Life may have started in sticky, rock-hugging gels rather than inside cells. Researchers suggest these primitive, biofilm-like materials could trap and concentrate molecules, giving early chemistry a protected space to grow more complex. Within these gels, the first hints of metabolism and self-replication may have emerged.
This ancient animal was one of the first to eat plants on land
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the first animals to crawl onto land were strict meat-eaters, even as plants had already taken over the landscape. Now scientists have uncovered a 307-million-year-old fossil that rewrites that story: one of the earliest known land vertebrates to start eating plants. The animal, named...
Partnership Tackles Contamination in Materials Dredged From the Ocean
Two Plymouth organisations – the University of Plymouth and Recycle it Global (RiG) – have launched a collaborative project to tackle the complex challenges posed by contaminated marine dredged materials.
New Study Reveals Floods Are the Biggest Drivers of Plastic Pollution in Rivers
Plastic pollution has become a major global environmental concern as modern societies rely increasingly on plastic products.
UW Researchers Use Satellite Data to Quantify Methane Loss in the Stratosphere
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with strong heat-trapping capabilities.
Scientists uncover the climate shock that reshaped Easter Island
Around 1550, life on Rapa Nui began changing in ways long misunderstood. New research reveals that a severe drought, lasting more than a century, dramatically reduced rainfall on the already water-scarce island, reshaping how people lived, worshiped, and organized society. Instead of collapsing, Rapanui communities adapted—shifting rituals, power structures, and...
Scientists find genes that existed before all life on Earth
Life’s story may stretch further back than scientists once thought. Some genes found in nearly every organism today were already duplicated before all life shared a common ancestor. By tracking these rare genes, researchers can investigate how early cells worked and what features of life emerged first. New computational tools...
Methane spiked after 2020 and the cause was unexpected
Methane levels in Earth’s atmosphere surged faster than ever in the early 2020s, and scientists say the reason was a surprising mix of chemistry and climate. A temporary slowdown in the atmosphere’s ability to break down methane allowed the gas to linger, while unusually wet conditions boosted emissions from wetlands,...
Strawberry Guava Prevents Natural Forest Generation in Madagascar
Rice University biologist Amy Dunham has spent decades studying the mountainous rainforests of Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designated a national park in 1991.
Purdue Researchers Invent Wireless Sensor to Assess Subsoil Health in Effort to Cut Costs and Refine Farming
A new smart platform invented by Purdue University researchers to wirelessly monitor subsoil health could change the landscape of agricultural sensing systems.