Tiny marine plankton that build calcium carbonate shells play an outsized role in regulating Earth’s climate, quietly pulling carbon from the atmosphere and helping lock it away in the deep ocean. New research shows these microscopic engineers are largely missing from the climate models used to forecast our planet’s future,...
This weird deep-sea creature was named by thousands of people online
A newly discovered deep-sea creature has become an unlikely Internet star. After appearing in a popular YouTube video, a rare chiton found nearly three miles beneath the ocean surface sparked a global naming effort, drawing more than 8,000 suggestions from people around the world. Scientists ultimately chose the name Ferreiraella...
New forecasts offer early warning of Arctic sea ice loss
Arctic sea ice helps cool the planet and influences weather patterns around the world, but it is disappearing faster than ever as the climate warms. Scientists have now developed a new forecasting method that can predict how much Arctic sea ice will remain months in advance, focusing on September when...
Extreme Temperature Changes Increase Number of Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests, Model Finds
A machine learning model identifies environmental and social risk factors that contribute to these cardiac events.
Removing Livestock From Grasslands Could Compromise Long-Term Soil Carbon Storage, Study Finds
Removing sheep and other livestock entirely from upland grasslands – a strategy often promoted as a way to boost carbon storage and tackle climate change – may actually reduce the most stable forms of soil carbon, according to new research.
CFC Replacements Behind Hundreds of Thousands of Tonnes of Global ‘Forever Chemical’ Pollution
Chemicals brought in to help protect our ozone layer have had the unintended consequences of spreading vast quantities of a potentially toxic ‘forever chemical’ around the globe, a new study shows.
Scientists Unravel Vines’ Parasitic Nature
Twisting upwardly on trees and other plants—along with houses and even lampposts—vines are a wonder of nature.
Predicting Glacier Surges – Understanding Ecological Tipping Points
Earth's ecosystems are endangered by climate change and many are becoming less resilient as they come under increasing pressure.
Hot Takes: How the Science of Saltwater-Tolerating Plants Could Protect Coastlines
Rising sea levels along coastlines not only threaten populations, but also pose a danger to agricultural crops, which may be damaged by surging amounts of saltwater.
An invisible chemical rain is falling across the planet
A new study reveals that chemicals used to replace ozone-damaging CFCs are now driving a surge in a persistent “forever chemical” worldwide. The pollutant, called trifluoroacetic acid, is falling out of the atmosphere into water, land, and ice, including in remote regions like the Arctic. Even as older chemicals are...