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Environment

New research links global climate patterns to wildfires in Los Angeles

As wildfires continue to ravage regions from Los Angeles to South Korea, a new study featured on the cover of the Issue 7, 2025 of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences sheds light on the large-scale climate patterns influencing these devastating global extreme events. The research, led by Professor Young-Min Yang from Jeonbuk National University, reveals how tropical climate phenomena like the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) can trigger dry, windy conditions that exacerbate wildfires in mid-latitude regions, including the western U.S. and East Asia. Wildfire prediction remains a major challenge due to rapidly changing weather conditions ...

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Environment

Researchers decode neural pathways of cognitive flexibility across species

BEIJING, China, 20 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press review article published today, neuroscientists have unveiled the complex neural mechanisms that enable cognitive generalization—the crucial ability to adapt learning from previous experiences to new scenarios—across different species. The research maps these neural pathways from hippocampus to cortex, providing insights that could potentially transform our understanding of conditions like Alzheimer's disease and autism ...

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Environment

Investment risk for energy infrastructure construction is highest for nuclear power plants, lowest for solar

Between now and 2050, the International Energy Agency projects that more than $100 trillion will be spent on building net-zero energy infrastructure globally. Yet every single one of these projects runs the risk of higher-than-expected construction costs or time delays. Newer technologies introduced in the past decade, such as hydrogen or geothermal energy, are even more difficult to evaluate as government agencies, energy developers, utilities, investors, and other stakeholders decide which sustainable energy systems are best for future projects. In a new state-of-the-art ...

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Environment

‘Every single species is a unique product of evolution, like a work of art’: how Dr Kit Prendergast champions bees and biodiversity

What inspired you to become a researcher? I’ve always had a passion for nature and biodiversity, ever since I was a child (David Attenborough was, and still is, an inspiration). After completing my Honors project on horse behavior and publishing a review on the role of digging mammals in Australian ecosystems, when it came to conducting my PhD, I knew I wanted to do something that would make a real difference to conserving biodiversity. I love research – unlike many people, I loved to study at university. I always knew I wanted to become a scientist, to advance our knowledge about biodiversity and further ...

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Environment

Efficient hybrid environment expression for look-and-step behavior of bipedal walking

A research paper by scientists at Beijing Institute of Technology proposed an efficient and safe perception method tailored for the look-and-step behavior of bipedal robots. The new research paper, published on Apr. 23 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, provide an efficient method for representing the surrounding environment as a hybrid of feasible planar regions and a heightmap. The method consists of 2 subsystems: feasible planar region extraction and heightmap construction. The look-and-step behavior of biped robots requires quickly extracting planar regions and obstacles with limited computing resources. “The look-and-step behavior is a strategy ...

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Environment

Cover crops may not be solution for both crop yield, carbon sequestration

ITHACA, N.Y. - People have assumed climate change solutions that sequester carbon from the air into soils will also benefit crop yields. But a new study from Cornell University finds that most regenerative farming practices to build soil organic carbon – such as planting cover crops, leaving stems and leaves on the ground and not tilling – actually reduce yields in many situations. The computer model analysis showed that global adoption of such practices to improve soil health can benefit either ...

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Environment

Glaciers will take centuries to recover even if global warming is reversed, scientists warn

New research reveals mountain glaciers across the globe will not recover for centuries – even if human intervention cools the planet back to the 1.5°C limit, having exceeded it. The research, led by the University of Bristol in the UK and the University of Innsbruck in Austria, presents the first global simulations of glacier change up to 2500 under so-called ‘overshoot’ scenarios, when the planet temporarily exceeds the 1.5°C limit up to 3°C before cooling back down. The results, published today in Nature Climate Change, show that such a scenario could result in ...

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Environment

Faced with drought, fertilizer helps grasslands grow strong

Fertilizer might be stronger than we thought. A new international study featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York found that fertilizer can help plants survive short-term periods of extreme drought, findings which could have implications for agriculture and food systems in a world facing climate stressors. “Resources such as nutrients and water have been fundamentally altered by humans on a global scale, and this can disrupt how plants grow,” said Amber Churchill, an assistant professor of ecosystem science at Binghamton University and ...

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Environment

Conservation leaders challenge global economic systems that value ‘dead’ nature over living planet

From cut flowers to felled timber, and from caught fish to butchered meat, we value nature most when it’s dead. But if we can change economic systems and mindsets in support of nature, our planet may start to recover – this is the message from a global team of experts. The authors warn that a lack of an economic and market value for the living natural world has given free rein for the exploitation and destruction of the environment, at a huge cost for animals, plants, Indigenous Peoples, and ultimately, all life on Earth. A forthcoming book, ...

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Environment

Climate change increases severity of obstructive sleep apnea

Session: A109—Smoke, Snooze, and ICU Blues: The Influence of Environmental Exposures and Critical Care Conditions on Sleep Rising Temperatures Are Associated with Increased Burden of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Date and Time: Sunday, May 18, 2025, 2:15 p.m. Location: Room 2022/2024 (West Building, Level 2), Moscone Center ATS 2025, San Francisco – Rising temperatures increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a large new study published at the ATS 2025 International Conference. The study also found that, under the most likely climate ...

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Environment

Study reveals healing the ozone hole helps the Southern Ocean take up carbon

New research suggests that the negative effects of the ozone hole on the carbon uptake of the Southern Ocean are reversible, but only if greenhouse gas emissions rapidly decrease. The study, led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), finds that as the ozone hole heals, its influence on the ocean carbon sink of the Southern Ocean will diminish, while the influence of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will rise. Relative to its area, the Southern Ocean takes up a disproportionate amount of carbon, which reduces the radiative effects of carbon in the atmosphere and strongly mitigates human-caused climate change. Therefore, knowing how much carbon it will absorb, and what controls this ...

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Environment

Predicting e-bus battery performance in cold climates: a breakthrough in sustainable transit

Predicting E-Bus Battery Performance in Cold Climates: A Breakthrough in Sustainable Transit The global push toward sustainable transportation has made electric buses (E-buses) a key solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, their widespread adoption faces challenges, particularly in cold climates where battery efficiency drops significantly. Canada, with its harsh winters, presents a unique case study for optimizing E-bus operations, yet existing energy consumption models perform poorly in such conditions. A new study addresses this gap by developing advanced machine ...

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Environment

Can localized fertilization become a key strategy for green agricultural development?

In agricultural ecosystems, there exists a remarkable heterogeneity in the spatial and temporal distribution of soil nutrients. This heterogeneity can cause the nutrient concentrations that different roots of the same plant are exposed to vary by several orders of magnitude, which undoubtedly poses a great challenge to plant growth. In the face of such a complex soil environment, plants have gradually developed a series of coping strategies during the long evolutionary process. Their roots can keenly sense the nutrient-rich hotspots and make corresponding responses. However, traditional fertilization methods are difficult to precisely meet the needs of plants. They not ...

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Environment

USTC achieves krypton-81 dating of 1-kilogram Antarctic ice

A team led by Prof. Zheng-Tian Lu and Prof. Wei Jiang from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), have developed a novel technique known as All-Optical Atom Trap Trace Analysis. In collaboration with American glaciologists, they have successfully performed krypton-81 dating on 1-kilogram samples of ancient Antarctic ice using this method. This advance provides a powerful new tool for studying paleoclimate changes on million-year timescales. The findings were published in the Nature ...

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Environment

Implications of buy-online-and-assemble-in-store approach for firms, consumers and environment

With the rapid development of digital technology and diversification of consumer needs, companies have adopted the buy-online-and-assemble-in-store (i.e., BOAS) approach to better meet the individual needs of consumers. Through BOAS, consumers can place orders online, pick up the products and enjoy services such as assembly at a physical shop. However, due to uncertain post-processing costs, it remains unclear whether companies would benefit from the use of BOAS. Furthermore, the impacts of BOAS on consumers and the environment are of research interest. In a ...

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Environment

Language a barrier in biodiversity work

A University of Queensland study has shown scientific knowledge on the conservation of endangered species is often overlooked when not presented in English. PhD candidate Kelsey Hannah examined articles about the protection and management of birds, mammals, and amphibians and compared how often those in English and 16 other languages were cited in further work. “The 500 papers in my study were published in peer-reviewed journals and available internationally to people working in conservation,” Ms Hannah said. “Across the board, the non-English language papers had significantly fewer citations. “The English-language articles had a median of 37 citations while the ...

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Environment

Limited evidence for “escalator to extinction” in mountain ecosystems under climate change

Mountain ecosystems may be more resilient to climate change than previously believed, according to a new study, which reports little empirical support for the widely recognized “escalator to extinction.” The findings challenge long-standing assumptions about range shift-driven extinction and instead introduce biotic homogenization as a more immediate concern facing mountain plants and animals. Mountain ecosystems worldwide are undergoing profound change due to rapid climate change. As temperatures increase, species are expected to shift their ranges upslope to take advantage of cooler habitats. However, while mountains offer vertical refuge for species ...

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Environment

Empowering cities to act: The Climate Action Navigator highlights where climate action is most needed

What does a climate-neutral, livable city look like – and what concrete actions can help us get there? The new Climate Action Navigator (CAN) from HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology) offers data-driven answers. This interactive online tool supports cities, NGOs, and community initiatives in identifying and addressing key areas for climate action – scientifically sound, locally adaptable and practical. The tool is funded by the Klaus Tschira Foundation with the aim of harnessing open geodata – such as OpenStreetMap ...

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Environment

The most extreme solar storm hit Earth in 12350 BC, scientists identify

New research uncovers the strongest solar event ever detected — rewriting our understanding of space weather and radiocarbon dating. An international team of scientists has discovered an extreme spike in radiocarbon corresponding to the year 12350 BC during the dusk of the last Ice Age. However, the strength of the event could not be assessed earlier because of the lack of an appropriate model. Presently, it has been identified as the most powerful solar particle storm known to date – a colossal ...

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Environment

Amazon could survive long-term drought but at a high cost

The Amazon rainforest may be able to survive long-term drought caused by climate change, but adjusting to a drier, warmer world would exact a heavy toll, a study suggests. The findings show that adjusting to cope with the effects of climate change could see some parts of the Amazon rainforest lose many of its largest trees. This would release the large amount of carbon stored in these trees to the air, and reduce the rainforest’s immediate capacity to act as an important carbon sink, researchers say. Parts ...

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Environment

New poison dart frog discovered in the Amazon's Juruá River basin is blue with copper-colored legs, and represents one of just two novel Ranitomeya species in a decade

New poison dart frog discovered in the Amazon's Juruá River basin is blue with copper-colored legs, and represents one of just two novel Ranitomeya species in a decade Article URL: https://plos.io/44cYeU2 Article title: A remarkable new blue Ranitomeya species (Anura: Dendrobatidae) with copper metallic legs from open forests of Juruá River Basin, Amazonia Author countries: Brazil, Czech Republic Funding: This study was funded by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM Grant process n° ...

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Environment

Microplastics in Texas bays are being swept out to sea

From tiny pellets to creepy wave-battered baby dolls, the Texas coast is a notable hot spot for plastic debris. But when researchers from The University of Texas at Austin went searching for microplastics in sediments pulled from the bottom of Matagorda Bay and its surrounding inlets, they didn’t find much. Most of their samples contained only tens to hundreds of microplastic particles for each kilogram of sediment. This is hundreds to thousands of times less than other bayside environments around the world. Their findings, which were published in Environmental Science & Technology, suggest that rather than settling at the bottom ...

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Environment

New study shows how ancient climates may inform monsoon prediction

The South Asian Summer Monsoon (SASM) is the world’s most significant monsoon system, providing approximately 80% of the region’s annual rainfall—influencing agriculture, water security, and the livelihoods of over a billion people across the Indian Peninsula, the western Indochina Peninsula, and the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Due to the monsoon’s broad effects on the region, making accurate projections of its dynamics under climate warming is crucial. However, current projections—that SASM rainfall ...

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Environment

New gel could boost coral reef restoration

Coral larvae are picky about where they attach and settle down. One of the ways they decide is by “smelling” chemicals in the water that are associated with healthy reefs. Now, researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Jacobs School of Engineering have developed a gel using nano-particles that slowly release some of coral larvae’s favorite “smells.” When the researchers applied the gel, called SNAP-X, to surfaces in lab experiments it increased coral ...

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Environment

Does adapting to a warmer climate have drawbacks?

Global warming is already very tough for animals in the wild, but it may be toughest for creatures like fish, whose body temperatures are controlled by the water temperatures around them. Fish have to evolve to handle higher water temperatures, if they can’t move to areas with colder water. But what if adapting to warmer water has other unwanted consequences? In a new publication in Nature Climate Change, researchers looked at zebrafish that they had specially bred over 7 generations to tolerate ...

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