PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Agricultural liming in the US is a large CO2 sink, say researchers

Research presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague

2025-07-09
(Press-News.org) Adding lime to agricultural soils can remove CO2 from the atmosphere, rather than cause CO2 emissions, claims new research.

The findings, based on over 100 years of data from the Mississippi River basin and detailed computer modelling, run counter to international guidelines on reducing agricultural emissions.

The research is presented today [Thursday 10 July] at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague.

The team, from the Yale Centre for Natural Carbon Capture at Yale University, show that the addition of acidity, in the form of atmospheric pollution and fertilisers, is the main driver for CO2 emissions from soils. By calculating emissions based on acid inputs, they show how emissions may be being underestimated in some cases and the potential for lime to reduce emissions is being overlooked.

Agriculture is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitting sectors with a significant proportion of agricultural emissions linked to soils. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calculates that all the carbon in lime, when added to agricultural soils to reduce acidity, is emitted as CO2, although some countries use a lower figure.

When lime is added to soil, it reacts with carbonic acid to create bicarbonate, calcium and magnesium. If there are strong acids present in the soil, such as nitric or sulfuric acid, these will react with the bicarbonate to create carbonic acid and release CO2.

Lead author Dr Tim Jesper Suhrhoff, from the Yale Centre for Natural Carbon Capture, said: “It is the reaction of acidity with the carbonate that creates CO2 emissions, not the addition of the lime itself. In the absence of the strong acids, the liming would not lead to any emissions and would actually remove CO2 from the atmosphere through the formation of bicarbonate.

“Current guidelines that penalise liming assume that if we didn’t lime, there would be no emissions, but that’s not the case. If we continue to add acidity to the soil, it will react with remaining natural pools of alkalinity to create emissions. By penalising liming, rather than the addition of acids, we are targeting the wrong driver and potentially losing the other benefits that liming can bring, in terms of increased yields and lower nitrous oxide emissions.”

The researchers use data from the Mississippi River basin, collected since 1900, to calculate the impact of atmospheric pollution, fertiliser use and liming on CO2 emissions. They show that the combination of industrial pollution from fossil fuel burning and increasing use of nitrogen fertilisers since the 1930s has created high levels of acidity in the soil which have not been counterbalanced by liming.

Since the 1930s, when limestone application to croplands substantially increased, both the efficacy and efficiency of carbon dioxide removal has also increased, as indicated by river records and model results. Researchers estimated that today removal is occurring at approximately 75% of the theoretical maximum rate.

The researchers call for a reconsideration of policy on agricultural emissions, with emissions being linked to addition of acid fertilisers rather than lime. However, they highlight this needs to be handled with care.

“We have known for a long time that liming is great for farmers and global food security,” says Dr Suhrhoff. “What we show here is that over longer timescales, it is also an efficient way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Adding a large amount of silicate rock to neutralise the acidity, before moving to liming, may be the best strategy to limit emissions and gain the additional benefits that liming can bring.”

The Goldschmidt Conference is the world’s foremost geochemistry conference. It is a joint congress of the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society (US), and over 4000 delegates attend. It takes place in Prague, Czech Republic, from 6-11 July 2025.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Seaside more likely to make us nostalgic than green places, study finds

2025-07-09
People in the UK and US are more likely to feel nostalgic towards places by the sea, lakes or rivers than they are towards fields, forests and mountains, according to new research. The study suggests that coastlines may have the optimal visual properties to make us feel positive emotions, and argues that ‘place nostalgia’ offers significant psychological benefits.   Seaside and oceanside spots account for over a quarter of nostalgic places identified by UK residents (26%) and one-fifth (20%) of US residents in the University of Cambridge-led study.   Rivers and lakes raise the figure to around a third (35% UK; 30% US). ...

Psilocybin delays aging, extends lifespan, Emory study suggests

2025-07-09
As revenues from the anti-aging market-- riddled with hope and thousands of supplements–– surged past $500 million last year, Emory University researchers identified a compound that actively delays aging in cells and organisms.  A newly published study in Nature Partner Journals’ Aging demonstrates that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, extended the cellular lifespan of human skin and lung cells by more than 50%.  In parallel, researchers also conducted the first long-term in vivo study evaluating the systemic effects of psilocybin in aged mice ...

Buck Institute awarded DARPA contract to pioneer next-gen AI modeling platform

2025-07-09
The Buck Institute for Research on Aging has secured a significant contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to spearhead the Simulation and Inference of Microbial Behavior and Adaptation (SIMBA) project. In collaboration with DARPA's Simulating Microbial Systems (SMS) Program, this initiative will develop a cloud-based platform integrating multi-dimensional, multi-omic data to simulate the dynamic behavior of microbial cells. Dr. James Yurkovich, Research Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute and Principal Investigator of the SIMBA Team, stated, ...

Orange is the new aphrodisiac—for guppies

2025-07-09
It turns out colour isn’t just fashionable for guppies: According to a new UBC study, the more orange a male, the more virile it is. The research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution shines light on an enduring evolutionary mystery: why male guppies have such vibrant and varied colours and patterns. Virile me up Zoologists Drs. Wouter van der Bijl and Judith Mank used deep learning, genetic studies and bred three generations of increasingly orange guppies to investigate. They found the more colourful males were up to two times more sexually active, performing for females at a greater rate and for longer periods of time, and attempting to sneakily copulate ...

Murals boost Cincinnati’s vitality, community development

2025-07-09
Cities across the U.S. are increasingly turning to murals as tools for placemaking, cultural expression and neighborhood revitalization — and Cincinnati is a standout among them. With more than 300 murals across the city, including 55 in one historic district alone, public art has become a defining feature of Cincinnati’s streetscape. Now, a new study published in the international urban design journal Cities offers fresh insights into how murals contribute to vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. The study is led by Hyesun Jeong, assistant professor of urban design in the University of Cincinnati’s School of Art at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, ...

Ad blockers may be showing users more problematic ads, NYU Tandon study finds

2025-07-09
Ad blockers, the digital shields that nearly one billion internet users deploy to protect themselves from intrusive advertising, may be inadvertently exposing their users to more problematic content, according to a new study from NYU Tandon School of Engineering. The study, which analyzed over 1,200 advertisements across the United States and Germany, found that users of Adblock Plus's "Acceptable Ads" feature encountered 13.6% more problematic advertisements compared to users browsing ...

Verbal response time reveals hidden sleepiness in older adults

2025-07-09
A new study led by UCLA investigators shows that Verbal Reaction Time (VRT), the amount of time it takes a person to respond verbally, can be a marker of sleepiness in older adults. The study, which measured participants’ voice data through standardized cognitive assessments, show how VRT can passively detect excessive sleepiness, especially among older individuals using sedative medications. Why it matters Sleepiness is a major contributor to safety risks in daily life, but is often underreported or unnoticed, especially among older ...

University of Maryland School of Medicine launches groundbreaking study on THC/CBD therapy for dementia-related agitation at end of life

2025-07-09
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Palliative Medicine Program has launched a new clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Aging to explore a potential treatment for agitation in patients with dementia nearing the end of life. The study focuses on an investigational oral drug, T2:C100, which contains the two active ingredients in cannabis: THC and CBD. Currently, standard medications such as morphine, valium, and Haldol are commonly used to manage agitation in hospice-eligible patients with dementia. However, these treatments are often ineffective ...

Targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.006 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery.   Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive, with high recurrence rates and poor prognosis. Paclitaxel (PTX) remains a key chemotherapeutic agent for TNBC, but its efficacy diminishes due to the emergence of drug resistance, largely driven by cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and tumor immunosuppressive ...

SRSF7 promotes pulmonary fibrosis through regulating PKM alternative splicing in lung fibroblasts

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.017 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how SRSF7 promotes pulmonary fibrosis through regulating PKM alternative splicing in lung fibroblasts.   Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic interstitial lung disease, is characterized by aberrant wound healing, excessive scarring and the formation of myofibroblastic foci. Although the role of alternative splicing (AS) in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis has garnered increasing attention, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Children’s social media activity highlights emotional stress of living with long-term health issues

New tool maps hidden roles and risks in ecosystems

New breakthrough method to protect quantum spins from noise

Chemicals from turmeric and rhubarb could help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria lurking in wastewater

Instant cancer diagnosis with light and AI!

New electroenzymatic strategy enables non-natural oxidation reactions

Tunable laser light

Scientists uncover magnetic-field control of ultrafast spin dynamics in 2D ferromagnets

New AI-powered model accurately predicts lung motion with minimal radiation

AI language models show promise in predicting liver cancer treatment outcomes

Tracking insect and bug health in a heartbeat from a digital camera

'Talking fish' not heard by conservation policies, SFU study warns

Thirty years of research shows increased resistance in fungi

Junk food ‘avoids advertising regulation’ with top level UK sports sponsorship

Banking on AI while committed to net zero is ‘magical thinking’, claims report on energy costs of big tech

Ancient river systems reveal Mars was wetter than we thought

Online toolkit to help parents of autistic children improve dental health

The psychological and neurological parallels between sports fandom and religious devotion

Agricultural liming in the US is a large CO2 sink, say researchers

Seaside more likely to make us nostalgic than green places, study finds

Psilocybin delays aging, extends lifespan, Emory study suggests

Buck Institute awarded DARPA contract to pioneer next-gen AI modeling platform

Orange is the new aphrodisiac—for guppies

Murals boost Cincinnati’s vitality, community development

Ad blockers may be showing users more problematic ads, NYU Tandon study finds

Verbal response time reveals hidden sleepiness in older adults

University of Maryland School of Medicine launches groundbreaking study on THC/CBD therapy for dementia-related agitation at end of life

Targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery

SRSF7 promotes pulmonary fibrosis through regulating PKM alternative splicing in lung fibroblasts

Psychological stress-activated NR3C1/NUPR1 axis promotes ovarian tumor metastasis

[Press-News.org] Agricultural liming in the US is a large CO2 sink, say researchers
Research presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague