All methane articles
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News
Restoring vegetation cover in Amazon's pasture areas can reduce methane emissions, study reveals
Proper pasture management in the Amazon, aimed at maintaining soil vegetation cover, can reduce methane emissions from livestock farming, according to a new study analyzing emissions and microorganisms in Amazonian soil.
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News
GHG concentration and emissions vary seasonally and alongside human behaviors in estuaries
A new study suggests that industrial processes can be a major factor in the concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide in the the Pearl River Estuary and possibly other estuarine areas - but there are other influences.
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News
Clean air policies inadvertently boost wetland methane emissions by up to 34m tonnes
A new study suggests that the decline of global sulphur emissions as the result of clean air policies, coupled with the warming and fertilization effects of carbon dioxide emissions lifts a lid on wetland methane production, resulting in increased emissions.
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News
Machinery behind bacterial nanowires discovered
Almost all living things breathe oxygen to eliminate the excess electrons produced when nutrients are converted into energy. However, most microbes that mitigate pollution and climate change don’t have access to oxygen. Instead, these bacteria—buried underground or living deep under oceans—have developed a way to eliminate electrons by “breathing minerals” ...
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News
Microbial oxidation in glacial rivers and lakes could help mitigate methane emissions
A new study suggests microbes in glacial rivers and lakes may play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that recent studies have shown emerging as glaciers melt in warming global temperatures.
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News
UK needs to keep up momentum on cutting methane emissions, urges Lords Committee
Applied Microbiology International contributed to the House of Lords committee report that calls on the Government to keep up the momentum on cutting methane emissions at home, while using its scientific expertise to be more engaged in international leadership.
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News
New study reveals how microbes feed on iron
A new study reveals details about how one bacterial species corrodes iron in an extremely efficient way.
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News
Microbes: atmospheric methane increase during pandemic due primarily to wetland flooding
A new analysis of satellite data finds that the record surge in atmospheric methane emissions from 2020 to 2022 was driven by increased inundation and water storage in wetlands, combined with a slight decrease in atmospheric hydroxide (OH).
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News
Scientists reveal how bacteria in lakes fight climate change
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas frequently produced in the sea and in fresh water. Lakes in particular release large quantities of this climate-killer. Fortunately, however, there are microorganisms that counteract this: They are able to utilize methane to grow and generate energy, thus preventing it from being released into ...
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News
Researchers find unexpectedly large methane source in overlooked landscape
Researchers reported that upland landscapes were releasing some of the highest methane emissions yet documented among northern terrestrial ecosystems. The research was sparked when a greenhouse gas began ballooning under lawns in Fairbanks.
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News
Trees reveal climate surprise – bark microbes remove methane from the atmosphere
Tree bark surfaces play an important role in removing methane gas from the atmosphere, according to a new study.
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News
Rising sea levels could lead to more methane emitted from wetlands
A low-salinity Bay Area estuary ecosystem is producing higher-than-expected levels of methane.
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Long Reads
Methanotrophs: an emerging biotechnological workhorse in the bioproduction industry
Methane-consuming bacteria turn waste greenhouse gases into useful products. A win-win situation?
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News
Cows and microbes put to work to reduce greenhouse gases
An international team of scientists is recruiting a surprising ally to make a powerful dent in greenhouse gas emissions: the cow. Animal sciences researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are driving a new project to reduce methane production resulting from rumen fermentation in beef and dairy cattle. The 3-year, ...
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News
New enzyme reduces the carbon footprint of methane by converting it into methanol
A team led by Professor Osami Shoji at Nagoya University in Japan has developed a technology to convert methane, the principal component of natural gas, into methanol at room temperature in water. They used an enzyme that can be easily mass-produced, offering the possibility of a cheap and effective ...
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Opinion
Microbial hydrogen cycling - the good, the bad and the ugly
With global populations looking likely to top 10 billion by the year 2050, the practices that we use to grow food need to adapt in kind - and what better way is there but to harness the innate power of microbes!
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News
Microbes thriving in groundwater and producing oxygen in the dark
Aancient groundwaters harbour not only diverse and active microbial communities, but also unexpectedly large numbers of microbial cells.
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News
Fertilizer additive makes slurry more climate-friendly
Scientists have found that combining farm slurry with calcium cyanamide brings the production of greenhouse gas mathane to an almost complete halt.
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News
Methanotrophs use enzyme to survive the toxic effects of hydrogen sulphide
Researchers have discovered that the methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath has an enzyme that helps it grow in the presence of small amounts of H2S.
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News
Researchers cultivate ‘impossible’ microbe that can grow on nitrogen while producing methane
Researchers have managed to grow a marine heat-loving methanogen that can turn nitrogen and carbon dioxide into ammonia and methane by using hydrogen.