• 🕷️ Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are resilient to extreme temperatures, including both cold and heat.
• 🌡️ Larval ticks are more impacted by heat and dry conditions, while nymph and adult ticks can survive hot and cold weather with little impact.
• 🌍 A large field study conducted by Washington State University (WSU) and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies collected valuable data on ticks' response to climatic conditions.
• 🌡️ Extreme weather conditions don't have as much of an effect on tick mortality as previously thought, but they can shorten the window of time for ticks to find a host.
• 🦠 Tick larvae have shorter median survival times when exposed to frequent periods of hot and dry weather.
• 🌱 Environmental factors such as arthropods or fungi may contribute to variations in tick survival on a small scale.
• 🦠 Targeting interventions during the larvae stage could be an effective strategy to reduce tick populations and mitigate the risk of disease transmission.
• 🧪 The study aims to develop a comprehensive framework to predict and manage tick populations for improved public health outcomes.
• 📚 The research team plans to further investigate the factors leading to localized tick mortality and the role of host species in tick survival.

A Washington State University-led study has shown that adding water to whisky can enhance its aroma, but beyond 20%, the whisky's flavor and aroma can become indistinguishable from each other. The addition of water leads to changes in volatile compounds that are attracted to water, and those that are repelled by it. Dilution affects what's in the "headspace," or the area above the liquid. American bourbons were mostly associated with vanilla and oak scents at first, but as more water was added, they took on more aromas of corn and grains.

Researchers at Washington State University have developed a carbon-negative concrete that is almost as strong as traditional concrete.

The team infused cement with biochar, a type of charcoal made from organic waste, that had been treated with concrete wastewater.

The biochar could absorb up to 23% of its weight in carbon dioxide from the air while retaining a strength comparable to regular cement.

Cement production is responsible for around 8% of global carbon emissions, and the development could significantly reduce emissions. The research was published in Materials Letters.

Very interesting approach to cleaning removing moon dust from lunar space suits. Lunar dust is VERY abrasive and damaging to the suits. Unlike sand, which at the ocean is in a perpetual rock tumbler of waves and water, moon particles do not move or tumble and soften their sharp edges.