Experts say the ocean could help absorb carbon dioxide, but today’s technologies are too uncertain to be scaled up safely. New findings released during COP30 highlight the risks of rushing into marine carbon removal without proper monitoring and verification. With the 1.5°C threshold approaching, researchers stress that emissions cuts must...
Floating Solar Panels Show Promise, But Environmental Impacts Vary by Location, Study Finds
Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed.
Deforestation Linked to Tropical Temperature Rises, Online Map Shows
Deforestation is leading to temperature increases of up to 5°C in some tropical regions, according to data revealed in a new interactive map created by researchers at the University of Leeds.
Comprehensive Red List highlights threatened plant species in Britain
A new Red List for Great Britain’s vascular plants has shown that while a quarter of species are threatened, there have been success stories, including some rare orchids.
A 2,000-year mystery in chameleon eyes is finally solved
Chameleons’ extraordinary ability to move their eyes independently stems from a previously overlooked anatomical marvel: long, tightly coiled optic nerves hidden behind their bulging eyes. Modern CT imaging finally revealed this structure, which centuries of dissections and even the scrutiny of figures like Aristotle and Newton failed to capture. The...
Everyday microplastics could be fueling heart disease
Microplastics—tiny particles now found in food, water, air, and even human tissues—may directly accelerate artery-clogging disease, and new research shows the danger may be far greater for males. In mice, environmentally realistic doses of microplastics dramatically worsened plaque buildup, altered key vascular cells, and activated harmful genes linked to inflammation...
Scientists finally discover what’s fueling massive sargassum blooms
Massive Sargassum blooms sweeping across the Caribbean and Atlantic are fueled by a powerful nutrient partnership: phosphorus pulled to the surface by equatorial upwelling and nitrogen supplied by cyanobacteria living directly on the drifting algae. Coral cores reveal that this nutrient engine has intensified over the past decade, perfectly matching...
Secret chemical traces reveal life on Earth 3. 3 billion years ago
Researchers have discovered chemical traces of life in rocks older than 3.3 billion years, offering a rare look at Earth’s earliest biology. By combining advanced chemical methods with artificial intelligence, scientists were able to detect faint molecular patterns left behind long after the original biomolecules disappeared. Newly analyzed fossils, including...
UC Irvine Researchers Link Antarctic Ice Loss to ‘Storms’ at the Ocean’s Subsurface
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have identified stormlike circulation patterns beneath Antarctic ice shelves that are causing aggressive melting, with major implications for global sea level rise projections.
Weather Behind Past Heat Waves Could Return Far Deadlier
Weather patterns that produced five severe heat waves in Europe over the past 30 years could kill thousands more people if repeated in today’s hotter global climate, a new study finds.