All that sparkles is plastic; woke tree diversity; the gravitational basin in which we reside

This week, astronomers considered whether dark energy varies over cosmic timescales. Via neutron analysis, physicists revealed that some Early Iron Age swords were altered recently by swindlers in order to be more historically exciting. And a professor in New Jersey solved two fundamental problems that have baffled mathematicians for decades. Additionally, there were developments in children’s crafting supplies, carbon sequestration and the shifting map of the universe:

Glitter solved

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have solved the glitter problem. Well, there are a number of problems associated with glitter—carpet spillage, children’s crafts, excessively fabulous cosmetics—but the specific problem addressed here is that, with particles less than 5 millimeters in size, glitter is the sparkliest of microplastic contaminants.

Microplastics are toxic to ocean species, and they’re often consumed by land animals, causing a range of problems including starvation and gastrointestinal abrasions. And unlike such sources as degrading plastic bottles and car body panels, glitter is actually made to be dumped directly out of a container all over things like glue-covered construction paper and participants in New York’s annual Mermaid Parade.

Glitter is made of PET—polyethilene terephthalate. The European Union actually banned glitter, and the Australian researchers, recognizing the urgency of sustainable, biodegradable glitter for the service of humankind, have now introduced glitter made from cellulose, as seen in such sustainable environmental materials as trees and grass. They developed a cellulose nanocrystal that sparkles under light and degrades harmlessly in the environment.

The researchers tested both conventional glitter and their eco-glitter with springtails, a soil-dwelling microorganism. They discovered for the first time that at concentrations matching the environmental contamination of microplastic, conventional glitter caused a 61% drop in reproduction, evidence that microplastics are degrading soil and the organisms that enrich it. However, their cellulose glitter had no measurable effect on springtails.

DEI forests better at carbon sequestration

Trees capture carbon dioxide, right? So cultivating an arboreal monoculture sounds like an easy approach to climate change. Just plant a few hundred thousand acres of, oh, let’s say London plane trees, the most common tree found in New York City, and let nature solve your intractable addiction to fossil fuel consumption. London plane trees grow fast and sequester a lot of carbon quickly. But as it turns out, that set-it-and-forget-it approach to forestry sequesters less carbon than more diverse forests that include a variety of tree species with differing growth rates and lifespans.

Fast-growing trees can capture atmospheric carbon more quickly, but they have shorter lifespans, which means that over their lifetime, they store less carbon and release it back into the atmosphere more quickly. According to a new study from researchers at the University of Birmingham, slower-growing species that live longer and grow larger capture more carbon, especially in forests with a diversity of trees. The researchers analyzed measurements from 1,127 species of trees across the Americas, a census that encompassed life expectancies from about a year to three millennia, identifying four types of tree life cycles, many growing within the same areas.

Co-author Dr. Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert says, “Forests with diverse tree species can capture carbon more effectively, meaning that promoting forest biodiversity in forests can help capture more carbon. Understanding how these factors are linked can guide restoration and conservation projects. By selecting the right mix of tree species, we may be able to maximize carbon storage and develop strategies that enhance forest resilience to climate change.”

Neighborhood large

Once, astronomers thought the Milky Way resided within a vast structure called the Local Supercluster, containing thousands of galaxies. But in 2014, a study of galaxy motions provided a new picture demonstrating that we’re actually located within an even larger structure called the Laniakea Supercluster, along with around 100,000 other galaxies.

Now, according to a recent redshift survey by astronomers at the University of Hawai’i, researchers believe Laniakea is likely part of a vastly larger structure called the Shapley Concentration, which is gravitationally bound, pulling itself together rather than expanding along with the universe.

Shapley is about 10 times larger than Laniakea and comprises a “basin of attraction,” a cosmic structure containing enough matter to exert gravitational influence on other structures. The whole Local Group, including the Milky Way, are moving toward Shapley and the challenge for researchers is determining how far the gravitational influence of superstructures extends.

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