By studying bumblebee exposure to particulate air pollutants scientists at the University of Leicester have determined that the diversity and behaviour of the bee gut microbial community is altered when exposed to black carbon found in air pollution, disrupting the beneficial bacteria that live there.

When seawater penetrates concrete in road tunnels, a biofilm is formed that breaks down the concrete. This can lead to high costs and the risk of damage if stone and concrete drop from the tunnel roof.  In a new study, led by a team of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, research reveals the mechanisms behind the degradation, and its unexpectedly rapid progression.

In a paper published in National Science Review, an international team of scientists reports dramatic, reversible p-n switching during the semiconductor-to-semiconductor phase transition of BiI₃ under pressure. They propose a novel method for determining carrier polarity based on the self-driven photocurrent dominated by the photothermoelectric effect. The study further reveals the correlation between the switching of positive and negative photoconductivity and the carrier type under high pressure.