Mức methane hiện tại cao vượt trội so với kịch bản có khả năng hạn chế mức tăng nhiệt độ trái đất trong khoảng 1,5-2°C.

Waterfalls may be beautiful to behold—but they are also quietly accelerating greenhouse gas emissions. A new study in Communications Earth & Environment reveals that waterfalls can significantly increase regional methane (CH₄) emissions by allowing the gas to escape the water before microbes have a chance to break it down.

Do xu hướng biến thiên mật độ methane trong bầu khí quyển vẫn còn thiếu hụt, do đó bài nghiên cứu của Skeie, Hodnebrog & Myhre (2023) trên tạp chí Communications Earth & Environment sẽ giúp ta hiểu thêm một số điểm quan trọng.

This paper investigates a well-known case of simultaneous discovery in twentieth-century chemistry, the origins of the concept of hybridisation, in the light of Kuhn's insights. There has been no ambiguity as to who discovered this concept, when it was "rst in print, and how important it was. The full-#edged form of the concept was published in 1931 independently by two American scientists John C. Slater (1900}1976) and Linus Pauling (1901}1994), although both of them had made their ideas public earlier: Slater (...) at the American Physical Society meetings in 1930, and Pauling in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 1928. Slater and Pauling both argued for the necessity of using an s orbital as well as three p orbitals in the carbon atom in order to explain carbon's four valences and the tetrahedral structure of methane. The metaphor &hybridisation' for denoting this mix of s and p orbitals was "rst used by Robert S. Mulliken and J. H. Van Vleck before gaining currency with the scienti"c community around 1935.2 The concept of hybridisation was indeed indispensable for extending the quantum-mechanical interpretation of the chemical bond as an electron pairing from diatomic molecules to polyatomic ones. To be sure, the emergence of hybridisation attests to scientists' growing interest in exploring the borderland between physics and chemistry, a trend that led to the creation of physical chemistry in the late nineteenth century and of chemical physics and quantum chemistry in the 1920s and 30s. Slater and Pauling themselves experienced and on many occasions talked about the fruitfulness of interdisciplinary research; and historians have legitimately illuminated their works by examining them in this broad context.3 Yet the careful analysis of their research notes and published papers reveals that Slater and Pauling were working in quite disparate disciplinary traditions, with di!erent approaches, for di!erent audiences, and towards di!erent goals. The aim of this paper is to explore their di!erent routes to a common destination*hybridisation*and thereby to explicate tensions existing between physics and chemistry amidst the institutional and conceptual overlapping of the two disciplines. (shrink)

My objective is a better comprehension of two theoretically fundamental concepts. One, the concept of a substance in an ordinary (non-Aristotelian) sense, ranging over such things as salt, carbon, copper, iron, water, and methane – kinds of stuff that now count as (chemical) elements and compounds. The other I’ll call the object-concept in the abstract sense of Russell, Wittgenstein, and Frege in their logico-semantical enquiries. The material object-concept constitutes the heart of our received logico / ontic system, still massively (...) influenced by Aristotle after almost 2.5 millennia. On such an account, the fundamentality of material objects and their attributes are the metaphysical basis of the cosmos, as reflected in our received logic, Quine’s ‘canonical notation’ – derived via the empiricism of Russell from Frege’s function-based Begriffschrifft, and consisting of concrete singular terms and variables, quantifiers and predicate-expressions. The inadequacy of Frege’s approach to understanding concepts is reflected in his initial question. Frege enquires of ‘what it is that we are calling an object’, remarking that he regards a regular definition as impossible: “we have here something too simple to admit of logical analysis”. The imagined ultimacy or simplicity of the idea of a single object (arithmetically, just a unit – one as against two, three, four, etc.) as foundational to the calculus is just that – imagined. It is also guaranteed to block the comprehension of the substance-concept. (shrink)

Title: From Inorganic to Organic: A Universal Law-Based Explanation of Life’s Emergence -/- Author: Angelito Malicse -/- Abstract -/- The mystery of how organic life emerged from inorganic matter continues to intrigue science and philosophy. While numerous hypotheses have been proposed, many fail to unify the physical, chemical, and philosophical dimensions of life’s origins. This paper presents a comprehensive explanation using the Universal Formula of Free Will, composed of three natural laws: the Law of Karma, the Law of Balance in (...) Nature, and the Law of the Feedback Mechanism of Conscious Minds. These laws offer a lawful progression from inorganic systems to organic life, incorporating insights from physics, chemistry, and systems theory. Through a case study of hydrothermal vents and a critical analysis of existing theories, this essay provides a holistic framework for understanding life’s emergence. -/- 1. Introduction -/- The origin of life is one of the most fundamental questions in science. Conventional approaches often divide the question among disciplines—physics explains matter, chemistry explains reactions, and biology explains life. However, none offers a fully unified model. The Universal Formula of Free Will proposes a natural law-based progression from atoms to conscious organisms, addressing both the scientific and philosophical gaps in origin-of-life research. -/- 2. The Universal Formula of Free Will -/- 2.1 The Law of Karma This law emphasizes that every system, whether organic or inorganic, functions under cause-effect relationships. Systems must be free from defects to operate correctly, and this principle applies to the earliest molecular formations on Earth. 2.2 2.3 The Law of Balance in Nature All systems seek equilibrium. The interactions of energy and matter produce conditions conducive to the emergence and maintenance of complex molecules, supporting life’s persistence against entropy. 2.4 2.3 The Law of Feedback Mechanism of Conscious Minds Biological systems evolve to incorporate internal feedback mechanisms. These feedback loops form the foundation for responsiveness, learning, and ultimately, consciousness. -/- 3. Physics and Chemistry of Life’s Emergence -/- 3.1 Physics 3.2 Thermodynamics: Life can form in open systems like Earth, where energy input allows for local entropy reduction. -/- Quantum Mechanics: Molecular bonding and electron configurations enable the formation of complex organic molecules. -/- Emergence: Properties such as replication and metabolism emerge from complex molecular interactions. -/- 3.3 Chemistry 3.4 Prebiotic Chemistry: Simple molecules like methane and water formed amino acids under early Earth conditions. -/- Polymerization: Organic monomers linked into proteins and nucleic acids. -/- Autocatalysis: Molecules like RNA could catalyze their own replication, laying the groundwork for life. -/- 4. Case Study: Hydrothermal Vents as Cradles of Life -/- Hydrothermal vents provide a rich environment for life’s emergence: -/- Energy Gradients: Support redox reactions for molecular synthesis. -/- Catalysis: Iron-sulfur minerals catalyze key organic reactions. -/- Compartmentalization: Porous rocks offer microenvironments mimicking cellular structures. -/- The Universal Formula explains how these environments satisfy all three laws, allowing complex molecules to evolve into life. -/- 5. Gaps in Existing Theories and the Missing Link -/- 5.1 Lack of Unifying Framework Current models are fragmented. The Universal Formula integrates system dynamics across disciplines. 5.2 5.3 Transition to Intentionality Chemistry alone doesn’t explain purposeful behavior. Feedback mechanisms bridge this gap. 5.4 5.3 Neglect of Feedback Mechanisms Most theories ignore regulatory processes, which the third law emphasizes. -/- 5.5 Entropy Contradiction Life decreases local entropy. The second law explains how balance supports this. 5.6 5.5 System Integrity Requirement Biological replication requires precision. The first law clarifies this necessity. -/- 6. Discussion -/- The laws of the Universal Formula provide a framework uniting the origin of matter, life, and consciousness. Matter and energy, governed by cause and effect, naturally evolve into balanced systems with feedback, eventually producing intentional, conscious life. -/- 7. Conclusion -/- Life’s emergence is not a miraculous anomaly but a lawful, natural outcome of physical and chemical processes aligned with universal laws. The Universal Formula of Free Will offers a comprehensive framework that bridges science and philosophy, giving new meaning to the study of life’s origins. -/- References -/- 1. Miller, S. L., & Urey, H. C. (1959). Organic compound synthesis on the primitive Earth. Science, 130(3370), 245–251. -/- 2. Russell, M. J., & Martin, W. (2004). The rocky roots of the acetyl-CoA pathway. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 29(7), 358–363. -/- 3. De Duve, C. (2005). Singularities: Landmarks on the Pathways of Life. Cambridge University Press. -/- 4. Schrödinger, E. (1944). What is Life? Cambridge University Press. -/- 5. Lane, N. (2010). Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution. W. W. Norton & Company. -/- 6. Pross, A. (2012). What is Life? How Chemistry Becomes Biology. Oxford University Press. -/- 7. Kauffman, S. A. (1993). The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution. Oxford University Press. -/- . (shrink)

Carbon credits have become popular as a corporate strategy to combat climate change, but their effectiveness and ethical implications remain contested. A carbon credit is a certificate representing one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions removed or reduced, typically issued through projects like reforestation, renewable energy, or methane capture. -/- The voluntary carbon market enables companies to offset emissions by purchasing these credits, ostensibly balancing their carbon footprint. According to recent research, corporate claims about “net zero” and “carbon neutrality” (...) increasingly depend on these voluntary markets. Yet, concerns persist about the authenticity of these claims and whether they genuinely contribute to mitigating climate change or merely provide a façade for continued emissions. (shrink)

Climate change and livestock production are deeply interconnected. Livestock contributes significantly to climate change while simultaneously being heavily impacted by it, creating a critical sustainability challenge for our planet. Globally, livestock are responsible for about 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily methane and nitrous oxide, which are potent warming agents. Methane, produced during the digestive process (enteric fermentation) of ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats, accounts for a significant portion of livestock emissions. Nitrous oxide emissions mainly (...) arise from manure management and fertilization processes in feed production. Additionally, land-use changes, driven by increasing demands for grazing and feed crops, further exacerbate carbon emissions. (shrink)

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a critical role in safeguarding public health and environmental quality. However, they are also notable sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Traditional methods for monitoring these emissions—such as point sampling and flux chambers—are often labor-intensive, spatially limited, and lack the temporal resolution needed to capture the dynamic nature of gas fluxes in real-time.

In recent decades, the use of electrochemistry has increased exponentially. Electrochemistry has demonstrated their effectiveness in the cleaning of manufactured effluents and the decomposition of complex hydrological compounds for water treatment. Looking at the efficiency of the technology in the decomposition of organic matter, one wonders if it is not capable of doing more than just the de-pollution and treatment of water. Of course, there are other uses of electrochemistry, but in the literature, it is understood that it is used (...) more for water treatment and de-pollution. This work is a review of the literature to identify the major works in electrochemical decomposition of organic matter to see to what extent this technology can be used for methane production (cooking gas) using pasty organic matter. The list of works appearing in this review is not exhaustive, but it is sufficient to give a clear idea of the technology, its progress and, above all, the challenges it faces. This review opens the way to other applications of electrochemical decomposition to meet today's energy challenges. (shrink)