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…
Category: Earth Systems
These articles summarize studies that are all about how the planet Earth works!
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.
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…
Metal-tolerant plants could change the future of mining
Researchers demonstrated that some plant species store high amounts of nickel in their biomass, making them good candidates for metal…
Can 300-year-old Antarctic microbes help us understand climate change?
Researchers demonstrated that microbial DNA from a 300-year-old ice core can help track how microbes respond to global change.
Ice shelf collapse reveals early warning signs of melt
Scientists found that growing fractures caused an East Antarctic ice shelf to collapse.
Carbon feedbacks 56 million years ago similar to today
Geologists simulated the chemistry of Earth's past oceans and atmosphere using mineral data from the ancient seafloor. They found a…
A circular economy for sustainable resources
Scientists proposed a new economic strategy to distribute global rare earth element reserves more sustainably.
How quickly can forests recover from wildfires?
Scientists modeled forest productivity before and after wildfires. They found that plant regrowth depended on the type of biome and how much…
When did freshwater appear on Earth?
Geologists found chemical ratios in ancient minerals that suggested Earth had freshwater 550 million years after it formed.