The ratting of North America: A 350-year retrospective on species compositions and competition.

While the impacts of black () and brown () rats on human society are well documented-including the spread of disease, broad-scale environmental destruction, and billions spent annually on animal control-little is known about their ecology and behavior in urban areas due to the challenges of studying animals in city environments. We use isotopic and ZooMS analysis of archaeological (1550s-1900 CE) rat remains from eastern North America to provide a large-scale framework for species arrival, interspecific competition, and dietary ecology. Brown rats arrived earlier than expected and rapidly outcompeted black rats in coastal urban areas.

The Stark Effect: A Tool for the Design of High-Performance Molecular Rectifiers.

Molecular electronic devices offer a path to the miniaturization of electronic circuits and could potentially facilitate novel functionalities that can be embedded into the molecular structure. Given their nanoscale dimensions, device properties are strongly influenced by quantum effects, yet many of these phenomena have been largely overlooked. We investigated the mechanism responsible for current rectification in molecular diodes and found that efficient rectification is achieved by enhancing the Stark effect strength and enabling a large number of molecules to participate in transport.

Humidity sensors based on molecular rectifiers.

Ambient humidity plays a key role in the health and well-being of us and our surroundings, making it necessary to carefully monitor and control it. To achieve this goal, several types of instruments based on various materials and operating principles have been developed. Reducing the production costs for such systems without affecting their sensitivity and reliability would allow for broader use and greater efficiency.

Comment on "Models predict planned phosphorus load reduction will make Lake Erie more toxic".

Hellweger . (Reports, 27 May 2022, pp. 1001) predict that phosphorus limitation will increase concentrations of cyanobacterial toxins in lakes.