Cold shocks in a warming ocean affect large marine animals
Researchers identified trends in extreme cold events that can push migratory animals, such as bull sharks, beyond their thermal tolerance…
Category: How does the environment respond to humans?
How do ice sheets melt?
Scientists observed a glacier collapse in Greenland and proposed a new model of how ice sheets melt. Their model describes water as both…
When glaciers retreat, microbes take over
Researchers demonstrated that the first microbes to colonize recently deglaciated soil can extract nutrients from air and rock to survive…
Lithium mining impacts local waters
Researchers found elevated metal concentrations in surface waters and groundwater downstream of lithium-containing hard rock processing…
Upcycling polystyrene with sunlight and sulfur
Researchers in China developed a rapid, solar-driven process that transforms waste polystyrene and excess sulfur into chemicals used in…
Why the 2023 El Niño broke records
Researchers found that the 2023 El Niño event was fueled primarily by heat stored in the ocean rather than in Pacific winds.
Ants struggle to protect host plants under rising temperatures
Scientists found that ants under heat stress were less active, which left their host acacia plants vulnerable to herbivores and other…
Scientists probe plant-based soil cleanup
Researchers tested plant-based soil remediation methods and found that adding beneficial microbes to copper-contaminated soil improved…
Is the most profitable fertilizer level also safe for the environment?
Researchers in the midwestern US measured how much nitrogen corn plants used versus how much remained in the soil, to help farmers maximize…
Nanoplastics could promote Parkinson’s disease
Scientists demonstrated that polystyrene nanoplastics cause proteins associated with Parkinson's disease to accumulate in mice’s brains.