news

About 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the planet, wiping out all non-avian dinosaurs and about 70 percent of all marine species. The huge crater formed in the Gulf of Mexico functioned as a cradle for recovery of marine life enriching the overlying ocean for at least 700,000 years, according to research published today in Nature Communications .

Wealth inequality has been linked to human sustainability for over 10,000 years. That's according to a new study led by Professor Dan Lawrence from our Archaeology department.

Scientists at EPFL have developed a scalable method to produce porous graphene membranes that efficiently separate carbon dioxide. The breakthrough could significantly reduce the cost and footprint of carbon capture technology. Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial emissions is crucial in the fight against climate change.

A novel paper led by Ulrich Brose of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) is widening understanding of how species interact within ecosystems via the so-called ,Internet of Nature'. Published in 'Nature Ecology and Evolution', the paper reveals that species not only exchange matter and energy but also share vital information that influences behaviour, interactions, and ecosystem dynamics - revealing previously hidden characteristics of natural ecosystems.

The preservation of at least some glacier ice in the Tyrolean Alps depends largely on whether the global temperature limit of +1.5 °C is maintained. If the global average temperature rises above this, all glaciers in the region can be expected to disappear completely - many of them within the next few years.

Mediterranean hunter gatherers navigated long-distance sea journeys well before the first farmers To the point Malta reached earlier than previously thought: Researchers have found evidence that hunter-gatherers arrived on the island by boat as early as 8,500 years ago - around 1,000 years before the first farmers.

Isotope analyses of limestone cave deposits reveal recurrent humid intervals in the Saharo-Arabian Desert over the last eight million years. Dripstones reveal: The Saharo-Arabian Desert experienced repeated wetter periods over the past eight million years. Life-friendly desert: Wetter conditions favoured the exchange of mammals between Africa and Eurasia.

Iceberg armadas and altered river courses caused parts of the northern hemisphere to cool rapidly on several occasions Abrupt climate changes: From the peak of the last ice age to the Holocene, the North Atlantic and neighboring regions cooled rapidly again and again, temporarily. Revealing model simulations: Between 20,000 and 13,000 years ago, ice masses breaking off from the ice sheets of the northern hemisphere enriched the North Atlantic with fresh water and weakened the Atlantic overturning circulation (Amoc), which transports heat from the tropics to the north.

The idea that dinosaurs were already in decline before an asteroid wiped most of them out 66 million years ago may be explained by a worsening fossil record from that time rather than a genuine dwindling of dinosaur species, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in  Current Biology , analysed the fossil record of North America in the 18 million years up to the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period (between 66 and 84 million years ago).

After the groundbreaking creation of the first bio-based handbag made from mycelium leather, the Microbiology research group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) expands their research on mycelium-based materials into new product categories. Led by Prof. Eveline Peeters and Prof. Elise Vanden Elsacker, the team explores mycelium, the root structure of fungi, as viable alternative to animal and synthetic leather.

To the point Successful: Birds in the city are less likely to have brown plumage, and those with colorful plumage are more common. Differences between city and countryside: It is usually warmer in cities, there are fewer predators, but there is more artificial light and other background colors Advantages: Camouflage is not as important in the city because there are fewer predators than in nature.

Fast-moving underwater avalanches, known as turbidity currents, are responsible for transporting vast quantities of microplastics into the deep sea, according to new research published today. The findings, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology , show that these powerful flows could be capable of traveling at speeds of up to eight meters per second, carrying plastic waste from the continental shelf to depths of more than 3,200 meters.

A hidden threat facing one of Australia's most iconic birds has been uncovered in a new study led by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and The Australian National University (ANU). The critically endangered regent honeyeater once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but their population has dwindled to fewer than 300.

Missing species show human impact on biodiversity greater than thought A new global study, published yesterday in Nature , shows that in human-disturbed regions, many native plant species are missing from places where they could grow. Traditional methods of measuring biodiversity-such as simply counting species present-do not give a complete picture.

In a study, it wasn't the bravest mice, but rather the shy ones, that proved to be the most persistent tinkerers To the point More successful: Shy mice visited problem-solving tasks more often than their bold counterparts, giving them more chances to succeed. Testing conditions matter: mice performed differently in natural environments compared to laboratory settings - and not always in predictable ways.

To predict toxic algal blooms, researchers from Eawag recommend a combination of species identification and chemical measurements. Now, a new study confirms that there is no magic formula and that, instead, specific indicator molecules are needed for each lake. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can proliferate very rapidly in lakes in the warmer months of the year.

Estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from volcanoes may have been significantly underestimated, according to new research by The University of Manchester. Published in the journal, Science Advances , s cientists have developed an advanced sensor that can detect volcanic gases with rapid speed and precision.

Alcohol in their food increases the production of sex pheromones in male fruit flies, making them more attractive to females A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology has investigated why the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster drinks alcohol and has shown that alcohol has a direct and positive effect on the mating success of male flies.

New research reveals that PET-based glitter microplastics can actively influence biomineralisation processes in marine environments, raising fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impact of microplastic pollution on marine ecosystems. The research, led by a team from Trinity's School of Natural Sciences and published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe , shows that these microplastics promote the crystallisation of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) minerals, potentially affecting the growth and stability of marine calcifying organisms.

New research shows humans were not passive in the transition from forager to farmer; they played an active and crucial role in the transition. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has turned traditional thinking on its head by highlighting the role of human interactions during the shift from hunting and gathering to farming - one of the biggest changes in human history - rather than earlier ideas that focused on environmental factors.