Category: Earth Systems

Mining with acid-generating bacteria Sulfuric acid production by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria may be a solution to a long standing mining problem.

Mackenzie Best

Sulfuric acid production by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria may be a solution to a long standing mining problem.

Dying Coral Reefs are Springing Forward with New Life Researchers look at the mix of bacteria that established themselves within damaged coral reefs.

Sarah Watson

Our coral reef ecosystems, often called “underwater rainforests,” are quickly changing. Coral reefs are elaborate and complex ecosystems and even though they make up only a small fraction of the ocean, they contain 25% of all marine life. Reefs are READ MORE

Antibiotic resistance is natural and it is everywhere Researchers have found bacteria with antibiotic resistance genes in Antarctic environments untouched by humans.

Angelica Cave

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health crisis worldwide as bacteria develop the ability to defend themselves against many, sometimes all, of the antibiotics we have at our disposal. Infections caused by these bacteria are often life-threatening. In order to READ MORE

Oxygen, nitrogen, and what happens when biology gets involved How the Great Oxidation Event and photosynthesis created the nitrogen cycle we know today

Sciworthy Staff

When studying Earth’s past, researchers want to understand how nutrients like nitrogen cycled and the impact biology had on them. Scientists rely on ancient rock, soil, fossils, and marine sediment to understand the world that used to be.  Approximately 2.5 READ MORE

Are the Building Blocks of Life From A Hydrothermal Vent? How studying hydrothermal systems gives us a window into our past

Osama Alian

When scientists think of a very early Earth, they think of a hot, hostile place not too long after the birth of the solar system more than 4 billion years ago. This time in the Earth’s history is called the READ MORE

Beyond the grapes: what influences the flavor of different wines? Rocks, microbes and climate all impact the taste of your favorite wine

Mary Sabuda

You sit down at a restaurant and peruse the menu for the best wine to pair with your dinner. Do you choose a red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, or something crisper and lighter like Riesling? Do you choose the cheapest READ MORE

New understanding of an ancient man and his tools The remains of an incredibly well-preserved man and his toolbox taught scientists that specialized labor and trade have been around for thousands of years.

Logan King

During the last days of the summer of 1991, tourists hiking in the Ötztal Alps near the Italy – Austria border found the remains of an incredibly well-preserved man. This man, dubbed Ötzi, was dated back to the “Copper Age”: READ MORE

Ivy Can Protect Buildings from Frost Ivy acts as a thermal blanket for masonry buildings and protects them from damage by frost

Namrata Dave

The UK and Ireland were visited by the Beast from the East in 2018 – freezing Arctic winds that dumped inches of snow and brought down temperatures to nearly fatal levels. Such temperatures are catastrophic for buildings as well, which READ MORE

How Humans Can Influence Evolution of Other Species Scientists recently published an analysis of how humans affect evolution, and why we should care

Sciworthy Staff

by Matthew D’Ambrosio Guest Contributor In biology, evolution is how populations change over time from their common ancestor. This process has been happening on Earth since life first began, over 3.5 billion years ago. Evolution, however; is not driven by one factor, READ MORE