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Environment

Wetlands efficiently remove nitrogen pollution from surface water, leading to cost savings for municipalities

URBANA, Ill. – Wetlands are an important part of the ecological system, providing a myriad of benefits for people, wildlife, and the environment. They also serve as “nature’s kidneys,” filtering out pollutants from surface water. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds that wetlands along the Mississippi River Basin effectively clean up nitrogen runoff from agricultural fields. The researchers also show this can lead to significant savings for local drinking water treatment facilities. Non-point source pollution from ...

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Environment

More scientific analysis needed on impacts of industrial decarbonization

The industrial sector contributes about 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but there has not been enough study on how decarbonization efforts to reach net-zero goals set by the Paris Agreement impact the broader economy. This scarcity of empirical studies could hinder efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, Yale School of the Environment economists argue in a paper recently published in Science. “There is vast space for broad-scale work on industrial decarbonization that can leverage research partnerships and new data sources. Quantifying impacts on decarbonizing energy-intensive ...

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Environment

As ochre sea star ‘baby boomers’ grow up, species showing signs of recovery

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The “baby boom” of ochre sea stars that followed a population crash a decade ago is enabling the species to recover on the Oregon Coast, according to new research by scientists at Oregon State University and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The study, published in Ecosphere, does not determine whether the boom was triggered by the wasting disease epidemic that pushed ochre sea stars to the brink of extinction in Oregon, or simply a fortunate coincidence. But either way, a study of multiple sites along the coast revealed many encouraging signs for ochre sea star populations. “Wasting ...

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Environment

Six-million-year-old ice discovered in Antarctica offers unprecedented window into a warmer Earth

A team of U.S. scientists has discovered the oldest directly dated ice and air on the planet in the Allan Hills region of East Antarctica. The 6-million-year-old ice and the tiny air bubbles trapped inside it provide an unprecedented window into Earth’s past climate, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The oldest ice sample from Allan Hills dated by researchers clocks in at 6 million years, from a period in Earth’s history where abundant geological evidence indicates much warmer temperatures and higher sea levels compared to today. The research was led by Sarah Shackleton ...

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Environment

Canadian scientists describe an extinct rhino species from Canada's High Arctic

Ottawa, October 28, 2025 – Scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature have announced the discovery and description of an extinct rhinoceros from the Canadian High Arctic. The nearly complete fossil skeleton of the new species was recovered from the fossil-rich lake deposits in Haughton Crater on Devon Island, Nunavut and is the most northerly rhino species known. Rhinoceroses have an evolutionary history that spanned over 40 million years, encompassing all continents except South America and Antarctica. The “Arctic rhino” lived about 23 million years ago, during the Early Miocene and is most ...

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Environment

Cul-de-sac effect: Why Mediterranean regions are becoming more prone to extreme floods in a changing climate

Key Messages In May 2023, devastating floods hit Emilia-Romagna, causing deaths, displacement, and estimated damages of €8.5 billion. Cul-de-sac effect: The CMCC research team described for the first time how a specific configuration of mountain topography and circulation patterns trapped moisture coming from the Adriatic, while a stationary cyclone fueled prolonged rains that lasted for several days over the same area, leading to extreme flooding. From the analysis of the Emilia-Romagna case, the ...

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Environment

Polar bears act as crucial providers for Arctic species

Photos: here SAN DIEGO (Oct. 28, 2025) – A new study published in the scientific journal Oikos reveals for the first time the critical role polar bears play as carrion providers for Arctic species. Researchers from University of Manitoba and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, alongside researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the University of Alberta, have estimated that polar bears leave behind approximately 7.6 million kilograms of their prey annually, creating a massive and vital food source for a wide network of arctic scavenger ...

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Environment

Roots in the dark: Russian scientists uncover hidden carbon dioxide uptake in plant roots

We’ve all learned the same story in school: plants breathe in carbon dioxide (CO₂) through their leaves during photosynthesis, and breathe it out through respiration. The roots? They’re just for water and nutrients, right? Think again. In a surprising twist to one of biology’s most fundamental processes, a new study published on October 17, 2025, in the open-access journal Carbon Research has revealed that plant roots can actively absorb CO₂ from the soil—and this hidden process is powerfully influenced by light, fertilizer, and atmospheric conditions. Led by Dr. Amiran Khabidovich Zanilov ...

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Environment

Biochar and hydrochar show contrasting climate effects in boreal grasslands

Adding carbon-rich materials such as biochar and hydrochar to farmland soils is often seen as a promising way to fight climate change. But a new study from Finland shows that the type of char used can make a big difference in whether the soil releases or stores greenhouse gases. Researchers from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and collaborating universities tested how biochar and hydrochar, combined with nitrogen fertilizer, affected greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon pools, and crop ...

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Environment

Turning trash into treasure: Scientists transform waste plastics into high-value carbon materials

A new study offers a breakthrough solution to one of the world’s most pressing environmental problems: plastic pollution. Researchers have discovered how to transform discarded plastics into valuable carbon-based materials that can clean the environment and power next-generation energy devices. The research, published in Sustainable Carbon Materials, reviews the latest technologies that convert waste plastics into functional carbon materials, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, porous carbon, and carbon quantum dots. These high-performance ...

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Environment

Small group of users drive invasive species awareness on social media

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the age of social media, the battle against invasive species in nature is increasingly unfolding online. A new study analyzing over 500,000 tweets posted between 2006 and 2021 examines public discourse around invasive species on the social media platform Twitter, which became X in 2023. The study by an international team of researchers, including an ecologist at Penn State, was recently published in the journal Ecology & Society. The team found that mammals, especially urban pests like cats, pigs and squirrels, dominated ...

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Environment

Coronal mass ejections at the dawn of the solar system

Kyoto, Japan -- Down here on Earth we don't usually notice, but the Sun is frequently ejecting huge masses of plasma into space. These are called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). They often occur together with sudden brightenings called flares, and sometimes extend far enough to disturb Earth's magnetosphere, generating space weather phenomena including auroras or geomagnetic storms, and even damaging power grids on occasion. Scientists believe that when the Sun and the Earth were young, the Sun was so active that these CMEs may have even affected the emergence and evolution of ...

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Environment

Earliest long-snouted fossil crocodile from Egypt reveals the African origins of seagoing crocs

In the Egyptian Western Desert, where red sandstones and green shales rise above the arid plains of Kharga Oasis, paleontologists have uncovered a fossil that fundamentally reshapes our understanding of crocodile evolution. The new discovery, published in The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, was led by a team of Egyptian paleontologists. The newly described species, Wadisuchus kassabi, lived about 80 million years ago and is now recognized as the earliest known member of Dyrosauridae—a group of ancient crocodiles ...

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Environment

Discovering six new bat species is a treat for museum researchers

Just in time for Halloween, six new bat species have been discovered by researchers from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Field Museum in Chicago, and Lawrence University in Wisconsin. This nocturnal – and slightly spooky – group of mammals is incredibly diverse, and the discovery adds to the thousands of known bat species. Formally described as new species through the examination of physical and genetic characteristics, these six new species from the Philippines are commonly known as tube-nosed bats. “This latest ...

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Environment

Microbial iron mining: turning polluted soils into self-cleaning reactors

A team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced a groundbreaking nature-based solution to tackle global soil pollution—a crisis threatening ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. Their new research demonstrates that harnessing the natural power of microbes and iron minerals can remove toxic substances from soils efficiently and sustainably. Soil pollution has reached alarming levels worldwide due to industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, and improper waste management. From heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants ...

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Environment

New biochar-powered microbial systems offer sustainable solution for toxic pollutants

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences have unveiled a promising strategy to address persistent organic pollutants—dangerous substances found in industrial waste, pesticides, and contaminated soils that threaten environmental and human health. Their latest review highlights how biochar-supported microbial systems can revolutionize the remediation of these contaminants. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, and chlorinated solvents, are notorious ...

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Environment

Identifying the best high-biomass sorghum hybrids based on biomass yield potential and feedstock quality affected by nitrogen fertility management under various environments

There is growing interest in high-biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) as a bioenergy feedstock, but more information is needed to determine the most suitable varieties for the U.S. Midwest. This study by researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), a Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Center, evaluated and compared the yield potential of 13 sorghum hybrids in central and southern Illinois. The 13 sorghum hybrids (H1-H13) were grown for two seasons (2022-2023) ...

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Environment

Deep emission cuts before mid-century decisive to reduce long-term sea-level rise legacy

Rising seas are irreversible on human time scales and among the most severe consequences of climate change. Emissions released in the coming decades will determine how much coastlines are reshaped for centuries to come. New research shows that near-term mitigation could spare future generations around 0.6 meters of sea-level rise that would be caused by emissions between 2020 and 2090 following current policies, making today’s decisions critical not only for limiting warming but also for coastal ...

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Environment

Discovery of elusive solar waves that could power the Sun's corona

Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in solar physics by providing the first direct evidence of small-scale torsional Alfvén waves in the Sun's corona – elusive magnetic waves that scientists have been searching for since the 1940s. The discovery, published today in Nature Astronomy, was made using unprecedented observations from the world's most powerful solar telescope, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii. The findings could finally explain one of the Sun's greatest mysteries ...

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Environment

From sewage to super soil: Dual breakthrough in phosphorus recycling unveiled by Chinese research teams

What if the key to feeding the world didn’t come from a factory, but from a wastewater treatment plant? In a groundbreaking leap for sustainable agriculture, two leading Chinese research teams have turned one of the most overlooked waste streams, sewage sludge, into a powerful new resource for farming. Not just fertilizer, but precision-engineered fertilizer. Published on September 17, 2025, in the open-access journal Carbon Research, this innovative study reveals how modified hydrochar, a carbon-rich material made from treated sewage sludge, can ...

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Environment

Sustainable use of woody biochar boosts soil carbon and crop yields in pepper fields

Applying woody biochar to farmland could help farmers grow healthier crops while locking more carbon into the soil, according to a new study published in Biochar. Researchers from Suncheon National University found that carefully managed applications of biochar significantly improved soil quality, crop yield, and carbon balance in red pepper fields over two growing seasons. Biochar is a carbon-rich material made by heating plant matter under low-oxygen conditions. When added to soil, it can store carbon for long periods and enhance soil fertility. However, the ideal amount of biochar for sustaining both crop production and carbon storage has remained unclear. To address this gap, the team ...

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Environment

New study documents functional extinction of two critically endangered coral species following record heatwave in Florida

A new research paper published in Science reports the functional extinction of Acropora corals from Florida’s Coral Reef. Scientists documented catastrophic mortality of these critically endangered corals following a record-setting marine heatwave in 2023 that marked the ninth mass bleaching event for the region. Both Acropora coral species — staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn (Acropora palmata) — are important reef-builders in Florida and the Caribbean and have been a major focus of recent coral restoration efforts. Led by the National Oceanic ...

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Environment

Functional extinction of Florida’s reef-building corals following the 2023 marine heatwave

The record-breaking 2023 marine heatwave has killed nearly all of Florida’s critically endangered Acropora coral colonies, marking the species’ functional extinction in Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR), researchers report. The findings sound a dire warning for the future of coral ecosystems in our rapidly warming oceans. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events, such as marine heat waves, are severely undermining the health, structure, and resilience of ecosystems worldwide. Coral reefs, among the most heat-sensitive marine environments, ...

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Environment

Peatlands’ ‘huge reservoir’ of carbon at risk of release

ITHACA, N.Y. - Peatlands make up just 3% of the earth’s land surface but store more than 30% of the world’s soil carbon, preserving organic matter and sequestering its carbon for tens of thousands of years. A new study sounds the alarm that an extreme drought event could quadruple peatland carbon loss in a warming climate. In the study, published Oct. 23 in Science, researchers find that, under conditions that mimic a future climate (with warmer temperatures and elevated carbon dioxide), extreme drought dramatically increases the release of carbon in peatlands by nearly three ...

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Environment

Global study reveals tempo of invasive species‘ impacts

Biological invasions occur when non-native or exotic species colonize new geographic regions, often to the detriment of local plants and animals. Today, human action contributes significantly to invasion processes, allowing species to bridge vast distances and enter new habitats at a highly accelerated rate. This makes it increasingly important to better understand the impact of invasions on ecosystems. Researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Konstanz (Germany) and the Northeast Forestry University (China), have now shown how the ...

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