Planting a billion trees won’t save the climate, however, the right ones might
The appeal of reforestation is almost intuitive. Trees absorb carbon dioxide. The planet has too much carbon dioxide.…
Tardigrades and water reveal potential for food growth on Mars
Tardigrades have a reputation for being nearly indestructible. These microscopic animals, often nicknamed water bears, can dry out…
New platinum-free photocatalyst turns sunlight and water into renewable energy
A small beaker of water can look ordinary. Under the right light, it can also become a quiet…
Fusion reactors may be the key to uncovering dark matter particles
Nuclear fusion is often framed as a future source of clean energy. A new theoretical study is looking…
Global first: Scientists map the microbiome of an entire country
In the mid-1700s, Denmark tried to capture its natural world in ink and copper. Artists and scholars spent…
Ocean storms under Antarctic ice found to rapidly boost melting
Scientists have uncovered a new threat hiding under the floating edges of Antarctica: fast moving, stormlike swirls of…
Melting polar ice supercharges ocean ‘stirring’, threatening marine climate
Polar sea ice is vanishing far faster than most people expected, and the change is not only visible…
Floating power: How scientists are turning raindrops into renewable energy
Often associated with refreshing a sense of being renewed and a peaceful calmness, raindrops may soon become tiny…
Earth’s first life may have been sparked by underwater thermal vents
Before sunlight ever reached the planet, another force may have sparked life—electricity. Deep beneath the ocean floor, ancient…
After 700,000 years, Iran’s dormant Taftan volcano is starting to rise
For decades, the colossal Taftan volcano of eastern Iran appeared a lifeless piece of history. It towered nearly…
Scientists develop reusable air filter that mimics the human nose
Air pollution isn’t always visible, but it affects nearly every breath taken indoors. Floating in the air are…
North American ice sheets drove most of the sea-level rise after the last ice age
When the planet was heating up at the end of the last Ice Age, ice-melt flooded out by…