A major breakthrough could help save the world’s bananas from a devastating disease. Scientists have discovered the exact genetic region in a wild banana that provides resistance to Fusarium wilt Subtropical Race 4 — a destructive strain that threatens Cavendish bananas worldwide. While this wild banana isn’t edible, the discovery...
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New map reveals where lethal scorpions are most likely to strike
Scientists have developed a powerful new way to forecast where some of the world’s most dangerous scorpions are likely to be found. By combining fieldwork in Africa with advanced computer modeling, the team discovered that soil type is the strongest factor shaping where many lethal species live, while temperature patterns...
What Freezing Plants in Blocks of Ice Can Tell us About the Future of Svalbard’s Plant Communities
How will a warming Arctic affect plant growth on Svalbard? Researchers encased plant plots in a thick layer of ice during the winter and used little greenhouses to heat up those plots in the summer.
Keeping an Eagle Eye on Carbon Stored in the Ocean
Geologic reservoirs that trapped petroleum for millions of years are now being repurposed to store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
New Knowledge About Northern Europe’s Radiator: Volcanic Eruptions in the Past May Have Pushed Ocean Current Towards Collapse
New research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that volcanic eruptions during the Ice Age may have triggered sudden climate change by disrupting the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), causing temperatures to fluctuate between hot and cold for thousands of years.
Ancient microbes may have used oxygen 500 million years before it filled Earth’s atmosphere
Life on Earth may have learned to breathe oxygen long before oxygen filled the skies. MIT researchers traced a key oxygen-processing enzyme back hundreds of millions of years before the Great Oxidation Event. Early microbes living near oxygen-producing cyanobacteria may have quickly used up the gas as it formed, slowing...
A satellite illusion hid the true scale of Arctic snow loss
For years, satellite data suggested that autumn snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere was actually increasing — a surprising twist in a warming world. But a new analysis reveals that this apparent growth was an illusion caused by improving satellite technology that became better at detecting thin snow over time....
Even in Antarctica, Insects Are Eating Microplastics
Microscopic particles of plastic have been found across the Earth, from the clouds over Mount Fuji to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Harnessing AI, Scientists Discover a Rise in Floating Algae Across the Global Ocean
For the first time and with help from artificial intelligence, researchers have conducted a comprehensive study of global floating algae and found that blooms are expanding across the ocean.
Is It Possible to Cut CO2 Emissions from European Agriculture by 40 Per Cent?
Research shows that allowing natural vegetation to grow back in mountainous areas and on steep slopes and moving production to more fertile areas will both reduce climate emissions and increase biodiversity.