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…
Category: Earth Systems
These articles summarize studies that are all about how the planet Earth works!
Magma rapidly rises to Earth’s surface as Africa splits in two
Researchers analyzed timescales preserved in crystal growth zones and found that magma beneath Ethiopia rises dozens of miles to the surface…
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.
Biofertilizers change plants’ natural microbes
Scientists tested how mixtures of plant-growth-promoting bacteria affect the microbial communities of different sunflower varieties for use…
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…
Turning carbon dioxide into fuel with nanostructures
Scientists designed an electrocatalyst infused with bismuth metal that helps convert CO2 to formate, providing a scalable new way to recycle…
Scientists probe plant-based soil cleanup
Researchers tested plant-based soil remediation methods and found that adding beneficial microbes to copper-contaminated soil improved…
The European ant that clones another species
European ant queens can lay eggs of a different species to mate with them and create a separate set of workers. These worker ants may…
Why do deep-sea microbes have such small appetites?
The deep sea is one of Earth’s largest reservoirs of carbon, yet microbes don’t consume very much of it. Researchers showed that this is…
Gases power diverse microbial life in caves
Researchers found that cave-dwelling microbes use atmospheric trace gases like methane and carbon monoxide as sources of energy and carbon.