A common iron mineral hiding in soil turns out to be far better at trapping carbon than scientists realized. Its surface isn’t uniform — it’s a nanoscale patchwork of positive and negative charges that can grab many different organic molecules. Instead of relying on a single weak attraction, the mineral...
Forests are changing fast and scientists are deeply concerned
Forests around the world are quietly transforming, and not for the better. A massive global analysis of more than 31,000 tree species reveals that forests are becoming more uniform, increasingly dominated by fast-growing “sprinter” trees, while slow-growing, long-lived species are disappearing. These slower species act as the backbone of forest...
This tiny organism refused to die under Mars-like conditions
Baker’s yeast isn’t just useful in the kitchen — it may also be built for space. Researchers found that yeast cells can survive intense shock waves and toxic chemicals similar to those on Mars. The cells protect themselves by forming special stress-response structures that help them endure extreme conditions. This...
Pumas are back in Patagonia and Penguins are paying the price
Pumas returning to Patagonia have begun hunting mainland penguins that evolved without land predators. Scientists estimate that more than 7,000 adult penguins were killed in just four years, many of them left uneaten. While the losses are dramatic, models show that pumas alone are unlikely to wipe out the colony....
Scientists warn climate models are missing a key ocean player
Tiny marine plankton that build calcium carbonate shells play an outsized role in regulating Earth’s climate, quietly pulling carbon from the atmosphere and helping lock it away in the deep ocean. New research shows these microscopic engineers are largely missing from the climate models used to forecast our planet’s future,...
This weird deep-sea creature was named by thousands of people online
A newly discovered deep-sea creature has become an unlikely Internet star. After appearing in a popular YouTube video, a rare chiton found nearly three miles beneath the ocean surface sparked a global naming effort, drawing more than 8,000 suggestions from people around the world. Scientists ultimately chose the name Ferreiraella...
New forecasts offer early warning of Arctic sea ice loss
Arctic sea ice helps cool the planet and influences weather patterns around the world, but it is disappearing faster than ever as the climate warms. Scientists have now developed a new forecasting method that can predict how much Arctic sea ice will remain months in advance, focusing on September when...
Extreme Temperature Changes Increase Number of Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests, Model Finds
A machine learning model identifies environmental and social risk factors that contribute to these cardiac events.
Removing Livestock From Grasslands Could Compromise Long-Term Soil Carbon Storage, Study Finds
Removing sheep and other livestock entirely from upland grasslands – a strategy often promoted as a way to boost carbon storage and tackle climate change – may actually reduce the most stable forms of soil carbon, according to new research.
CFC Replacements Behind Hundreds of Thousands of Tonnes of Global ‘Forever Chemical’ Pollution
Chemicals brought in to help protect our ozone layer have had the unintended consequences of spreading vast quantities of a potentially toxic ‘forever chemical’ around the globe, a new study shows.