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Environment - Earth Sciences - 16.01.2025
Thawing permafrost threatens up to three million people in Arctic regions
Thawing permafrost threatens up to three million people in Arctic regions
First comprehensive pan-Arctic study of social impacts of thawing permafrost soils In an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study, an international team led by the University of Vienna and the Danish Technical University/Umea University examined the social risks for Arctic regions associated with thawing permafrost.

Environment - Transport - 16.01.2025
The cost of climate-neutral aviation in the future
The cost of climate-neutral aviation in the future
Flight ticket prices could rise by 50 percent if aviation is made climate-neutral. This is an estimate from a new study by researchers at ETH Zurich. It is based in particular on the use of synthetic fuels. Sustainably produced synthetic fuels burn more cleanly and thus generate less condensation and other climate-warming effects.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 16.01.2025
Early humans adapted to harsh conditions more than a million years ago
Early humans adapted to harsh conditions more than a million years ago
A long-standing question about when archaic members of the genus Homo adapted to harsh environments such as deserts and rainforests has been answered in a new research paper. The study , published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment , finds it was earlier than originally thought. "We reveal how early humans - known as hominins - were able to thrive under harsh conditions," says lead author Dr. Julio Mercader , PhD, a professor in both the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 16.01.2025
The Megadroughts Are Upon Us
The Megadroughts Are Upon Us
Forty-year study: Extreme droughts will become more frequent, severe, and extensive Increasingly common since 1980, persistent multi-year droughts will continue to advance with the warming climate, warns a study from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL), with Professor Francesca Pellicciotti from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) participating.

Environment - Life Sciences - 16.01.2025
New insights about Florida’s most common diving birds
They are two of Florida's most iconic waterbirds, who look and behave similarly. But it turns out the anhinga and the double-crested cormorant are quite different, new research from the University of Miami indicates. While both birds propel themselves forward in the water with their feet, the anhinga and the double-crested cormorant have distinct physiologies and hunting behaviors, said Jeff White, a recent biology doctoral graduate.

Environment - 16.01.2025
Extreme rain heightens E. coli risks for communities of color in Texas
Study: Extreme rainfall disproportionately impacts E. coli concentrations in Texas recreational water bodies (DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv. Nobody wants to share a day on the water with E. coli. The bacteria is a sure sign of fecal contamination, which is washed into waterways from farm fields or sewage systems by rain.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 15.01.2025
Single-celled organisms with superpowers
Single-celled organisms with superpowers
So-called foraminifera are found in all the world's oceans. Now, an international study led by the University of Hamburg has shown that foraminifera are found in all the world's oceans: The mostly shell-bearing microorganisms absorb phosphate from the water to an unprecedented extent, which pollutes the oceans.

Life Sciences - Environment - 15.01.2025
Revealing hidden genetic ties
Revealing hidden genetic ties
News from Understanding biological relationships is often critical when studying animal populations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Freie Universität Berlin have now developed a transformative approach that identifies stretches of DNA that two individuals inherited from a common ancestor.

Earth Sciences - Environment - 15.01.2025
Atlantic circulation stable for decades
Atlantic circulation stable for decades
A study by the University of Bern and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the USA concludes that ocean circulation in the North Atlantic, which includes the Gulf Stream, has not weakened over the past 60 years. These results contradict previous assumptions. We owe the mild climate in Europe to the ocean circulation in the North Atlantic, which not only transports heat northwards from the equator, but also distributes oxygen and nutrients in the ocean.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 15.01.2025
Clouds have a surprising effect on surface warming, McGill climate researchers find
While greenhouse gases continue to cause temperatures to rise, a reduction in low-cloud cover over land serves as a natural brake: study McGill researchers have discovered that changes in clouds are slightly mitigating global warming. While greenhouse gases continue to cause temperatures to rise, a reduction in low-cloud cover over land has brought about a modest reduction of the amount of heat being trapped close to ground level.

Environment - 14.01.2025
Tree crops crucial for sustainable development
Tree crops crucial for sustainable development
Research team emphasize global importance for biodiversity, economy and climate Tree crops - for example, apple, cherry, olives, nuts, coffee, and cacao - cover more than 183 million hectares worldwide, yet remain largely overlooked in agricultural policies, despite their critical role in achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Environment - Earth Sciences - 14.01.2025
Why record temperatures in 2024 come as a surprise to scientists
Why record temperatures in 2024 come as a surprise to scientists
More than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels: that's the average temperature rise measured by climate monitoring agencies for the year 2024.

Innovation - Environment - 14.01.2025
Start-up companies take off here
Start-up companies take off here

Life Sciences - Environment - 14.01.2025
Small plants with big secrets
Small plants with big secrets
Professor Juan Carlos Villarreal believes it's time to pay more attention to so-called inferior plants Two recently published studies by a research team that includes Université Laval's Juan Carlos Villarreal demonstrate that modest, little-known plants can provide valuable fundamental knowledge about the evolution of life on Earth, and inspire innovations that can increase agricultural production.

Chemistry - Environment - 13.01.2025
From CO2 to acetaldehyde: towards greener industrial chemistry
From CO2 to acetaldehyde: towards greener industrial chemistry
Scientists led by EPFL, the University of Copenhagen, and Shanghai University have developed a copper catalyst that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into acetaldehyde, a key chemical used in manufacturing. The breakthrough offers a green alternative to fossil-fuel-based processes. Acetaldehyde is a vital chemical used in making everything from perfumes to plastics.

Environment - Paleontology - 13.01.2025
Apex predators in prehistoric Colombian oceans would have snacked on killer whales today: McGill study  
Researchers uncovered a prehistoric ecosystem teeming with giant marine reptiles, uncovering unmatched food web complexity  Predators at the top of a marine food chain 130 million years ago ruled with more power than any modern species, McGill research into a marine ecosystem from the Cretaceous period revealed.

Environment - Materials Science - 10.01.2025
Sustainable building components create a good indoor climate
Sustainable building components create a good indoor climate
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a climate-friendly covering for walls and ceilings that temporarily stores moisture, creating a comfortable environment in heavily used indoor spaces. The covering components are made of mineral waste materials and are produced by means of 3D printing. Whether it's the meeting room of an office building, the exhibition room of a museum or the waiting area of a government office, many people gather in such places, and quickly the air becomes thick.

Environment - Life Sciences - 09.01.2025
A fungus to save plants?
A fungus to save plants?
The soil fungus "Mortierella alpina" has the potential to make agriculture greener and more sustainable: The fungus produces bioactive molecules called malpinins, which could protect plants from destructive worms. A research team from Jena has now been able to understand and describe their mode of action for the first time.

Environment - 09.01.2025
Roots keep growing in winter
Roots keep growing in winter
When temperatures drop, the trunk and woody roots of trees stop growing. That was what everyone assumed, but research by scientists, led by the University of Antwerp involving WSL, now shows that there is indeed winter activity in wood underground. The underground world of trees is largely unexplored because it is mostly invisible and hard to access without damaging the tree.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 09.01.2025
Interpreting traces of arsenic in rain
Interpreting traces of arsenic in rain
On the Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees, researchers have analysed particulate matter, clouds and rainwater for traces of arsenic. Using newly developed measurement methods, they have elucidated the transport pathways of the environmental toxin in the atmosphere. Arsenic is a trace element that lies just below phosphorus - which is essential for all living organisms - in the periodic table.