07-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Revealed: Neurons that help create infant-mother bonds in young mice
2024-07-25
Specific neurons in the brain’s zona incerta (ZI) play a crucial role in the early social interactions of an infant and its mother, building their bond and reducing stress, according to a new study in mice. Activation of the same neurons in adult mice increased anxiety- and fear-like responses, the study showed. In humans, as in other mammals, infants have an inborn tendency to form an attachment bond with their mothers or caregivers – a bond that plays a crucial role in the infant’s development. This bond helps newborns feel secure and serves as a safety net from which to explore their surroundings, learn, and develop crucial skills and behaviors. However, the neural mechanisms ...
Can a computer tell patients how their multiple sclerosis will progress?
2024-07-25
Machine learning models can reliably inform clinicians about the disability progression of multiple sclerosis, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by Edward De Brouwer of KU Leuven, Belgium, and colleagues.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease that leads to severe disability over time through a complex pattern of progression, recovery, and relapse. Its global prevalence has increased by more than 30% over the last decade. ...
Novel human lung organoids can form lifelike models for tuberculosis infection, and might be used to test efficacy of anti-TB drugs
2024-07-25
Novel human lung organoids can form lifelike models for tuberculosis infection, and might be used to test efficacy of anti-TB drugs.
####
Article URL: http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal. ppat.1012295
Article Title: Advances in an In Vitro Tuberculosis Infection Model Using Human Lung Organoids for Host-Directed Therapies
Author Countries: Republic of Korea
Funding: This research was supported by the Korea National Institutes of Health (NIH) (No. 2021-ER2001-00) awarded to E.M.K., the Korea Institute of Toxicology, Republic of Korea (No. 1711195891) awarded to E.M.K., the Korea Environment Industry & Technology ...
Spin qubits go trampolining
2024-07-25
Researchers at QuTech developed somersaulting spin qubits for universal quantum logic. This achievement may enable efficient control of large semiconductor qubit arrays. The research group published their demonstration of hopping spins in Nature Communications and their work on somersaulting spins in Science.
In 1998, Loss and DiVincenzo published the seminal work ‘quantum computation with quantum dots’. In their original work, hopping of spins was proposed as a basis for qubit logic, but an experimental implementation has remained lacking. After more than 20 years, experiments have caught up with theory. Researchers ...
Seven steps to achieving the right to clean indoor air post-pandemic
2024-07-25
Professor Morawska, director of THRIVE, from QUT’s School of School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences said the rapid global spread of Covid-19 had soon made it clear the world was unprepared to respond appropriately.
“In the early days of the pandemic the World Health Organisation and many national health authorities claimed the virus was ‘not in the air’ but rather present in large quantities on surfaces. This led to a misconception about how the virus was transmitted,” ...
Scientists study how to bring you ‘climate-smart coffee’
2024-07-25
Crave that cup of coffee in the morning? Globally, consumers drink more than 2.2 billion cups daily. Someone grows all that joe: More than 100 million farmers worldwide produce coffee.
Coffee beans consumed across the globe come from two species: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, also known as Robusta (or Conilon) coffee. Historically, coffee drinkers prefer Arabica beans for their specific flavor and aroma, said Felipe Ferrao, a University of Florida research assistant scientist in horticultural sciences.
But by 2050, about 80% of Arabica production is predicted to decrease because of climate change. So, Ferrao and colleagues from France (RD2 Vision) and Brazil (Incaper ...
New study shows at-home colon cancer screening test reduces risk of colorectal cancer death, as effective as screening colonoscopy
2024-07-25
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test that can be done at home could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer death by 33%, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. This is the first study to evaluate this tool’s effectiveness in specific racial groups.
For this study, researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), and Kaiser Permanente evaluated data from nearly 11,000 patients who underwent at-home FIT (fecal immunochemical testing) among ...
A cool solution
2024-07-25
Artificial intelligence (AI) is hot right now. Also hot: the data centers that power the technology. And keeping those centers cool requires a tremendous amount of energy.
The problem is only going to grow as high-powered AI-based computers and devices become commonplace. That’s why University of Missouri researcher Chanwoo Park is devising a new type of cooling system that promises to dramatically reduce energy demands.
“Cooling and chip manufacturing go hand-in-hand,” said Park, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Mizzou College of Engineering. “Without proper cooling, components overheat and fail. Energy-efficient data centers will be key ...
Electrical currents may make body’s cancer-killing cells even better killers
2024-07-25
Scientists have discovered that electrical currents may make Natural Killer (NK) cells – our very own cancer-killing immune cells – even better killers, which could have significant implications for treating some cancers.
The scientists found that Tumour Treating Fields (TTF) in the laboratory (which mimic exposure of brain tumours to electric currents via a simple hat worn by patients) evoked an even more deadly response from NK cells. They hope their promising findings may open the door to new combined therapies for people living with certain brain tumours, such as glioblastoma.
Glioblastoma is an aggressive, common ...
In Illinois, ‘older adults are at increased risk for suicide’
2024-07-25
Most (83%) suicide deaths were among men
Firearms were the most frequently used weapon (59%)
Among those who died by suicide, 20% had been diagnosed with depression; only 14.1% of them were receiving treatment
CHICAGO --- Nearly 20% of suicides in Illinois between 2020 and 2021 were among people 65 years and older, according to recently released data from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The suicides disproportionately affected white men between the ages of 65 and 74 years, with ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Insulin resistance is linked to over 30 diseases – and to early death in women, study of people in the UK finds
Innovative semaglutide hydrogel could reduce diabetes shots to once a month
Weight loss could reduce the risk of severe infections in people with diabetes, UK research suggests
Long-term exposure to air pollution and a lack of green space increases the risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions
Better cardiovascular health in early pregnancy may offset high genetic risk
Artificial intelligence method transforms gene mutation prediction in lung cancer: DeepGEM data releases at IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer
Antibody–drug conjugate I-DXd shows clinically meaningful response in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
IASLC Global Survey on biomarker testing reveals progress and persistent barriers in lung cancer biomarker testing
Research shows pathway to developing predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors
Just how dangerous is Great Salt Lake dust? New research looks for clues
Maroulas appointed Associate Vice Chancellor, Director of AI Tennessee
New chickadee research finds cognitive skills impact lifespan
Cognitive behavioral therapy enhances brain circuits to relieve depression
Terasaki Institute awarded $2.3 Million grant from NIH for organ transplantation research using organs-on-a-chip technology
Atoms on the edge
Postdoc takes multipronged approach to muon detection
Mathematical proof: Five satellites needed for precise navigation
Scalable, multi-functional device lays groundwork for advanced quantum applications
Falling for financial scams? It may signal early Alzheimer’s disease
Integrating MRI and OCT for new insights into brain microstructure
Designing a normative neuroimaging library to support diagnosis of traumatic brain injury
Department of Energy announces $68 million in funding for artificial intelligence for scientific research
DOE, ORNL announce opportunity to define future of high-performance computing
Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough
Low-impact yoga and exercise found to help older women manage urinary incontinence
Genetic studies reveal new insights into cognitive impairment in schizophrenia
Researcher develops technology to provide cleaner energy and cleaner water
Expect the unexpected: nanoscale silver unveils intrinsic self-healing abilities
nTIDE September 2024 Jobs Report: Gains in employment for people with disabilities appear to level off after reducing gaps with non-disabled workers
Wiley enhances NMR Spectral Library Collection with extensive new databases
[Press-News.org] Human-induced warming has driven increasing precipitation variabilitySummary author: Walter Beckwith