Science Connected Magazine

A stream filling a glass of water. Water quality may be headed for a rise as scientists work to develop new technology that uses bacteria to detect harmful heavy metals in water.

Biology Ecology Environment Water Pollution

Water Quality Monitoring by Bacterial Biosensors

March 20, 2023March 14, 2023 Science Connectedbacteria, heavy metals, water contamination, water pollution, water testing

Water quality may be headed for a rise as scientists work to develop new technology that uses bacteria to detect harmful heavy metals in water.

Arts and Humanities Neuroscience Psychology

Magic Makers: Art Therapy for Neuropsychiatric Patients

March 15, 2023March 14, 2023 Science Connectedart, brain, neurology, psychology

Art therapy may help adults with mild cognitive impairment feel happier and more empowered—and slow the progress of cognitive decline.

People putting plastic bottles in recycling bin.

Biology Environment Sustainable Living

Bacteria Has Natural Capacity to Recycle Plastics

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 Science Connectedbacteria, plastic pollution, recycling

A common bacterium, Comamonas testosteroni, might hold the key to breaking down and recycling plastic waste on a large scale.

Let’s talk about trees!

March 6, 2023March 4, 2023 Science Connected

The Girl Scouts and SciStarter have teamed up to put the spotlight on trees in these citizen science projects.

Paleontology Science and Art

The Art of Scientific Illustration

March 1, 2023February 26, 2023 Science Connectedscience communication, science education, scientific illustration

Scientific illustration is more than just cool artwork. It conveys technical details about research that other tools cannot.

In experiments conducted by scientists at the University of São Paulo, the performance of a bioprinted model obtained in a 3D printer was equivalent to that of the conventional model produced manually. Image credit: FCF-USP

Biology Engineering New Technologies

Bioprinting Skin for Cosmetics and Drug Testing

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 Science Connectedanimal testing, bioprinting, cosmetics, drug testing, skin

Bioprinting skin models that react on par with actual skin could lead to new possibilities for how labs test cosmetics and drugs.

Researchers have developed a recycling system that can transform plastic waste and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels and other valuable products–using just the energy from the sun. Image credit: University of Cambridge

Climate Change Environment New Technologies

Sunlight Powers Recycling of Carbon Dioxide and Plastic

February 15, 2023February 14, 2023 Science Connectedbiofuel, carbon dioxide, plastic pollution, recycling, solar power

A new recycling method uses sunlight to simultaneously convert carbon dioxide and plastic waste into sustainable biofuels and useful chemical products.

Brown algae are particularly widespread on rocky shores in temperate and cold latitudes and there absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air worldwide. Credit: Hagen Buck-Wiese/Max Planck Institute For Marine Microbiology

Ecology Environment Marine and Freshwater Biology Oceanography

How Brown Algae Mucus Combats Carbon Dioxide

February 10, 2023February 14, 2023 Science Connectedalgae, carbon dioxide, carbon fixing, climate change, seawater

Mucus produced by brown algae may be the key to protecting the ocean, as a new study uncovers how carbon dioxide gets captured and converted.

A field of sorghum. Bioenergy sorghum hybrids can restore carbon levels in soil, improve soil fertility, provide biomass for biofuel production, and combat climate change. Credit: K-State Research and Extension; license CC by 2.0

Botany Climate Change Environment

Bioenergy Sorghum: The Green Crop of the Future

February 8, 2023February 14, 2023 Science Connectedagriculture, environmental protection, green energy, soil health

Bioenergy sorghum hybrids can restore carbon levels in soil, improve soil fertility, provide biomass for biofuel production, and combat climate change.

why we prefer villains who remind us of ourselves

Psychology

Why People Are Drawn to Fictional Villains

February 1, 2023January 30, 2023 Science Connectedpsychology

Why do people love some fictional villians more than heros? Much like the villains themselves, the answer is complex and, well, interesting.