Smoke from wildfires and structural fires doesn t just irritate lungs it actually changes your immune system. Harvard scientists found that even healthy people exposed to smoke showed signs of immune system activation, genetic changes tied to allergies, and even toxic metals inside their immune cells.
Buried for 23,000 years: These footprints are rewriting American history
Footprints found in the ancient lakebeds of White Sands may prove that humans lived in North America 23,000 years ago — much earlier than previously believed. A new study using radiocarbon-dated mud bolsters earlier findings, making it the third line of evidence pointing to this revised timeline.
Fighting fire with fire: How prescribed burns reduce wildfire damage and pollution
Wildfires are becoming more intense and dangerous, but a new Stanford-led study offers hope: prescribed burns—intentionally set, controlled fires—can significantly lessen their impact. By analyzing satellite data and smoke emissions, researchers found that areas treated with prescribed burns saw wildfire severity drop by 16% and smoke pollution fall by 14%....
A giant pulse beneath Africa could split the continent — and form an ocean
Beneath the Afar region in Ethiopia, scientists have discovered pulsing waves of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth — a geological heartbeat that could eventually split Africa in two. These rhythmic surges of mantle material are helping to stretch and thin the continent’s crust, setting the stage for...
New Orleans is sinking—and so are its $15 billion flood defenses
Parts of New Orleans are sinking at alarming rates — including some of the very floodwalls built to protect it. A new satellite-based study finds that some areas are losing nearly two inches of elevation per year, threatening the effectiveness of the city's storm defenses.
NASA discovers link between Earth’s core and life-sustaining oxygen
For over half a billion years, Earth’s magnetic field has risen and fallen in sync with oxygen levels in the atmosphere, and scientists are finally uncovering why. A NASA-led study reveals a striking link between deep-Earth processes and life at the surface, suggesting that the planet’s churning molten interior could...
Protecting the Unique Biodiversity of the Falklands
Emily Williams, an ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, discusses a project to tackle invasive non-native species on the Falkland Islands, which included a recent visit to share knowledge with local experts.
Volunteers Monitoring Pollinators Make Interesting Findings
The UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS), which engages thousands of citizen scientists to record insects on surveys across the UK countryside and gardens, is emphasising the value of having a wide range of plants and habitats to support a diverse range of pollinators.
Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke is a Risky Combination, New Study Finds
The risk of death spikes when people are exposed to both elevated levels of fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke and temperatures above 26 C, new UBC research has found.
Sex swap in seconds: The fish that takes charge and changes gender
Remove the top male spotty fish and, within minutes, the next-in-line female morphs into the tank s new tyrant charging and nipping rivals while her body quietly begins a weeks-long transition to male.