MORE SCI-FI-TEK

$900,000 awarded to optimize graphene energy harvesting devices

The WoodNext Foundation's commitment to U of A physicist Paul Thibado will be used to develop sensor systems compatible with six different power sources.

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

 

IMAGE: 

PAUL THIBADO

view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

U of A physics professor Paul Thibado received a commitment of $904,000 from the WoodNext Foundation, administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation. The five-year grant will support Thibado’s development of graphene energy harvesters. 

“We have successfully developed a process for building graphene energy harvesting device structures,” Thibado said, “but current structures do not harvest enough power. This proposal will allow us to optimize these structures to harvest nanowatts of power, which is enough energy to run sensors.”  

Thibado and his colleagues will develop graphene energy harvesting (or GEH) technology for the following sources of power: solar, thermal, acoustic, kinetic, nonlinear and ambient radiation. As each device is developed, his team will then build a full prototype sensor system around that specific power source. 

Nancy Chan, executive director of the WoodNext Foundation, said, “We’re excited to support Paul’s work. We think it’s an important step in the development of more clean energy options, as well as a potentially exciting advance in building the internet of things.” 

Thibado noted that current state-of-the-art sensor technology is powered by batteries that require microwatts (a millionth of a watt) of continuous power. The goal of his project is twofold:

1. Reduce sensor power demand to nanowatts (a billionth of a watt) and
2. Power these sensors using energy harvested from the local environment.  

Notably, these systems will not include batteries, which have a limited lifespan, allowing them to achieve exceptionally long operational lifetimes — potentially several decades.  

“Mass use of this technology will further expand the internet of things,” Thibado explained, “which transforms ordinary sensors into smart nodes within an intelligent network. Thus, our systems will impact a wide range of applications.” 

How wide? Thibado envisions these sensors being used in transportation product tracking, logistic fleet management, livestock tracking, soil sensors, agricultural climate monitoring, environmental flood alerts, disaster planning, atmospheric monitoring, predictive maintenance, manufacturing process monitoring, utility smart meters/grids, city smart parking, traffic control, city lighting, waste management, bike/scooter management, camera systems, building alarm systems, temperature control, lighting, access, wearable fitness monitoring, child tracking and medical tracking. So, pretty wide. 

The installation cost of GEHs is expected to be competitive with other forms of energy supply, both large and small scale. However, GEH’s operational cost will be near zero with no costs for fuel, charging, replacement or overhaul. For example, a GEH chip could be placed in a remote temperature sensor. This chip, a component of its electronic module, will free the device from the need for external power or batteries. The chip will not require replacement, as it has the same life as other components of the device. With GEH technology, the device can be more compact, portable and safeguarded from power failure. 

Additional Collaborators 

A subaward of $210,000 will go to David Blaauw, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan. An expert in low-power wireless sensors and embedded systems, Blaauw will oversee fabrication of “Michigan Micro-Mote” sensors custom designed for seamless integration with each type of U of A graphene power harvester.  

Blaauw will fine tune the power consumption and duty cycle of the various sensors to align with the power supplied by the U of A harvester. He will also implement a capacitive energy averaging method to support brief periods of higher power consumption.  

NTS Innovations, a company specializing in nanotechnology, owns the exclusive license to develop GEH into commercial products. The company has provided funding for patenting, creating business plans, finding business partners and customer discovery. 

NTS Innovations’ role over the course of the grant is to engage with customers on acceptance criteria, such as the minimum power levels needed for inclusion in products. Currently, more than 60 parties have expressed interest in testing the technology and working with Thibado and his colleagues to integrate it into their applications.  

Thibado thinks his team, in cooperation with NTS Innovations, will be able to send a first-generation self-powered GEH sensor to interested customers for feedback as early as the second year of the award. 

Graphene and GEHs 

Discovered in 2004, graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of graphite. Freestanding graphene has a rippled structure, with each ripple flipping up and down in response to the ambient temperature.

“The thinner something is, the more flexible it is,” Thibado said. “And at only one atom thick, there is nothing more flexible. It’s like a trampoline, constantly moving up and down. If you want to stop it from moving, you have to cool it down to 20 Kelvin.” 

GEHs use a negatively charged sheet of graphene suspended between two metal electrodes. When the graphene flips up, it induces a positive charge in the top electrode. When it flips down, it positively charges the bottom electrode, creating an alternating current. With diodes wired in opposition, allowing the current to flow both ways, separate paths are provided through the circuit, producing a pulsing DC current that performs work on a load resistor.

This video provides a little more background.

About the WoodNext Foundation: The WoodNext Foundation manages the philanthropy of tech innovator and Roku CEO/founder Anthony Wood and his wife, Susan. Their philanthropic efforts are guided by their overall mission to advance human progress and remove obstacles to a fulfilling life. The WoodNext Foundation makes grants and investments in a variety of areas, including scientific and biomedical research, mental health, homelessness, education, nature conservation, disaster recovery and economic opportunity, with a focus on addressing root causes.

Researchers develop technique to synthesize water-soluble alloy nanoclusters

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

 

IMAGE: 

SCIENTISTS FROM QINGDAO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED A NOVEL PATH TO SYNTHESIZE ATOMICALLY PRECISE, WATER-SOLUBLE ALLOY NANOCLUSTERS.

view more 

CREDIT: XUN YUAN, SCHOOL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, QINGDAO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

In recent years, ultrasmall metal nanoclusters have unlocked advances in fields ranging from bioimaging and biosensing to biotherapy thanks to their unique molecular-like properties. In a study published in the journal Polyoxometalates on December 11, 2023, a research team from Qingdao University of Science and Technology proposed a design to synthesize atomically precise, water-soluble alloy nanoclusters.

 

“The novelty of this study is in a new strategy for the synthesis of water-soluble alloy nanoclusters and a further contribution to the fundamental understanding of the alloying mechanism of metal nanoclusters,” said study author Xun Yuan from Qingdao University of Science and Technology.

 

“The ultimate goal is to develop such alloy nanoclusters as novel nanomedicine,” Yuan said.

 

Nanoclusters are made of only a few to tens of atoms, and the size of their cores is usually below 2 nanometers (nm). Since the ultra-small size of the clusters is close to the Fermi wavelength of electrons, the continuous band turns to discontinuous and becomes molecule-like with discrete energy levels. Consequently, the nanoclusters exhibit unique optical and electronic characteristics.

 

Recent studies have demonstrated how alloy nanoclusters — synthesized by combining two or more different metals into a monometallic nanocluster framework — can generate new geometric structures and additional functionality. Researchers can “tune” the physical and chemical properties (e.g., optical, catalytic, and magnetic) of metal nanoclusters. Moreover, alloy nanoclusters often exhibit synergistic or new properties, which go beyond those of monometallic nanoclusters.

 

Heightened interest in potential opportunities has spurred recent activity to develop new methods to synthesize alloy nanoclusters. But, while the correlations between size, morphology, and composition of alloy nanoclusters and their physicochemical properties have been well demonstrated, issues surrounding doping processes and the dynamic responses are not well understood, according to Yuan.

 

“These unresolved issues are mainly due to the technical limitations in characterizing the alloy atom distribution at the atomic level, especially in real-time tracking of the dynamic heteroatom movement in the alloy nanoparticles during the reactions,” Yuan said.

 

In addition, most of those methods were exploited for hydrophobic alloy nanoclusters, which may preclude synthesis for water-soluble alloy nanoclusters. Given the wide application of water-soluble alloy nanoclusters in biomedicine and environmental protection, developing novel synthetic strategies of water-soluble alloy nanoclusters at the atomic level is significantly important.

 

With this goal in mind, Yuan and collaborators found that seeding silver (Ag) ions could trigger the transformation from gold (Au)-based nanoclusters into alloy Au18-xAgx(GSH)14 nanocluster which can be further transformed to composition-fixed Au26Ag(GSH)17Cl2 nanoclusters by gold (Au) ions— with GSH denoting water-soluble glutathione. Moreover, the position of the single Ag atom of Au26Ag(GSH)17Cl2 nanoclusters could be identified on the surface.

 

“Our results could achieve the atom-level modulation of metal nanoparticles, and provide a platform for producing alloy functional nanomaterials for specific applications,” said Yuan.  “Additionally, the acquired alloying mechanism may deepen the understanding on the properties-performance of alloy nanomaterials, contributing to the generation of new knowledge in the fields of nanomaterials, chemistry, and nanocluster science.”

 

In future studies, the researchers will use these alloy nanoclusters for biomedical applications.

 

The research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong Province.

 

Other contributors include Shuyu Qian, Fengyu Liu, Haiguang Zhu, Yong Liu, Ting Feng and Xinyue Dou from Qingdao University of Science and Technology.

 

---

About Polyoxometalates  

Polyoxometalates is a peer-reviewed, international and interdisciplinary research journal that focuses on all aspects of polyoxometalates, featured in rapid review and fast publishing, sponsored by Tsinghua University and published by Tsinghua University Press. Submissions are solicited in all topical areas, ranging from basic aspects of the science of polyoxometalates to practical applications of such materials. Polyoxometalates offers readers an attractive mix of authoritative and comprehensive Reviews, original cutting-edge research in Communication and Full Paper formats, Comments, and Highlight.

About SciOpen 

SciOpen is a professional open access resource for discovery of scientific and technical content published by the Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners, providing the scholarly publishing community with innovative technology and market-leading capabilities. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, and identity management and expert advice to ensure each journal’s development by offering a range of options across all functions as Journal Layout, Production Services, Editorial Services, Marketing and Promotions, Online Functionality, etc. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.

---

JOURNAL

Polyoxometalates

DOI

10.26599/POM.2023.9140049 

ARTICLE TITLE

Metal ion-induced alloying and size transformation of water-soluble metal nanoclusters

 

Stress, via inflammation, is linked to metabolic syndrome

Study suggests stress management could reduce biological risk

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lifestyle and genetics, and a range of other factors within and outside our control, are known to contribute to development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that add up to increased risk for serious health problems.

A new study has found that stress, through its propensity to drive up inflammation in the body, is also linked to metabolic syndrome – leading researchers to suggest that cheap and relatively easy stress-management techniques may be one way to help improve biological health outcomes.

“We were specifically examining people in midlife – a time that is critical to determine those who will experience accelerated aging. Stress is an important contributor to several negative health outcomes as we age,” said senior author Jasmeet Hayes, associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University.

“There are many variables that influence metabolic syndrome, some we can’t modify, but others that we can. Everybody experiences stress,” Hayes said. “And stress management is one modifiable factor that’s cost-effective as well as something people can do in their daily lives without having to get medical professionals involved.”

The research was published recently in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health.

Links between stress and biological health are established, but few previous studies had looked specifically at the involvement of inflammation in stress’s connection to metabolic syndrome.

People with metabolic syndrome are diagnosed with at least three of five factors that increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes and other health issues – excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low HDL (good) cholesterol, and high levels of fasting blood glucose and triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. The condition is also referred to as insulin resistance syndrome.

Using data from a sample of 648 participants (average age 52) in a national survey titled Midlife in the United States, first author Savana Jurgens built a statistical model to gauge how inflammation may fit into the relationship between stress and metabolic syndrome. Information from respondents’ reported perceived stress, blood biomarkers for inflammation, and physical exam results indicating risk factors for metabolic syndrome was used for the analysis.

“There’s not much research that has looked at all three variables at one time,” said Jurgens, a psychology graduate student in Hayes’ lab. “There’s a lot of work that suggests stress is associated with inflammation, inflammation is associated with metabolic syndrome, and stress is associated with metabolic syndrome. But putting all those pieces together is rare.”

Inflammation composite scores were calculated using biomarkers that included the better-known IL-6 and C-reactive protein as well as E-selectin and ICAM-1, which help recruit white blood cells during inflammation, and fibrinogen, a protein essential to blood clot formation.

The statistical modeling showed that stress does indeed have a relationship with metabolic syndrome, and inflammation explained over half of that connection – 61.5%, to be exact.

“There is a small effect of perceived stress on metabolic syndrome, but inflammation explained a large proportion of that,” Jurgens said.

The results made sense – stress is just one of many factors that can launch health markers into a state of disarray. Other factors include a range of behaviors including inactivity, unhealthy eating habits, smoking and poor sleep, as well as low socioeconomic status, advanced age and being female.  

But considering that an estimated 1 in 3 American adults has metabolic syndrome, knowing how to lower risk or prevent it altogether is important, Hayes said. The findings also add to evidence that stress, and its connection to inflammation, can have a big impact on biological health in general.

“People think of stress as mental health, that it’s all psychological. It is not. There are real physical effects to having chronic stress,” Hayes said. “It could be inflammation, it could be metabolic syndrome, or a number of things. This is another reminder of that.”

Future work will include a closer look at whether stress has a causal effect on metabolic syndrome and assessing stress management techniques that may be best for helping reduce inflammation.

This research was supported by the National Institute on Aging and Ohio State’s Discovery Themes Chronic Brain Injury Program, where Hayes is an investigator. Co-author Sarah Prieto of Ohio State also contributed to the study.

#

---

JOURNAL

Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health

DOI

10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100696 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Inflammatory biomarkers link perceived stress with metabolic dysregulation

 

Kessler Foundation scientist awarded prestigious federal grant for novel, mixed-method study on Latinos with multiple sclerosis

Researcher Cristina A. F. Román, PhD, to examine barriers to healthcare, cardiovascular risk factors, and accelerated brain aging in minoritized group

Grant and Award Announcement

KESSLER FOUNDATION

 

IMAGE: 

CRISTINA A. F. ROMAN, PHD, RESEARCH SCIENTIST IN THE ROCCO ORTENZIO NEUROIMAGING CENTER AT KESSLER FOUNDATION, RECEIVED A FEDERAL GRANT FOR ONE OF THE FIRST MIXED-METHODS STUDIES TO EXAMINE BARRIERS TO HEALTHCARE, MEDICAL COMORBIDITIES, AND ACCELERATED BRAIN AGING IN LATINO PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

view more 

CREDIT: N/A

East Hanover, NJ – January 12, 2024 – A research scientist at Kessler Foundation has been awarded a highly competitive Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This $704,054, five-year grant will support one of the first mixed-methods studies aimed at examining barriers to healthcare, cardiovascular risk factors, and accelerated brain aging in Latinos with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Principal Investigator and grant recipient, Cristina A. F. Román, PhD, is currently a research scientist in the Foundation’s Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center.

Though there is a paucity of research focusing on Latinos with MS, there is evidence that this group experiences more severe disease trajectories and worse functional outcomes than their non-Latino counterparts. “These disparities are believed to be strongly influenced by social determinants of health, particularly factors related to healthcare access,” explained Dr. Román, adding, “Timely intervention and consistent, ongoing medical care are crucial for improving MS prognosis, especially in historically minoritized groups that face greater health disparities.”

Studies show that Latinos  encounter greater obstacles in accessing equitable healthcare, which not only contributes to poorer MS outcomes, but also increases the risk of comorbid medical conditions such as cardiovascular risk factors. These risk factors disproportionately impact both individuals with MS and Latino populations residing in the United States and can contribute to neurodegeneration (e.g., advanced brain aging). “This means that Latinos with MS are at especially high risk for the compounding effects of barriers to healthcare, cardiovascular risk factors, and MS, yet the extent to which these factors interact to impact MS-related outcomes, especially brain aging, remains unknown,” noted Dr. Román.

“The findings from our work will have direct implications for early intervention strategies, focusing on improving healthcare access and quality. Additionally, our research will significantly contribute to filling a substantial gap in our understanding of how societal and systemic factors (i.e., social determinants of health) influence brain health and health disparities in neurological disorders,” she concluded.

Funding: National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH) 1K23MDO19232-01A0.

About the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's premiere medical research agency. NIMHD's work touches the lives of millions of Americans burdened by disparities in health status and health care delivery, including racial and ethnic minority groups, rural populations, populations with low socioeconomic status, and other population groups. For more information, visit NIMHD.gov.

About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research. Our scientists seek to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the brain and spinal cord including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Kessler Foundation also leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.

Press Contacts at Kessler Foundation:
Deborah Hauss, DHauss@kesslerfoundation.org
Carolann Murphy, CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org

Stay Connected with Kessler Foundation
Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | SoundCloud

 

Using chatbots to advance Spanish-speaking patient outreach

Grant and Award Announcement

HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: 

Kim Kaphingst, ScD, DIRECTOR OF CANCER COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AT Huntsman Cancer Institute AND PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AT THE University of Utah.

view more 

CREDIT: HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE

In her latest study, Kim Kaphingst, ScD, director of cancer communication research at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of communications at the University of Utah, is using chatbots to reach Spanish-speaking patients and teach them about genetic testing. 

The chatbots, computer programs that simulate conversation, give patients the same information they would get in an appointment with a genetic counselor to learn about genetic testing. This is done by using texted prompts, allowing for more flexibility and accessibility since patients can use this tool anywhere. If a patient meets the criteria for genetic testing, they can be offered testing through the genetic counseling team. 

And now, Kaphingst and her team have received additional funding from the National Cancer Institute for this specific project. “Our initial trial allowed us to develop and test the chatbot,” says Kaphingst. “This funding allows our team to reach a new population.” 

Kaphingst’s background in genetics and health communication has motivated her to find new ways to reach and educate patients. Her team of researchers include Crystal Lumpkins, Whitney Espinel, CGC, Wendy Kohlmann, MS, Guilherme Del Fiol, MD, PhD, FACMI, as well as Pete Taber, MSCI, PhD, from Biomedical Informatics.  

“It is important for people to know about their risk of cancer,” says Kaphingst. “As a cancer center, our goal is to effectively communicate this information to the public. There are many things individuals can do to reduce their risk, like early screening or preventative surgery. Our goal is to empower patients, ensuring they have the information necessary to make informed decisions about their health.” 

The new phase of this research will focus on Spanish-speaking women. According to Kaphingst, Spanish-speaking women are less likely to receive genetic testing services when compared to English-speaking patients. This means that patients with hereditary cancer risks, like hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, are less likely to be identified, which can lead to poorer health outcomes. 

“Our previous work has shown that about 25% to 30% of people who are eligible for genetic testing receive it,” says Kaphingst. “It is so important to address some of the inequities we see in the area we serve. It is really an important issue: making sure that everybody can access the services they need.” 

Huntsman Cancer Institute is home to many resources, including a patient navigation program specifically tailored for people who speak Spanish.  

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute including P30 CA042014 and Huntsman Cancer Foundation. The chatbots were developed in a recently completed trial funded by the Inherited Cancer Syndrome Collaborative of the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative. 

 

###

About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah 

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, and world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, prevented, diagnosed, treated, and survived. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering a cancer-free frontier to all communities in the area we serve. We have more than 300 open clinical trials and 250 research teams studying cancer at any given time. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for understanding how cancer begins and using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient’s unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman. 

 

Study uncovers potential origins of life in ancient hot springs

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY

Newcastle University research turns to ancient hot springs to explore the origins of life on Earth.

The research team, funded by the UK’s Natural Environmental Research Council, investigated how the emergence of the first living systems from inert geological materials happened on the Earth, more than 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists at Newcastle University found that by mixing hydrogen, bicarbonate, and iron-rich magnetite under conditions mimicking relatively mild hydrothermal vent results in the formation of a spectrum of organic molecules, most notably including fatty acids stretching up to 18 carbon atoms in length.

Published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, their findings potentially reveal how some key molecules needed to produce life are made from inorganic chemicals, which is essential to understanding a key step in how life formed on the Earth billions of years ago. Their results may provide a plausible genesis of the organic molecules that form ancient cell membranes, that were perhaps selectively chosen by early biochemical processes on primordial Earth.

Fatty acids in the early stages of life

Fatty acids are long organic molecules that have regions that both attract and repel water that will automatically form cell-like compartments in water naturally and it is these types of molecules that could have made the first cell membranes. Yet, despite their importance, it was uncertain where these fatty acids came from in the early stages of life. One idea is that they might have formed in the hydrothermal vents where hot water, mixed with hydrogen-rich fluids coming from underwater vents mixed with seawater containing CO2.

The group replicated crucial aspects of the chemical environment found in early Earth's oceans and the mixing of the hot alkaline water from around certain types of hydrothermal vents in their laboratory. They found that when hot hydrogen-rich fluids were mixed with carbon dioxide-rich water in the presence of iron-based minerals that were present on the early Earth it created the types of molecules needed to form primitive cell membranes.

Lead author, Dr Graham Purvis, conducted the study at Newcastle University and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Durham University.

He said: “Central to life's inception are cellular compartments, crucial for isolating internal chemistry from the external environment. These compartments were instrumental in fostering life-sustaining reactions by concentrating chemicals and facilitating energy production, potentially serving as the cornerstone of life's earliest moments.

The results suggest that the convergence of hydrogen-rich fluids from alkaline hydrothermal vents with bicarbonate-rich waters on iron-based minerals could have precipitated the rudimentary membranes of early cells at the very beginning of life. This process might have engendered a diversity of membrane types, some potentially serving as life's cradle when life first started. Moreover, this transformative process might have contributed to the genesis of specific acids found in the elemental composition of meteorites.”

Principal Investigator Dr Jon Telling, Reader in Biogeochemistry, at School of Natural Environmental Sciences, added:

“We think that this research may provide the first step in how life originated on our planet. Research in our laboratory now continues on determining the second key step; how these organic molecules which are initially ‘stuck’ to the mineral surfaces can lift off to form spherical membrane-bounded cell-like compartments; the first potential ‘protocells’ that went on to form the first cellular life.”

Intriguingly, the researchers also suggest that membrane-creating reactions similar reactions, could still be happening in the oceans under the surfaces of icy moons in our solar system today. This raises the possibility of alternative life origins in these distant worlds.

Reference

Purvis, G., Šiller, L., Crosskey, A. et al. Generation of long-chain fatty acids by hydrogen-driven bicarbonate reduction in ancient alkaline hydrothermal vents. Commun Earth Environ 5, 30 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01196-4

--ends--

 

 

 

 

---

JOURNAL

Communications Earth & Environment

DOI

10.1038/s43247-023-01196-4 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

ARTICLE TITLE

Generation of long-chain fatty acids by hydrogen-driven bicarbonate reduction in ancient alkaline hydrothermal vents

 

Study quantifies how aquifer depletion threatens crop yields

Yield losses intensify when groundwater dwindles, data shows

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN

 

IMAGE: 

A CENTER-PIVOT IRRIGATION SYSTEM WATERS A CORNFIELD NEAR ADAMS, NEBRASKA, ABOUT 45 MINUTES SOUTH OF LINCOLN. A NEW HUSKER-LED STUDY SHOWS HOW THE DEPLETION OF GROUNDWATER — THE SAME THAT MANY FARMERS RELY ON FOR IRRIGATION — CAN THREATEN FOOD PRODUCTION AMID DROUGHT AND DRIER CLIMES. DUE IN PART TO THE CHALLENGES OF EXTRACTING GROUNDWATER, AN AQUIFER’S DEPLETION CAN CURB CROP YIELDS EVEN WHEN IT APPEARS SATURATED ENOUGH TO CONTINUE MEETING THE DEMANDS OF IRRIGATION, THE STUDY FOUND.

view more 

CREDIT: CRAIG CHANDLER, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA–LINCOLN

Three decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that shows how the depletion of groundwater — the same that many farmers rely on for irrigation — can threaten food production amid drought and drier climes.

The study found that, due in part to the challenges of extracting groundwater, an aquifer’s depletion can curb crop yields even when it appears saturated enough to continue meeting the demands of irrigation. Those agricultural losses escalate as an aquifer dwindles, the researchers reported, so that its depletion exerts a greater toll on corn and soybean yields when waning from, say, 100 feet thick to 50 than from 200 feet to 150.

That reality should encourage policymakers, resource managers and growers to reconsider the volume of crop-quenching groundwater they have at their disposal, the team said, especially in the face of fiercer, more frequent drought.

“As you draw down an aquifer to the point that it’s quite thin, very small changes in the aquifer thickness will then have progressively larger and larger impacts on your crop production and resilience,” said Nick Brozović, director of policy at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. “And that’s a thing that we don’t predict well, because we tend to predict based on the past. So if we base what’s going to happen on our past experience, we’re always going to underpredict. We’re always going to be surprised by how bad things get.”

The team came to its conclusions after analyzing yields, weather and groundwater data from the High Plains Aquifer, which, as the largest in the United States, underlies portions of eight states — including nearly all of Nebraska. Some areas of the aquifer, especially those beneath Texas and Kansas but also the Cornhusker State, have diminished considerably over the past several decades, pumped for the sake of irrigating land that would otherwise stand little chance of sustaining crops.

“In terms of things that let you address food security under extreme conditions — in particular, drought and climate change — we really can’t do without irrigation,” said Brozović, professor of agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “If we want to feed the world with high-quality, nutritious food and a stable food supply, we need to irrigate.”

Brozović and Husker colleague Taro Mieno had already constructed plenty of models, and run plenty of simulations, on how the High Plains Aquifer responds to drought and dry conditions. But talking with farmers revealed that the models were not addressing their primary concern: well yield, or the amount of groundwater that growers can expect to continuously draw when trying to buffer their crops against drought.

“Everybody’s interested in how aquifer depletion affects the resiliency of irrigated agriculture in the region,” said Mieno, an associate professor of agricultural economics and lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Nature Water.

So the researchers consulted annual estimates of the High Plains Aquifer’s thickness, which date back to 1935, along with county-level yields of corn and soybean from 1985 through 2016. Meteorological data, meanwhile, allowed the team to calculate seasonal water deficits, or the difference between the water gained from precipitation and the amount that crops lost via evaporation and transpiration.

When the latter exceeds the former, farmers often turn to aquifers for help in making up the difference, the researchers knew. What they didn’t know: Under what conditions, and to what extent, would an aquifer’s depletion make pumping its water too difficult or expensive to undertake? And how much would the resulting decisions — to reduce the amount of irrigation per acre, to cease irrigating certain plots all together — influence corn and soybean yields?

Farmers fortunate enough to be growing corn and soybean above the most saturated swaths of the High Plains Aquifer — roughly 220 to 700 feet thick — continued to enjoy high irrigated yields even in times of extreme water deficits, the team found. By contrast, those depending on the least saturated areas — between 30 and 100 feet — saw their irrigated yields begin trending downward when water deficits reached just 400 millimeters, a common occurrence in Nebraska and other Midwestern states.

In years when the deficit approached or exceeded 700 millimeters, irrigated fields residing above the thickest groundwater yielded markedly more corn than those sitting above the thinnest. The results were starker during a 950-millimeter water deficit, which corresponds with extreme drought: Fields atop the least saturated stretches of aquifer yielded roughly 19.5 fewer bushels per acre.

“Because of the way that aquifers work, even if there’s a lot of water there, as they deplete, you actually lose the ability to meet those crop water needs during the driest periods, because well yield tends to decline as you deplete an aquifer,” Brozović said. “That has an economic consequence and a resilience consequence.”

The study captured another telling link between the water residing underground and that applied at the surface. When atop groundwater roughly 330 feet thick, farmers irrigated 89% of their acres dedicated to growing corn. Where the aquifer was a mere 30 feet thick? Just 70% of those acres received irrigation. That’s likely a result of lower well yield driving farmers to irrigate only some of their fields, Taro said, or even give up on irrigation.

To better understand how that reduced irrigation was contributing to agricultural losses amid dry conditions, the researchers then factored in yields from both irrigated and non-irrigated fields, the latter of which rely on precipitation alone. That analysis pegged yields as even more sensitive to even smaller water deficits, suggesting that the decline in irrigated land was compounding the losses endured on still-irrigated plots.

And it illustrated the runaway threat posed when an aquifer’s average thickness drops below certain thresholds. At a water deficit of 950 millimeters, reducing an aquifer’s thickness from roughly 330 to 230 feet was estimated to initiate an average loss of about 2.5 corn bushels per acre, what the authors called a “negligible difference.” The same absolute decrease, but from 230 to 130 feet, led to an estimated loss of 15 bushels per acre.

“As a consequence, your resilience to climate decreases rapidly,” Mieno said. “So when you’re operating on an aquifer that is very thick right now, you’re relatively safe. But you want to manage it in a way that you don’t go past that threshold, because from there, it’s all downhill.

“And the importance of aquifers is going to increase as climate change progresses in the future, for sure. As it gets hotter, you typically need more water. That means you need more irrigation, and you’re going to deplete the aquifer even faster, and things can get worse and worse.”

Nebraska is lucky, Brozović said, in that it sits above such a massive reservoir and has established a governance system designed to conserve it at a local scale. But most regulations focus on mandating how much and when groundwater gets pumped, not safeguarding the aquifer’s saturation level or the corresponding ability to extract water from it.

Brozović conceded that convincing policymakers to consider revising those parameters now, when much of the state still boasts sufficient groundwater, is “perhaps a tough sell.” He’s hopeful that the new study can at least help put that conversation on the table.

“Once you have a problem — once well yields are already declining and the aquifer’s really thin — even if you put in policies, you still get a lot of the (negative) impacts,” he said. “So the time to really put in meaningful policies is before things have gone off the cliff.

“First, you have to understand, you have to measure, you have to educate. You have to understand what you’re preserving, and why. The more you can provide the quantitative evidence for why it’s worth going to the trouble of doing all of this, and what’s at stake,” he said, “the easier that conversation is.”

Brozović and Mieno authored the Nature Water study with the University of Manchester’s Timothy Foster and the University of Minnesota’s Shunkei Kakimoto. The researchers received support in part from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

---

JOURNAL

Nature Water