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Plastic pollution and energy shortages are pressing issues in today’s world. The authors examined whether waste plastic pyrolysis fuels are similar to conventional diesel and, thus, a plausible alternative fuel. Results showed that waste plastic pyrolysis fuels did not match up to diesel overall, though several fuels came close in calorific value.

The goal of this project was to assess the relationships among low myopia, behavioral and demographic factors, and a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the TGFβ1 gene.

Habitat loss and global warming remain present-day issues that continue to place pressures on various ecosystems and their species. The authors of this paper performed studies over two years to understand whether birds feed more from wooded or exposed areas.

Sound waves can be amazingly powerful, especially when they work together. Here the authors create an “acoustic lens” that focuses sound waves on a single location. This makes the sound waves very powerful, capable of causing damage at a precise point. In the future, acoustic lenses like this could potentially be used to treat cancer by killing small tumors without surgery.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical systems that utilize bacteria and are promising forms of alternative energy. Similar to chemical fuel cells, MFCs employ both an anode (accepts electrons) and a cathode (donates electrons), but in these devices the live bacteria donate the electrons necessary for current. In this study, the authors assess the functionality of a photosynthetic MFC that utilizes a purple non-sulfur bacterium. The MFC prototype they constructed was found to function over a range of environmental conditions, suggesting its potential use in industrial models.

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are projected to lead to a 0.3- 0.4 unit decrease in ocean surface pH levels over the next century. In this study, the authors investigate the effect of pH change on the mass of calcified exoskeletons of common aquatic organisms found in South Florida coastal waters.

Environmental disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill can be devastating to ecosystems for long periods of time. Safer, cheaper, and more effective methods of oil clean-up are needed to clean up oil spills in the future. Here, the authors investigate the ability of natural ocean algae to process crude oil into less toxic chemicals. They identify Coccochloris elabens as a particularly promising algae for future bioremediation efforts.

This study investigated perceptions of the emerging workforce toward the use of artificial intelligence in hiring, specifically for assessing subjective "culture fit." Through a mixed-methods survey of 150 high school and early-college students in Nepal, we found a significant disconnect between organizational adoption of AI and the profound skepticism of young job candidates, who express deep concerns about fairness, transparency, and the potential for AI to perpetuate systemic discrimination.

Paper found that heat waves in India are linked to lower household income, agricultural income, and consumption, with agriculture being affected the most. It also suggests farm workers may adapt to extreme heat over time by increasing labor inputs despite rising temperatures.

The authors test the effect of petroleum-based and bio-based microplastics on the growth of two microalgae species.