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Environment
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Environment

Increased deciduous tree dominance reduces wildfire carbon losses in boreal forests

As climate change drives more frequent and severe wildfires across boreal forests in Alaska and northwestern Canada, scientists are asking a critical question: Will these ecosystems continue to store carbon or become a growing source of carbon emissions? New research published this week shows that when forests shift from coniferous—consisting mostly of pines, spruces and larches—to deciduous—consisting mostly of birches and aspens—they could release substantially less carbon when they burn. The National Science Foundation-funded study, led by researchers from the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) at Northern Arizona University and published in ...

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Environment

​​​​​​​Insects are victims too: Global study shows impacts of invasive alien species on populations

Insects are often seen as invaders due to high-profile species like the yellow-legged (Asian) hornet, the harlequin ladybird and fire ant. but new research reveals insects are also major victims of invasive alien species – exacerbating population declines and reducing their ability to provide vital services for biodiversity and people from pollination to pest control. The first global analysis of its kind, led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), revealed that invasive alien species reduce abundance of terrestrial insects* by 31% on average and reduce species richness by 21%. Invasive animals outcompete or eat insects while invasive vegetation replaces ...

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Environment

Electrospinning for mimicking bioelectric microenvironment in tissue regeneration

Background Various tissues and organs in the human body, such as nerves, heart, bones, and skin, rely on bioelectrical signals to maintain function and support regeneration. Although conventional electrical therapies are effective, they require external power sources and invasive electrodes, leading to high risks of infection and reduced patient comfort. This review innovatively proposes the use of electrospinning to fabricate electroactive fibrous scaffolds, which mimic the structure of the extracellular matrix while providing electrical activity, thereby enabling non-invasive and self-powered tissue repair. Research Progress Electrically sensitive ...

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Environment

World-leading rare earth magnet recycling facility launches in UK

The University of Birmingham today (15 Jan) launched a new West Midlands-based facility for separating and recycling rare earth magnets that will help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of rare earth metals, alloys, and magnets. Rare earth magnets are amongst the key ‘critical minerals’ that are integral to modern life. They form a core building block in technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, medical equipment, pumps, robotics, and electronics. Demand for these minerals will only increase as the adoption of low-carbon technologies ...

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Environment

Corday Selden selected for the Oceanography Society Early Career Award

The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Corday Selden, an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing her outstanding early-career research contributions, leadership in ocean sciences, and exceptional promise for future impact in oceanography. Dr. Selden will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Selden is a marine biogeochemist whose research has fundamentally advanced understanding of how marine microbial processes regulate ocean chemistry and Earth-system function. Her work integrates stable isotope geochemistry, ...

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Environment

Seth Zippel selected for The Oceanography Society Early Career Award

The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Seth Zippel, Assistant Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing his significant early-career research contributions, impact, and exceptional potential for future achievement in oceanography. Dr. Zippel will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Zippel is recognized internationally for advancing the understanding of air–sea–ice interactions, surface gravity waves, and boundary-layer turbulence ...

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Environment

Jeremy Horowitz selected for The Oceanography Society Early Career Award

The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Jeremy Horowitz as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing his outstanding early-career research contributions, impact, and promise for continued achievement in oceanography, along with his strong record of mentorship, outreach, and collaborative science. Dr. Horowitz will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Horowitz is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and an internationally ...

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Environment

Avocados may become easier to grow in India—but not if global emissions remain high

A new study suggests that, with low to moderate levels of global greenhouse emissions in coming decades, more of India could become suitable for growing avocados. However, with high enough emissions, growing zones could shrink and destabilize by 2070. G. Karunakaran of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Indian Institute of Horticultural Research and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on January 14, 2026. Rising global demand for avocados makes them an economically significant fruit ...

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Environment

Oliver Zielinski selected as Fellow of The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Society (TOS) has named Professor Dr. Oliver Zielinski a Fellow of the Society, recognizing his outstanding and sustained contributions to oceanography through scientific innovation, leadership, education, and service. The TOS Fellows Program honors members whose careers have significantly advanced understanding and stewardship of the ocean while strengthening the global oceanographic community. Dr. Zielinski will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in ...

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Environment

The best hydrogen for heavy-duty transport is locally produced and green

If trucks ran on hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions from heavy-duty road transport could be significantly reduced. At the same time, a new study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden shows that differences in how the gas is produced, distributed and used greatly affect its climate benefits. Locally produced green hydrogen is the best option for the climate – with the additional benefit of enabling all countries to become self-sufficient in energy and fuel, even in times of crisis and ...

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Environment

Europe’s crop droughts to get worse even as rain increases

Europe and western North America will experience more frequent and severe crop droughts as the planet warms, even in places where yearly rainfall increases. Scientists from the University of Reading studied how climate change affects soil moisture during growing seasons – the times of year when crops need water most. Warmer temperatures dry out soil faster than extra rain can replenish it, leading to agricultural droughts. The research, published today (Wednesday, 14 January) in Nature Geoscience, examined climate data and used computer models to identify ...

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Environment

First extensive study into marsupial gut microbiomes reveals new microbial species and antimicrobial resistance

Marsupials are a group of mammals that encompass many of Australia's most iconic animals, unique because of their geographically isolated evolution. Despite their household names, their microbiomes remain under-researched. "Understanding marsupial gut microbiomes advances our knowledge of host-microbiome evolution, helps explain adaptations to challenging diets like eucalyptus, and supports conservation efforts for threatened species through improved health management,” says Kate Bowerman, a microbiologist at the University of Queensland (UQ) and co-author ...

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Environment

Biochar helps farmland soils withstand extreme rain and drought by steadying carbon loss

Researchers led by Yue Pan at Shenyang Agricultural University tested how swings between wet and dry conditions affect soil organic carbon breakdown in a clay loam Alfisol from Northeast China, and whether biochar can soften these impacts. The team incubated soils for 90 days under three moisture patterns and three levels of corn straw biochar to mimic the more extreme rainfall expected under climate change.​ The study showed that stronger moisture variability sped up soil organic carbon decomposition, increasing cumulative carbon dioxide release by up to 17.2 percent compared with constant moisture. At the same time, fluctuating moisture boosted soil microbial activity and shifted the ...

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Environment

The path to solar weather forecasts

At times the sun ejects energetic material into space which can have consequences for space-based and even ground-based electronic technology. Researchers aim to understand this phenomenon and find ways to forecast it, including how ejected material evolves as it travels through the solar system. For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, made high-quality measurements of an evolving cloud of solar ejecta by using multiple space-based instruments which were not designed to do so, and observed the way the ...

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Environment

Unleashing floods: Researchers learn more about how fossils form

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/12/2026) — A new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities challenges previous classifications paleontologists use to determine how the fossil record is formed. They investigated how dinosaur and mammal bones are transported and buried by floodwaters to understand how the remains of animals might disperse prior to being buried and becoming fossils. The research provides new clues for understanding animal extinction and environmental changes. The paper was recently published in Paleobiology, ...

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Environment

Nitrogen is key to faster regrowth in deforested areas, say researchers

University of Leeds news Embargoed: 13 January 2026 10:00 GMT Images available here Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research published today. A team of scientists led by the University of Leeds established the world’s largest and longest experiment to see how nutrients affect forest regrowth in areas cleared for activities such as logging and ...

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Environment

Trees4Adapt project to address risks from climate change and biodiversity loss through tree-based solutions

Researchers from the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program are involved in the recently launched EU-funded Trees4Adapt project. The project focuses on tree-based solutions for climate adaptation, aiming to strengthen Europe’s adaptation and resilience to climate change in a way that supports people and nature. Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the most pressing challenges of our time. These crises are deeply interconnected, creating complex risks that threaten ecosystems, human wellbeing, and the economy. Yet, current decision-making and land-use planning often fails to account for this interconnectedness, limiting ...

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Environment

SwRI evaluates fire risks associated with solar panel installations

SAN ANTONIO — January 12, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) conducted a series of large-scale tests to investigate factors that affect flame spread beneath photovoltaic (PV) panel installations on flat, commercial and industrial rooftops. The research will help fire safety organizations update standards and fire mitigation strategies. The team fabricated test decks to replicate large roofing assemblies with mounted PV solar panels. Researchers exposed the leading edge of the deck to flame and crosswind to better understand fire hazards and evaluate mitigation strategies. ...

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Environment

Microplastics detected in rural woodland

Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural environments in greater quantities than in urban locations, researchers say. Scientists led by the University of Leeds detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study – almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city centre. They believe trees and other vegetation capture airborne microplastic particles from the atmosphere and deposit them, highlighting the impact ...

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Environment

Hop to it: research from Shedd Aquarium tracks conch movement to set new conservation guidance

A new study published in Conservation Biology examines the behavior and distributions of queen conch (Aliger gigas) to guide conservation management for the threatened sea snail. The research, which tracked adult snail movements, suggests that establishing a 330-meter spatial buffer – about the height of the Eiffel Tower by comparison – around breeding areas could help protect conch populations and serve as a practical tool for local management. Queen conch are giant herbivorous marine snails that do not crawl slowly along and leave slime trails. Instead, ...

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Environment

Clues from the past reveal the West Antarctic Ice Sheet’s vulnerability to warming

The Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers, located in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), are among the fastest-melting glaciers on Earth. Together, they are losing ice more rapidly than any other part of Antarctica, raising serious concerns about the long-term stability of the ice sheet and its contribution to future sea-level rise. To better understand the risks that warmer conditions pose to the WAIS, researchers are looking back to the Pliocene Epoch (5.3–2.58 million years ago), when global temperatures were about 3–4 ...

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Environment

World’s vast plant knowledge not being fully exploited to tackle biodiversity and climate challenges, warn researchers

An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world’s plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems and a lack of standardisation. In a new report published today in the journal Nature Plants, researchers based at more than 50 botanic gardens and living plant collections warn that a patchwork of incompatible, or even absent, data systems is undermining global science and conservation at a critical moment. They call for a unified and equitable global data ...

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Environment

Ocean temperatures reached another record high in 2025

A new international analysis published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on 9 January finds that the Earth’s ocean stored more heat in 2025 than in any year since modern measurements began. The 2025 heat increase was 23 Zetta Joules (23,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Joules of energy), which is equivalent to ~37 years of global primary energy consumption at the 2023 level (~620 Exa Joules per year). The finding is the result of a major international collaboration, involving more than 50 scientists from 31 research ...

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Environment

Optimized biochar use could cut China’s cropland nitrous oxide emissions by up to half

Agricultural soils are one of the world’s largest sources of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a century. New research suggests that a common agricultural byproduct may offer a powerful and practical solution. A study published in Biochar shows that straw-derived biochar, when applied using region-specific strategies, could reduce nitrous oxide emissions from China’s croplands by as much as 50 percent. Nitrous oxide is primarily released from soils treated with nitrogen fertilizers. While biochar, a carbon-rich material produced by heating crop residues under low oxygen conditions, has long been ...

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Environment

Study finds food waste compost less effective than potting mix alone

By Maddie Johnson University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the United States’ food supply ending up as waste, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, food science and horticulture experts teamed up to study if it could lay the foundation for growing the next bunch of crops. “It’s capturing food waste that would otherwise go to landfill and produce greenhouse gases and cause harm to the environment in some capacity,” said Matt Bertucci, assistant professor of sustainable fruit and vegetable ...

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