Environment
press releases.

Environment9 Feb 2024

Industrial pollution leaves its mark in Mediterranean corals

UCL Press Release Under embargo until Friday 9 February, 00:01 UK time Industrial pollution leaves its mark in Mediterranean corals For the first time, pollutants from burning fossil fuels have been found embedded in corals, offering scientists a potential new tool to track the history of pollution, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, identified carbon particles emitted by burning fossil fuels embedded in the corals of Illa Grossa Bay, off the Columbretes Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Finding this type of pollution – known as fly-ash or spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) ...

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Environment8 Feb 2024

Visual impairment and real-world home physical activity with home environment in an older population

About The Study: The results of this study demonstrated that home environment features, particularly lighting, may influence home activity metrics in older adults with visual impairment. Further prospective studies would be needed to confirm if home modifications can improve at-home activity. Authors: Pradeep Y. Ramulu, M.D., M.H.S., Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.6436) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional ...

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Environment8 Feb 2024

Ice cores provide first documentation of rapid Antarctic ice loss in the past

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey have uncovered the first direct evidence that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrunk suddenly and dramatically at the end of the Last Ice Age, around eight thousand years ago. The evidence, contained within an ice core, shows that in one location the ice sheet thinned by 450 metres — that’s more than the height of the Empire State Building — in just under 200 years. This is the first evidence anywhere in Antarctica for such a fast loss of ice. Scientists are worried that today’s rising temperatures ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

New species of 65 million year old fossil shark discovered in Alabama, USA

Birmingham, AL (February 7, 2024) – Today, a team of scientists is pleased to announce the discovery of a new fossil shark species from Alabama, USA. The team is led by Jun Ebersole, Director of Collections, McWane Science Center, Birmingham, AL, David Cicimurri, Curator of Natural History, South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, and T. Lynn Harrell, Jr., Paleontologist and Fossil Collections Curator at the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The shark is a new species of Palaeohypotodus (pronounced pale-ee-oh-hype-oh-toe-duss), which means “ancient small-eared tooth,” in reference to the small needle-like fangs present on the sides of the teeth. It has ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

Mimas' surprise: Tiny moon holds young ocean beneath icy shell

Hidden beneath the heavily cratered surface of Mimas, one of Saturn's smallest moons, lies a secret: a global ocean of liquid water. This astonishing discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the Observatoire de Paris-PSL and published in the journal Nature, reveals a "young" ocean formed just 5 to 15 million years ago, making Mimas a prime target for studying the origins of life in our Solar System. “Mimas is a small moon, only about 400 kilometers in diameter, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath," says Dr Nick Cooper, ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

Japan's electric vehicle transition by 2035 may be insufficient to combat the climate crisis, but there are solutions

Fukuoka, Japan—Researchers at Kyushu University have found that Japan's current policy of stopping the sale of gas vehicles by 2035 and transitioning only to hybrids and electric vehicles may be insufficient to reduce the country's CO2 emissions and prevent it from reaching its decarbonization target goals. In fact, emissions may temporarily increase. The team's analysis showed that along with the policy, the Japanese government must simultaneously work to increase production of clean ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

From waste to resource: A new and sustainable process transforms sewage sludge into activated carbon

Sewage sludge is the solid waste resulting from wastewater treatment. According to data from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, 1.2 million tons of this waste were produced in Spain in 2021 alone, and its management is a growing problem. Although some of it may have agricultural applications, such as being used as fertilizer after composting, its high concentration of metals limits its use, generating environmental problems. A new study has managed to give this waste a second life, turning it into activated carbon, a product boasting ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible

When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest — breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon neutral. For biofuels to compete with petroleum, biorefinery operations must be designed to better utilize lignin. Lignin is one of the main components of plant cell walls. It provides plants with greater structural integrity and resiliency from microbial attacks. However, these natural properties of lignin also make it difficult to extract and utilize ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

Will this new solar maximum solve the puzzle of the Sun’s gamma-ray picture?

The Sun’s polar regions were the most active emitting high energy radiation during the previous solar maximum, an imbalance yet to be explained, and reported for the first time in a study led by a researcher of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa) (Portugal). The Sun shines brightly in the visible light, but how does it look like at the highest energies of the electromagnetic radiation? The Sun’s picture taken in gamma rays is a deadly sight, luckily blinded by the Earth’s atmosphere and only seen from space. Each photon carries a billion times more energy than its ultraviolet sibling. How does the Sun’s regular gamma rays’ ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

New study sheds new light on forests' role in climate and water cycle

Forests, which cover a third of Earth's land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Stockholm University and international colleagues provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle. The research, involving scientists from 11 institutions across five countries, including Sweden, the UK, Finland, Germany, and Brazil, highlights the intricate relationship between forests, particularly their emission ...

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Environment7 Feb 2024

Monterey Bay Aquarium study reveals how kelp forests persisted through the large 2014-2016 Pacific marine heatwave

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium and the University of California, Santa Cruz, reveals that denser, and more sheltered, kelp forests can withstand serious stressors amid warming ocean temperatures. Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the study also offers the first comprehensive assessment of how declines in kelp abundance affected marine algae, invertebrates, and fishes living in Monterey Bay. The study comes after a multi-year marine heatwave – the product of a 2014 ‘blob’ ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Mitsuo Uematsu selected as Fellow of The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Emeritus Professor Mitsuo Uematsu on his selection as a Fellow. The citation for this honor recognizes his pioneering research on long-range atmospheric transport of Asian dust across the Pacific Ocean and its impact on marine biogeochemistry. The nomination materials noted that Dr Uematsu’s research is of the highest quality and notable for its interdisciplinarity and international leadership, as well as its pioneering and continuing nature. These contributions are exemplified through his service on several international scientific committees such as Future Earth and the Executive ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Claudia Benitez-Nelson selected as Fellow of The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Claudia Benitez-Nelson on her selection as a Fellow. The citation on her certificate recognizes her outstanding contributions to understanding marine biogeochemical cycling and her exceptional commitment to mentoring and increasing diversity in ocean sciences. The nomination materials noted that Dr. Benitez-Nelson is “one of the leading oceanographers of her generation…the world leader in the global phosphorus cycle, the use of isotopes (thorium) for quantifying export processes, and how carbon is transformed as it flows from coastal systems ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership selected to receive the Oceanography Society's Ocean Observing Team Award

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL) team on its selection as the recipient of the TOS Ocean Observing Team Award. This award recognizes innovation and excellence in sustained ocean observing for scientific and practical applications. The citation on the team’s certificate recognizes RUCOOL for transforming oceanography by sharing their pioneering sampling platforms, sensing methods, and their integration in models and education. Rutgers University’s Center of Ocean Observing Leadership has ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Phillip R. Taylor selected as Fellow of The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Phillip R. Taylor for being named a Fellow. The citation on Dr. Taylor’s certificate recognizes him for the “expansion and diversification of the ocean sciences at national and international levels and for building cooperative interactions among agencies and scientific fields.” Dr. Taylor’s nomination noted his “singular strength was a willingness to work with agency partners (within and outside of NSF) and science community leaders to develop novel programs that attracted additional investment, ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Susan B. Cook selected as Fellow of The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Susan B. Cook on her selection as a Fellow. The citation recognizes her for pivotal contributions toward expanding and strengthening ocean programs in higher education and for documenting and promoting the involvement of women and underrepresented groups in ocean science. Dr. Cook’s contributions to the ocean sciences community extend well beyond her impactful service to The Oceanography Society, where she held the position of Secretary from 2007 to 2018. As one example, she expanded the focus of ocean education to the national level, first playing a pivotal role as an original ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Frank Müller-Karger selected as Fellow of The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Frank Müller-Karger on his selection as a Fellow. The citation recognizes him for extraordinary contributions and leadership in furthering our understanding of Earth and, in particular, the ocean, through the use of remote sensing and field work. Frank Müller-Karger’s work encompasses a broad range of satellite observations and field time series in biological oceanography in open ocean, coastal, and benthic ecology applications. His research has laid ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Charitha Bandula Pattiaratchi selected as 2024 Recipient of The Oceanography Society's Mentoring Award

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Prof. Charitha Bandula Pattiaratchi for being selected as the 2024 recipient of The Oceanography Society’s Mentoring Award. The citation on Dr. Pattiaratchi’s certificate recognizes him for an enviable record of mentoring students and young scientists. Over the course of his career, he has developed a world-renowned research and training program for early career researchers and graduate students in coastal oceanography at The University of Western Australia. To date, he has supervised more than 300 people including direct supervision of 277 dissertations. Pattiaratchi is currently Professor of Coastal ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Household food waste reduced through whole-family food literacy interventionHousehold food waste reduced through whole-family food literacy intervention

Philadelphia, February 6, 2024 – Food waste is a global issue, with the estimated value of wasted food totaling $230 billion CAD in 2023. In Canada, estimates suggest half of the food wasted occurs at the household level, which roughly equals $1,000 CAD per family per year. A recent research brief in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a family-based food literacy program that promotes meal preparation and food waste reduction. Lead study author Amar Laila, PhD, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Microfluidic environments alter microbe behaviors, opening potential for engineering social evolution

Microbes are social beings. Much like humans, they communicate and cooperate with each other to solve problems bigger than themselves. In a microbial community, there will even be free riders, and others that police them. So, what if researchers could influence their social evolution to promote certain behaviors? Doing so can be vital to solving many of today’s challenges such as combating infection and antibiotic resistance, developing microbial strategies for wastewater treatment or harvesting alternative energy sources. A research group led by Dervis Can Vural, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Two new freshwater fungi species in China enhance biodiversity knowledge

Researchers have discovered two new freshwater hyphomycete (mould) species, Acrogenospora alangii and Conioscypha yunnanensis, in southwestern China. This discovery, detailed in a study published in MycoKeys, marks the addition of these species to the Acrogenospora and Conioscypha genera, further enriching the diversity of freshwater fungi known in the region. A research team consisting of Lu Li, Hong-Zhi Du and Ratchadawan Cheewangkoon from Chiang Mai University, Thailand, as well as Vinodhini Thiyagaraja and Rungtiwa Phookamsak from Kunming Institute of Botany, China, and Darbhe Jayarama Bhat from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, employed comprehensive morphological ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Apex predators not a quick fix for restoring ecosystems, 20-year CSU study finds

A Colorado State University experiment spanning more than two decades has found that removal of apex predators from an ecosystem can create lasting changes that are not reversed after they return – at least, not for a very long time. The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and published in Ecological Monographs, challenges the commonly held belief that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park restored an ecosystem degraded by their absence. Researchers in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Inner ear of miocene fossil ape gives clues to evolution of bipedalism

A new study of a 7–8-million-year-old extinct fossil ape from China called Lufengpithecus offers new insights into the evolution of human bipedalism. The study, published in The Innovation, was conducted by a team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Yunnan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology (YICRA), and New York University (NYU). Humans and our closest relatives, the living apes, display a remarkable diversity of locomotor abilities, from walking upright on two legs to climbing and clambering in trees to walking using all four limbs. Scientists have long been fascinated ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Guanine synthesis yields new insights into nitrogen’s role in nanocarbon catalysis

In recent years, carbon-based catalysts — especially nitrogen-doped nanocarbons — have emerged as sustainable, reliable alternatives to the metal catalysts that have traditionally been used to support chemical reactions. Researchers from the Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon-Based Functional Materials (Fujian Province University) at Fuzhou University synthesized nanocarbons from guanine molecules to better understand the precise role nitrogen plays in the carbon-based materials and explore the reaction mechanisms of these catalytic systems. In a recently published study, the research team clarified how different types of nitrogen can modulate oxidative dehydrogenation ...

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Environment6 Feb 2024

Newly discovered carbon monoxide-runaway gap can help identify habitable exoplanets

The search for habitable exoplanets involves looking for planets with similar conditions to the Earth, such as liquid water, a suitable temperature range and atmospheric conditions. One crucial factor is the planet's position in the habitable zone, the region around a star where liquid water could potentially exist on the planet's surface. NASA's Kepler telescope, launched in 2009, revealed that 20–50% of visible stars may host such habitable Earth-sized rocky planets. However, the presence of liquid water alone does not guarantee a planet’s habitability. On Earth, ...

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