Beneath the forest floor lies an overlooked secret: many plants grow a second set of roots far deeper than expected sometimes over three feet down tapping into hidden nutrient stores and potentially locking away carbon. A new study using deep-soil data from NEON reveals that these "bimodal" rooting systems are...
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Hydrogen fuel at half the cost? Scientists reveal a game-changing catalyst
Researchers in South Korea have developed a powerful and affordable new material for producing hydrogen, a clean energy source key to fighting climate change. By fine-tuning boron-doping and phosphorus levels in cobalt phosphide nanosheets, the team dramatically boosted the efficiency of both sides of water-splitting reactions. This advancement could unlock...
The Atlantic’s chilling secret: A century of data reveals ocean current collapse
A century-old mystery of a stubborn cold patch in the North Atlantic is finally being unraveled. A new study links this anomaly to a long-term weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) a massive ocean current system that regulates climate across the Northern Hemisphere. Using over 100 years of...
Little Researched Current Impacting on Winter Sea Ice in the Arctic
A research team from the Alfred Wegener Institute has for the first time gained insights into a current in the Barents Sea which affects Arctic sea ice.
Steering Magnetic Textures With Electric Fields
Researchers at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have demonstrated an innovative method to control magnetism in materials using an energy-efficient electric field.
When Earth Iced Over, Early Life May Have Sheltered in Meltwater Ponds
Modern-day analogs in Antarctica reveal ponds teeming with life similar to early multicellular organisms.
Hidden carbon giants: Satellite data reveals a 40-year Arctic peatland surge
Arctic peatlands are expanding with rising temperatures, storing more carbon at least for now. But future warming could reverse this benefit, releasing massive emissions.
Flash floods in the Alps: How climate change is supercharging summer storms
Fierce, fast summer rainstorms are on the rise in the Alps, and a 2 C temperature increase could double their frequency. A new study from researchers at the University of Lausanne and the University of Padova used data from nearly 300 Alpine weather stations to model this unsettling future.
How life endured the Snowball Earth: Evidence from Antarctic meltwater ponds
During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of equatorial glaciers. MIT researchers discovered that these watery refuges could have supported complex eukaryotic life, serving as sanctuaries for survival amid extreme conditions. Their investigation...
Vanishing Saltmarshes Threaten Climate Progress but Recovery is Within Reach
The world’s saltmarshes are disappearing three times faster than forests, threatening global progress on climate change goals, according to a major new report co-led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.