Japan sea sludge tells story of human impact on Earth
Beneath the seawater in Japan's Beppu Bay lie layers of seemingly unremarkable sediment and sludge that tell the story of how humans have fundamentally altered the world around them......»»
Experiment reveals how Earth"s magnetic field influences flow in planet"s core
A trio of physicists, two with Coventry University, in the U.K., and the third with Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, in France, has demonstrated how Earth's magnetic field may be influencing internal flow, using what they descri.....»»
Ancient unicellular organism indicates embryonic development might have existed prior to animals" evolution
Chromosphaera perkinsii is a single-celled species discovered in 2017 in marine sediments around Hawaii. The first signs of its presence on Earth have been dated at over a billion years, well before the appearance of the first animals......»»
Researcher highlights the combined effects of climate change and chemical pollution
Traditionally, research has focused on either climate change or chemical pollution in isolation, overlooking their combined effects. This oversight creates a blind spot in understanding the full scope of risks to ecosystems and human health......»»
Examining how stellar threats impact the habitable zone of exoplanets
When we think of exoplanets that may be able to support life, we home in on the habitable zone. A habitable zone is a region around a star where planets receive enough stellar energy to have liquid surface water. It's a somewhat crude but helpful fir.....»»
Coyotes are thriving despite human and predator pressures, large-scale study finds
Research led by the University of New Hampshire sheds light on how coyotes, North America's most successful predators, are responding to various environmental pressures, including human development, hunting and competition with larger carnivores. Sur.....»»
Pathogens that cling to microplastics may survive wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, reports a study led by Ingun Lund Witsø of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, published November 6, 2024 in the open-access journal.....»»
Making farming better for bees: Can we breed crops that produce more nectar and pollen?
Where once there were vast areas of forest and other natural habitats, farmland now covers much of Earth—including 70% of the UK. This transition has helped feed a growing number of people......»»
Public pressure found to influence whether companies reduce their environmental impact
The effectiveness of national voluntary programs asking companies to pledge to lower their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions depends on pressure from the public, according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher......»»
Microbial slime: The ultimate system to understand our planet
Billions of years ago, Earth was home to extreme environments, including intense UV radiation, frequent volcanic eruptions, and very high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Yet, under these conditions, biofilms formed and within thes.....»»
Volcanic ash as a source of nutrients: How the Hunga Tonga eruption affected ecosystems in the South Pacific
The eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) in January 2022 ejected about 2.9 billion tons of volcanic material into the atmosphere and across the South Pacific. In early 2022, a scientific expedition (GEOTRACES GP21) investigated the impact of.....»»
Multi-country study finds significant differences in how poverty is passed from parents to children
Researchers from Stockholm University, Bocconi University, and the Rockwool Foundation have studied poverty's lasting impact across generations in wealthy countries. By examining the United States, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany,.....»»
Earth 2 at 30: A look back at NBC’s big swing at sci-fi in the early ’90s
A long-forgotten sci-fi series premiered on NBC 30 years ago this month, but it paved the way for some of the shows that came after it......»»
EU opens antitrust investigation into key Apple supplier Corning
The European Commission has announced its latest antitrust investigation, and it could once again have an impact on Apple. The EC says it is investigating whether Corning, a key Apple supplier, “may have abused its dominant position on the world.....»»
The PS5 Pro’s biggest problem is that the PS5 is already very good
For $700, I was hoping for a much larger leap in visual impact. In many ways, the timing of Sony's 2016 launch of the PS4 Pro couldn't have been better. The slightly upgraded vers.....»»
Endurance tells story of two expeditions, centuries apart
New NatGeo documentary was directed by the same duo who brought us the Oscar-winning Free Solo. The story of Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's failed 1914 expedition to be the f.....»»
"The nastiest soils on Earth" are getting recognized as a bigger problem
Acid sulfate soils are characterized by their orange hue and their tendency to kill surrounding vegetation and fish. Anders Johnson's extensive research along Sweden's coastline reveals the widespread presence of these soils, underscoring their signi.....»»
Testing thousands of RNA enzymes helps find first "twister ribozyme" in mammals
The "RNA world" hypothesis proposes that the earliest life on Earth may have been based on RNA—a single-stranded molecule similar in many ways to DNA—like some modern viruses. This is because, like DNA, RNA can carry genetic information, but, lik.....»»
Decadal climate patterns reveal new insights into tropical cyclone formation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation link
A new study has revealed how decadal-scale climate fluctuations impact the ability of climate models to simulate tropical cyclone frequency in response to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. This finding offers an improved understanding of t.....»»
Earth underwent a massive, rapid melting period after the last global ice age, new study suggests
At the end of the last global ice age, the deep-frozen Earth reached a built-in limit of climate change and thawed into a slushy planet. Results from a Virginia Tech-led study provide the first direct geochemical evidence of the slushy planet—other.....»»
Next-generation space materials blast off for tests on ISS
A new generation of space materials left Earth on November 5 as they head to the International Space Station (ISS) to undergo testing in the brutal conditions of low Earth orbit......»»