Household energy costs do not hit everyone equally. Some families spend a much larger share of their income keeping the lights and heat on, and that strain adds up over time.



A large national analysis looked at what happens when homes install rooftop solar, and the results point to real relief. The picture is nuanced, and the numbers tell an important story.



<a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/people/sydney-forrester" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sydney P. Forrester</a> of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (<a href="https://www.lbl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LBL</a>) led the analysis. The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48967-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> helps separate hopeful claims from what the data actually show.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solar-panels-and-energy-burden">Solar panels and energy burden</h2>



The term <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/16.%20How%20high%20are%20household%20energy%20burdens_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy burden</a> refers to the share of a household’s gross income that goes to energy bills like electricity, gas, and heating fuel. 



By definition, a high burden begins above 6 percent of income, while a severe burden begins above 10 percent.



Those thresholds matter because a high or severe burden often forces tradeoffs that affect comfort, health, and stability. When energy takes too big a slice of income, it can crowd out essentials and reduce options.



Policymakers use this metric to track equity and target support to households under pressure. Clear definitions help programs focus on the people who need help most.



Cutting energy burden is not only about saving money. It is also about reducing the risk that families have to ration heat or power during unsafe conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-researchers-found">What the researchers found</h2>



The new study examined roughly 500,000 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-panels-could-power-every-home-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. households</a> that adopted rooftop solar. It found that the median energy burden fell from 3.3 percent to 2.6 percent across adopters.



The authors put it plainly, “rooftop solar reduces energy burden across a majority of adopters during our study period from a median of 3.3% to 2.6%,” wrote Forrester. That is a national view, not a single city snapshot.



Low income and moderate income households also saw declines. Median burden dropped from 7.7 percent to 6.2 percent for low income households, and from 4.1 percent to 3.3 percent for moderate income households.



The share of low income households facing high or severe burden fell from 67 percent to 52 percent after adoption. For moderate income households, the share fell from 21 percent to 13 percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solar-panel-results-differ">Solar panel results differ</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-panels-are-1000-times-more-powerful-with-new-tech-breakthrough/">Solar</a> does not play out the same way in every region. The study reports larger average reductions in the West, smaller in the Midwest and Northeast, and increases for the median household in the South due to cheaper electricity that limits bill reductions.



Income levels shape outcomes as well. When energy already costs a high share of income, even moderate bill cuts can matter a lot.



Heating fuel type also influences results. Homes that rely on propane or fuel oil have higher burdens that solar cannot fully offset because those fuels are not displaced by on site generation.



Weather, housing stock, and local tariffs round out the picture. Those details explain why two similar systems in different places can yield very different financial outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-loans-leases-and-the-fine-print">Loans, leases, and the fine print</h2>



There is a difference between what the utility bill shows and what the full budget feels like. The study compared bill savings alone to net savings after including off bill costs like loan or lease payments and incentives.



On bills alone, the median customer saved about 1,987 dollars per year. After counting loans or leases, the median net savings was about 691 dollars per year.



That gap is not a trick, it reflects financing and incentive structures. It also shows why simple bill comparisons can overstate what households actually keep.



The ownership model matters. Lease customers, on average, saw slightly larger percentage point burden reductions than loan financed owners, but they tended to start with higher burdens.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-household-savings-from-solar-panels">Household savings from solar panels</h2>



Solar helps many households, but it is not a magic switch. You still need to look at total costs, incentives, and how your utility credits excess generation through <a href="https://seia.org/net-metering/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">net metering</a> if it applies in your area.



Comparing quotes from vetted installers can lower upfront costs and clarify long term terms. Transparent proposals make it easier to choose a system size and financing plan that fits your usage.



If your home uses natural gas, fuel oil, or propane for heat, solar will not touch those costs directly. You might see bill relief on electricity but still face high heating expenses in winter.



Pairing solar with weatherization and efficient electric heating can change the math. Insulation, air sealing, and heat pumps lower total energy needs, which lowers burden.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-policy-and-equity-angles">Policy and equity angles</h2>



“Policymakers at the federal and state level have begun to incorporate energy burden into equity goals and program evaluations,” wrote Forrester. That framing reflects a shift toward measuring whether programs reduce strain on households.



Results in the South underline a key point. Where electricity is cheap, solar may not reduce bills enough to cover financing costs in the short term, even if burdens remain relatively low.



For households with very high burdens, solar may help but not solve the problem. Pairing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-cells-made-from-moon-dust-work-incredibly-well-providing-hope-for-lunar-colonies/">solar</a> incentives with weatherization and targeted bill assistance can bring burdens below 6 percent.



Data like these help agencies set realistic goals. They also help identify groups that need tailored support, such as households heated by fuel oil or propane.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solar-panels-and-the-future">Solar panels and the future</h2>



The analysis used modeled hourly household loads tied to real homes, which allows coverage of many places but adds uncertainty. That approach is standard when metered data are not available at the needed scale.



Tariff assumptions reflect 2021 conditions and may differ from more recent rate reforms in some states. Changing compensation structures for exported solar can shift household outcomes.



Income estimates came from 2021 data to match the study period. That choice captures the right year for burden calculations but can differ from income at the time of adoption.



Future studies can track newer tariffs, time of use rates, and evolving incentive designs. They can also follow households over time to see how savings hold up across years.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48967-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Solar panels save families an average of $2,000 a year, according to a new study

Household energy costs do not hit everyone equally. Some families spend a much larger share of their income keeping the lights and heat on, and that strain adds up over time. A large national analysis looked at what happens when homes install rooftop solar, and the results point to real relief. The picture is nuanced, and the numbers tell an important story. Sydney P. Forrester of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) led the analysis. The work helps separate hopeful claims from what the data actually show. Solar...

We talk a lot about plastic pollution. We picture oceans full of bottles and fish swimming through bags. But plastic isn't just an environmental problem - it's becoming a health problem too. And most people don’t know it.



A new Lancet Health Policy review calls for change by highlighting how plastics harm people - not just the planet. The authors argue that human health must be a central focus as the UN finalizes its global plastics treaty.



The review also introduces a new <a href="https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-5.2">project</a>, the Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics, which will track how plastic affects our bodies at every stage of its life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-risks-start-at-the-factory">Health risks start at the factory</h2>



Plastic starts causing harm long before it reaches <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/landfills-emit-exorbitant-amount-methane-into-atmosphere/">landfills</a>. The damage begins during production. Plastics are not just an environmental issue - they are a profound public health concern.



Factories release dangerous particles and chemicals like PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. These float into the air and settle into the lungs of workers and nearby residents. Many people breathe these every day without knowing.



One of the biggest issues is that no one is sure what’s in all this plastic. Many of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-dust-is-making-indoor-air-more-polluted-than-outside/">chemicals</a> used don’t show up in public records. Scientists don’t know what they do to the human body. That’s a big issue when plastic use is growing fast and shows no sign of slowing down.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-s-toxic-second-life">Plastic’s toxic second life</h2>



When a plastic bag or bottle is tossed out, it often doesn’t get recycled. In many places, it’s burned in open fires. Around 57 percent of unmanaged plastic waste ends up this way, releasing harmful smoke and adding to air pollution in low- and middle-income countries.



Burning plastic releases toxic smoke. People nearby breathe that in, especially children and older adults. This kind of exposure builds up over time. It can trigger lung diseases, heart problems, and more.



Plastic also becomes a disease carrier. Mosquitoes lay eggs in containers, and harmful microbes grow on plastic surfaces. Both spread illness. Add poor waste systems, and the problem gets worse quickly. You’re not just dealing with garbage - you’re dealing with public health emergencies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microplastic-exposure-is-a-health-concern">Microplastic exposure is a health concern</h2>



Microplastics are plastic bits smaller than a grain of rice. You can’t see them, but they’re almost everywhere - in food, water, and even inside people.



“Microplastics have been reported in human tissues and body fluids, and while further research is needed to understand the relationship with potential health impacts, a precautionary approach is warranted,” the authors note.



That means we shouldn't wait for perfect proof. If <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-think-their-biotech-breakthrough-could-end-plastic-waste-forever/">microplastics</a> are showing up in blood or organs, we should act now. Waiting could mean letting the problem grow.



Researchers are racing to find out what microplastics do inside the body. Do they inflame tissues? Do they mess with hormones? No one knows for sure yet. But early signs say we should take this seriously.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-the-health-impacts-of-plastic">Tracking the health impacts of plastic</h2>



To make sense of the data, the&nbsp;Lancet&nbsp;team has launched a tracking system: the Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics.



The Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics, inspired by the Health and Climate Change Countdown, will track key indicators showing how plastics and their chemicals affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-from-plastic-bottles-raises-your-blood-pressure/">human health</a> throughout their entire life cycle.



In short, it will follow how plastic affects people from factory to trash heap. The first full report comes out in 2026. Until then, the team will collect health data linked to plastic exposure, use, and waste. They want to give world leaders a tool to act - not just guess.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-treaty-must-protect-human-health">Plastic treaty must protect human health</h2>



We’re close to having a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-treaty-is-a-historic-opportunity-to-stop-a-human-health-crisis/">global agreement</a> on plastic, but it won’t be effective if it overlooks human health. 



The message is clear. Plastic isn’t just a beach problem. It’s in our food, our lungs, and maybe even our bloodstream. The new treaty must address plastic like the emergency it is.



"Plastics are a grave, growing, and under-recognized danger to human and planetary health," the experts wrote.



"Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1·5 trillion annually. These impacts fall disproportionately upon low-income and at-risk populations."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01447-3/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet</a>.



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Plastic pollution is harming our health, not just the planet

We talk a lot about plastic pollution. We picture oceans...

Forest ecologists have known for decades that mixing many kinds of trees generally makes woodlands healthier and more resilient. Yet field studies have not always agreed on how strongly that diversity effect shows up in different climates.



A globe-spanning analysis led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a> now clarifies the picture: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-can-accurately-perceive-biodiversity-through-the-senses/">biodiversity</a> gives trees a noticeable growth boost almost everywhere, but the advantage is far larger in forests that receive plenty of rain.



“Diversity matters everywhere we look. But in our experiments, we see it matters more in the wetter climates,” said Peter Reich, director of the <a href="https://seas.umich.edu/globalchangebiology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institute for Global Change Biology</a> at Michigan and senior author of the new study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forest-trials-across-continents">Forest trials across continents</h2>



The project tapped the Tree Diversity Network, a consortium of long-term “outdoor laboratories” where researchers plant seedlings in carefully designed mixtures and monitor them year after year.



For this paper, the team drew on 15 sites spread from temperate Minnesota to subtropical China and Mediterranean Spain. In all, they followed about 100,000 individual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-are-part-of-the-climate-solution-but-not-the-whole-answer/">trees</a> representing nearly 130 species.



At each site, the scientists recorded which species surrounded every single trunk rather than averaging diversity across a whole plot. That fine-scale approach revealed subtle neighborhood effects that previous broad-brush analyses missed.



"We find a tree growth boost in diverse tree neighborhoods with different species and functional traits - for example, specific leaf area and wood density," explained postdoctoral fellow Liting Zheng, first author of the paper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wet-forests-gain-the-most">Wet forests gain the most</h2>



When the team compared growth rates across climates, a clear pattern emerged. 



In forests where annual precipitation is high - places ranging from the Upper Midwest and New England to parts of northern Europe - individuals growing in species-rich neighborhoods gained substantially more wood each year. 



Their counterparts surrounded by just one or two species saw much lower growth. The effect weakened, and in some cases disappeared, in drier sites where water limits productivity.



The implication for restoration projects is straightforward. “If you’re thinking of restoring or regrowing, it makes a lot of sense to plant diverse trees, especially in wetter areas,” Reich said.



That “wet” label is broader than many people assume; by the study’s criterion, Michigan’s hardwood forests qualify just as much as a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-amazon-rainforest-is-approaching-widespread-collapse/">rainforest</a> in Panama.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extreme-weather-dulls-the-effect">Extreme weather dulls the effect</h2>



The researchers also compared wet and dry years within the same forests. Surprisingly, the diversity benefits all but vanished during unusually rainy years at already-wet forest sites. To Reich, that nuance matters for land-management planning.



“Diversity appears to be better suited for the average condition, which matters for management," he said.



"There’s thinking that biodiversity is really going to help you when you have those extreme years … but in our data this was not the case.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mixing-species-boosts-growth">Mixing species boosts growth</h2>



Ecologists offer several explanations for the wetter-is-better pattern. In moist climates, light and nutrients - rather than water - limit growth.



Different species often excel at capturing those resources at different heights or seasons, so mixing them lets stands use sunlight and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-soil-day-2024-protecting-our-planets-lifeline/">soil</a> nutrients more completely. Where rain is scarce, however, all species are constrained by the same shortage, leaving less room for “complementarity” to operate.



Those mechanics have immediate relevance for climate-smart forestry. Fast-growing stands sequester more carbon; stable stands resist pests and windthrow.



Knowing where extra species will pay the biggest dividends helps agencies and private owners target limited replanting budgets. It also highlights the risk of losing diversity in humid regions, as invasive pests, shifting land use, or single-species plantations simplify forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watching-forests-over-time">Watching forests over time</h2>



Because the experimental plantings are young - between four and 14 years old - the authors caution against extrapolating to century-old forests without more data. Still, Reich sees no obvious reason why the basic pattern would reverse as canopies mature.



The team plans to keep monitoring the same plots for decades, turning today’s snapshot into a moving picture of forest dynamics.



Meanwhile the message for managers is already clear. Where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rainfall-is-increasingly-unpredictable-due-to-climate-change/">rainfall</a> is generous, every extra species in a planting plan represents not just a hedge against future uncertainty but an immediate gain in wood volume and ecological function.



In drier zones, diversity remains valuable for reasons such as disease resistance and wildlife habitat, but the growth payoff will likely be smaller.



“This provides a more nuanced insight into how biodiversity works in different environments,” Reich concluded. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02805-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Tree growth thrives on diversity - especially in wet forests

Forest ecologists have known for decades that mixing many kinds...

Old phones, spent fluorescent bulbs, and other cast off gadgets pile up worldwide, even though many of them contain small but precious amounts of rare earth elements such as europium. In the European Union, less than 1 percent of these metals are recycled each year. 



Meanwhile China refines about 90 percent of the global supply of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/europium" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">processed rare earths</a>, giving it enormous leverage over clean energy supply chains 



A new study from <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ETH Zurich</a> has introduced a fast and efficient way to recover the rare earth metal europium from old electronic waste, using a simple sulfur-based compound.&nbsp;



The research highlights a low-cost and environmentally friendly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electronic-waste-is-growing-five-times-faster-than-recycling/">recycling method</a> that could significantly improve how rare earth elements are recovered from discarded fluorescent lamps and other devices. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-europium-in-old-gadgets">Europium in old gadgets</h2>



The idea comes from <a href="https://chab.ethz.ch/en/research/institutes/LAC/people/people-details.MjQ0NjM4.TGlzdC8xNzI4LDIwNDE5NDg0MDY=.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marie Perrin</a>, a doctoral chemist at ETH Zurich, who discovered a shortcut for prying europium out of discarded fluorescent lamps. 



Her tweak replaces the hundred plus solvent extractions usually needed for the job with one quick reaction.



“Rare earth metals are hardly ever recycled in Europe,” noted <a href="https://chab.ethz.ch/en/research/faculty/person-detail.vmougel.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Victor Mougel</a>, professor of inorganic chemistry at ETH Zurich. 



That scarcity of recycling pushed his group to find a method that can run in an ordinary lab flask instead of a chemical factory.



Most bulbs that light Swiss basements still contain phosphor powder whose rare earth content is about 17 times richer than the best natural ores. 



Recovering those metals locally would turn what is now shipped abroad for disposal into a home grown resource.



When the researchers tested their system on crushed lamps, they pulled out nearly all the europium in a single pass. They did it without first roasting or acid leaching the powder that usually gums up recycling plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-sulfur-atoms-come-to-the-rescue">How sulfur atoms come to the rescue</h2>



Perrin’s secret weapon is a yellow powder made of sulfur and tungsten that works like a metal magnet. It gives europium a little electrical nudge that changes its charge, making it easier to pull out of the mix.



That little flip matters because the divalent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasas-new-superalloy-metal-grx-810-revolutionize-aerospace/">metal</a> does not like to stay dissolved, so it crashes out of solution as a solid coordination polymer. The precipitate can then be scooped off with a filter in minutes.



“This allows us to obtain europium in a few simple steps and in quantities that are at least 50 times higher than with previous separation methods,” explained Marie Perrin, the study’s lead author. The reaction works under room light or with mild heating instead of ultraviolet lamps.



What makes this powder work so well is how its sulfur parts shift electrons around inside the molecule. 



One part gives up an electron, while another part passes one along to europium, helping it change form. This clever handoff replaces the need for strong and harmful chemicals usually used in the process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-skipping-the-chemical-obstacle-course">Skipping the chemical obstacle course</h2>



Traditional rare earth refineries rely on a chain of liquid extractions that can number well over 100 stages. Each stage uses acids, kerosene, and electricity, driving both cost and emissions.



In comparison, the ETH Zurich method pulls europium out over a thousand times better than similar metals like yttrium, all in one simple step. 



It works far better than current industry methods and leaves behind almost no europium in the leftover mix.



Cutting process steps slashes energy use and shrinks the footprint of future <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-scientists-are-using-air-to-recycle-plastic/">recycling</a> plants. It also helps that the only specialty reagent, tetrathiometallate, can be washed free and reused.



Because the only by-product is a small amount of oxalate, the team calculates that the new process cuts greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent compared with ore mining. That reduction matters to manufacturers facing tighter carbon accounting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-electronic-trash-turns-local-treasure">Electronic trash turns local treasure</h2>



Europe discards millions of compact fluorescent lamps each year even though their sales have fallen sharply. Sending the powder abroad for landfill wastes the phosphors and punts the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-trash-to-treasure-e-waste-is-a-literal-gold-mine/">environmental cost</a> elsewhere.



In Switzerland alone, the lamp waste now marked for export could supply all domestic demand for europium if it were processed onshore. 



Local recovery would also sidestep the geopolitical risks tied to China’s near total dominance of refined <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-hunt-for-rare-earth-elements-is-underway/">rare earths</a>.



Globally, the mountain of electronic trash reached 62 million metric tons in 2022, and it is on track to top 82 million by 2030. 



Shaving just a slice of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/turning-trash-into-treasure-scientists-are-safely-extracting-gold-from-e-waste/">valuable metals</a> out of that torrent could pay for cleaner disposal of everything else.



Perrin and Mougel have already started a spin off called <a href="https://www.reecover.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">REEcover</a> to move the process from bench beakers to pilot scale. 



Their first goal is a compact unit that handles worn out bulbs, but they are eyeing magnets rich in neodymium and dysprosium next.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-closing-the-loop-on-chemicals">Closing the loop on chemicals</h2>



After the europium drops out, engineers dissolve it briefly in water and oxalate to strip the sulfur complex. Heating that slurry turns it into europium oxide ready for new phosphors or specialty magnets.



Meanwhile the sulfur tungsten ligand regains its yellow color and can be recycled almost indefinitely. Keeping both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lanthanides-common-metal-in-plant-fertilizer-key-to-boosting-global-crop-food-supplies/">metal</a> and reagent in circulation fits neatly into the circular economy targets that regulators are drafting across Europe.



Bench tests show the ligand loses less than 5 percent activity after ten cycles, and the spent solution contains trace tungsten that can be recovered by simple crystallization. 



That durability answers one of the biggest criticisms of reagent based recycling schemes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next</h2>



If the chemistry can be tuned for those other metals, it could shore up supplies essential for wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. The <a href="https://www.iea.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Energy Agency</a> projects that rare earth demand could rise three to sevenfold by 2040.



Scaling up will require engineering work on solvent handling and ligand recycling, but the basic reaction has already passed an economic reality check at lab scale. 



No expensive inert atmosphere was needed and the reagent is stable enough to ship as a dry powder.



Investors have noticed the simplicity, and the team expects to raise seed funding once patents clear. If they succeed, the yellow powder from an academic lab may soon show up in the back rooms of recycling centers around the world.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48733-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Quick and easy way to extract valuable materials from old tech devices

Old phones, spent fluorescent bulbs, and other cast off gadgets...

The first thing every textbook says about solar power is that light knocks electrons loose. But inside ultrathin chips just a few atoms thick, those electrons face a complex landscape of heat, boundaries, and materials that defy the rules of ordinary semiconductors.



Now, thanks to Ming Liu and Ruoxue Yan at UC Riverside’s <a href="https://www.engr.ucr.edu/">Bourns College of Engineering</a>, scientists can finally watch that chaotic electron dance play out in three dimensions.



The team's new imaging technique reveals exactly where those electrons go - and how much their journey is driven by heat, not just light.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-competing-currents-in-solar-chips">Competing currents in solar chips</h2>



The photovoltaic effect converts photons into current by freeing electrons inside a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/physicists-succeed-in-converting-light-into-a-supersolid-that-flows-like-a-liquid/">semiconductor</a>. Those electrons drift toward metal contacts, creating the power that runs a rooftop array.



An equally important process - the photothermoelectric effect - occurs when light heats the charge carriers themselves, causing them to rush toward cooler regions instead of the nearest wire. In single-layer molybdenum disulfide, that heat-driven push can dominate.



“Before now, we knew both effects were happening, but we couldn’t see how much each one contributed or how they were spatially distributed,” said Liu.



Because the two effects pull charges in opposite directions, device engineers struggle to know which one dominates in a given pixel or junction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-electricity-really-forms">Where electricity really forms</h2>



Liu’s team used a special microscope that focuses laser light through a tiny tip, narrowing the beam to just a few billionths of a meter. 



The researchers scanned this tip across the surface of an ultrathin chip made of metal and a light-sensitive material to see where and how electricity was being generated.



By moving the tip closer and farther from the surface and analyzing how the signal changed, they could separate two different types of current. The sharp changes came from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-panels-are-1000-times-more-powerful-with-new-tech-breakthrough/">photovoltaic effec</a>t, while the slower, more stable ones came from heat-driven movement.



The final map showed a narrow line of photovoltaic current near the edge where the metal and semiconductor met. But the heat-driven current reached much farther into the chip, spreading over an area much wider than scientists expected.



This goes against the conventional wisdom. The observation explains why earlier devices sometimes delivered less power than their simulated band diagrams predicted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thin-layer-redirects-solar-heat">Thin layer redirects solar heat</h2>



To see if they could control how heat moves through the chip, the team added an extra layer just a few atoms thick. This hexagonal boron nitride layer spread heat sideways, preventing it from building up in one spot.



That smoother heat flow lined up better with parts of the chip that respond strongly to temperature changes. As a result, the chip produced even more electric current from heat than before.



In the covered region, the photothermoelectric current more than tripled, even though the absolute temperature rise fell. The uncovered half, by contrast, showed a skinny hot spot and a much weaker signal.



Because the boron nitride sheet is only a few atoms thick, it barely alters the device’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-electric-field-discovered-surrounding-earth-nasa-says-its-as-crucial-as-gravity/">electric field</a>. The boost therefore comes almost entirely from thermal routing, a design knob that traditional photodiodes have ignored.



“The idea that we can fine-tune a photodetector’s performance using heat flow is really exciting,” Liu said. With the microscope acting as both thermometer and ammeter, designers can now visualize the effect of every added layer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-joins-the-solar-toolbox">Heat joins the solar toolbox</h2>



Being able to untangle heat-driven and photon-driven currents at the nanoscale gives researchers a rare chance to rethink how they build optoelectronic circuits.



Engineers can now match material properties with specific effects, boosting sensitivity in detectors or minimizing waste in energy-harvesting systems.



For example, engineers building <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-camera-technology-lets-us-see-colors-of-the-world-through-the-eyes-of-animals/">infrared cameras</a> or medical sensors could boost heat-based current by adding materials that spread heat more evenly.



But in other cases - like in tiny quantum devices - designers might want to keep the heat more focused to get sharper results in specific areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-solar-from-heat-maps">Better solar from heat maps</h2>



Smartphones rely on nanoscale photodetectors to translate laser pulses in fiber-optic cables into data. As channels shrink, the heat generated by absorbed light becomes harder to dump, so balancing photovoltaic and photothermoelectric forces grows critical.



Solar researchers, meanwhile, are hunting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-solar-panels-rain/">hybrid panels</a> that harvest both light and heat. Mapping where the two currents help or hinder each other could guide better device layouts. That, in turn, might squeeze a few extra percentage points of efficiency from ultrathin cells.



Ultrathin materials could be used to make flexible, see-through sensors for things like health trackers or self-driving cars. 



The new microscope technique reveals how tiny flaws - like cracks or rough edges - impact a material’s ability to generate electricity, helping engineers catch issues early in the manufacturing process.



Finally, the study hints at basic science questions: Why do depleted regions in 2D materials stretch so far, and how does that length scale with carrier density? 



The answers may improve models of quantum-scale thermoelectric devices or lead to smarter algorithms for managing hot carriers in materials like perovskites.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adv7614" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Heat meets light: A new way to supercharge solar power

The first thing every textbook says about solar power is...

Forests act like natural storage units for carbon. Trees soak it up and hold it in their trunks, branches, roots, and leaves. But this ability to store carbon isn’t fixed. Climate shifts and human activity can throw it off balance. What’s happening in one forest might not match what’s going on in another. 



That’s why scientists need a consistent, long-term way to track how forest biomass is changing over time.



That’s exactly what researchers from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) have been working on. In a recent study, they used a satellite originally designed to measure soil moisture and ocean salinity to estimate forest biomass over a 15-year period. The key data point they used? Something called vegetation optical depth, or VOD.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soil-satellite-spots-forest-trends">Soil satellite spots forest trends</h2>



Launched in 2009, ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was never designed to track forests. Its main tool - the Microwave Imaging Radiometer - was supposed to map <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-soil-moisture-can-predict-severe-storms/">soil moisture</a> on land and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-induced-changes-in-ocean-salinity-threaten-biodiversity-and-marine-ecosystems/">salinity</a> in oceans.



But over time, scientists noticed something else. The radiometer was also picking up signals from vegetation.



The VOD measurement from SMOS tells us how much vegetation is in the way of the microwave signal. In simple terms, the denser and wetter the vegetation, the more the signal gets blocked. 



That’s why VOD can be used to estimate how much biomass is above ground. This includes both dry material like trunks and branches, and water stored in leaves and stems.



“SMOS is able to detect how the microwave radiation signal from its instrument gets weaker when it passes through vegetation,” said Matthias Drusch, Land Surfaces Principal Scientist at ESA. “That tells us about total mass: dry biomass plus water content. It’s not direct, but it’s very useful.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unraveling-forest-satellite-data">Unraveling forest satellite data</h2>



Tracking VOD over time gives a picture of what’s happening in forests across the globe, but making sense of it isn’t always easy.



“Over the SMOS time series, you can spot major trends - big <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-now-the-driving-force-behind-droughts/">droughts</a>, floods, or shifts in vegetation structure - but interpreting them isn’t always straightforward,” said Klaus Scipal, SMOS and Biomass Mission Manager at ESA. “Because the signal includes both biomass and water, we need to be cautious about what we’re actually seeing.”



That’s where long-term analysis and ground data come in. Paul Vermunt, a scientist from the University of Twente in the Netherlands, emphasized this point.



“You need long time-series, but also a way to interpret them,” he said. “That’s why we’re combining satellite data with on-the-ground measurements."



"The idea is to link what we see from space with what’s happening inside forests and even individual trees.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biomass-adds-fine-detail">Biomass adds fine detail</h2>



In April of this year, ESA launched another satellite called Biomass. This one is equipped with a radar that uses longer radio waves than SMOS. While SMOS works in the L-band, Biomass operates in the P-band. 



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biomass-satellite-mission-sends-first-images-of-earths-most-extreme-environments/">Biomass</a> gives us detailed structural data, especially in the tropics,” said Drusch. “But it doesn’t cover the globe and lacks a long time record. If we want maps without gaps, we have to combine multiple satellites - and that’s only possible if we understand the uncertainties in each.”



Scipal added, “Biomass has a much finer resolution than SMOS, so it helps us zoom in on the structural details. But to see long-term trends, you still need SMOS. Together, they tell us more than either one alone.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-forests-across-decades">Tracking forests across decades</h2>



The SMOS dataset now spans from 2011 to 2025 and provides consistent global observations. That’s invaluable for tracking how forests are responding to climate change and human pressures. 



When paired with the more detailed view from Biomass, scientists can monitor both the big picture and the small shifts happening inside <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-rich-tree-diversity-adapt-better-changing-climate/">forest ecosystems</a>.



“SMOS allows us to look on long-term trends on a global scale - and Biomass is now zooming in on spatial details and specifically at structural changes in the canopy,” said Scipal.



The findings from the SMOS study also line up well with other climate monitoring datasets, including those from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative. With more satellites coming online and better tools to interpret their data, researchers are building a stronger, clearer picture of the world's forests - and how they’re changing.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/1101/2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth System Science Data</a>.



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Satellites capture dramatic shifts in Earth's forests

Forests act like natural storage units for carbon. Trees soak...

Terrestrial vegetation has been the foundation of food webs and a crucial ally in climate regulation for eons. From 2003 to 2021, that green land engine began to outpace its blue counterpart.



A new analysis draws on six independent satellite data sets to show that land plants increased their net primary production by roughly 0.2 billion metric tons of carbon each year. In contrast, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-forest-of-phytoplankton-thrives-in-a-warming-climate/">marine phytoplankton</a> lost about half that amount.



The bottom line, write Yulong Zhang and colleagues from <a href="https://duke.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Duke University</a>, is that global photosynthesis still crept upward - just not everywhere, and not for the same reasons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-land-surge-in-net-primary-production">Land surge in net primary production </h2>



Because satellites can detect the chlorophyll pigments that make leaves and plankton appear green, researchers can turn those brightness maps into estimates of carbon fixed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/revealing-the-secrets-of-photosynthesis-through-pep/">photosynthesis</a>.



For this study, the team blended three terrestrial and three marine products, covering nearly two decades. They then traced the annual ups and downs in each realm.



The land situation stood out immediately. “The shift toward greater primary production on land mainly stemmed from plants in higher latitudes, where warming has extended growing seasons and created more favorable temperatures,” explained study co-author Wenhong Li.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forests-thrive-oceans-decline">Forests thrive, oceans decline</h2>



In addition, temperate zones benefited from “local wetting in some areas, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-will-struggle-without-winter-snow/">forest</a> expansion, and cropland intensification.” These gains more than compensated for a stubborn patch of stagnation across tropical South America.



Ocean productivity told a different story. “Rising <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-are-substantially-changing-the-seasons-of-the-ocean/">sea surface temperatures</a> likely reduced primary production by phytoplankton in tropical and subtropical regions,” said Nicolas Cassar, senior scientist on the project.



Warmer surface layers, he noted, form a cap that suppresses the turbulent mixing needed to replenish nutrients in sun-lit waters. The result, ocean productivity declined by roughly 0.1 billion tons of carbon per year, with the Pacific basin leading the retreat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-carbon-tied-to-climate">Ocean carbon tied to climate</h2>



Although land plants dominated the long-term trend, oceans dictated much of the year-to-year variability.



“We observed that ocean primary production responds much more strongly to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-climate-shifts-date-back-250-million-years/">El Niño</a> and La Niña than land primary production,” said study co-author Shineng Hu.



Indeed, a trio of La Niña events after 2015 temporarily reversed the downward slope in marine photosynthesis. This underlines how tightly plankton communities are lashed to climate oscillations.



The researchers parsed several environmental drivers - light, temperatures, precipitation, and mixed-layer depth - to understand why land and sea diverged. Their conclusion was that warming (and, in some places, wetter conditions) favored northern forests and fields. Meanwhile, the same warming starved tropical waters of nutrients.



“Whether the decline in ocean primary production will continue - and how long and to what extent increases on land can make up for those losses - remains a key unanswered question," noted Zhang. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-losses-threaten-biodiversity">Ocean losses threaten biodiversity</h2>



Photosynthetic organisms not only fuel ecosystems; they also shape the planet’s carbon balance. Terrestrial plants, boosted by longer growing seasons and human land management, currently outweigh the losses at sea, but the margin is slim.



Should ocean productivity continue to sag, tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protected-areas-dont-always-protect-food-webs/">food webs</a> - already strained - could fray further, jeopardizing fisheries and weakening a major carbon sink. 



As the authors caution, declines in plankton and stagnation on tropical land can weaken the foundation of tropical food webs. This will have cascading effects on biodiversity, fisheries, and local economies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-net-primary-production">Monitoring net primary production </h2>



The synthesis highlights the need for an integrated monitoring network that treats forests and phytoplankton as parts of one global engine.



“If you’re looking at planetary health, you want to look at both terrestrial and marine domains for an integrated view of net primary production,” Cassar emphasized.



Many of the foundational studies that stitched land and sea together are now more than two decades old. Updating that picture is urgent as climate patterns shift.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-fight-shifts-from-ocean-to-land">Carbon fight shifts from ocean to land</h2>



Net primary production, the authors argue, is effectively Earth’s scoreboard for life. It registers how much solar energy is converted into the organic matter that nourishes everything else.



According to Zhang, net primary production is the amount of energy photosynthetic organisms capture and make available to support nearly all other life in an ecosystem. That metric shows if the biosphere is gaining or losing ground in sequestering atmospheric carbon.



For now, an energetic Northern Hemisphere offsets a flagging equatorial ocean. But the equilibrium is delicate, and the drivers - temperature, rainfall, nutrient mixing - are changing fast.



“Long-term, coordinated monitoring of both land and ocean ecosystems as integrated components of Earth is essential," concluded Zhang. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02375-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Climate Change</a>.



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Oceans lag behind forests in Earth’s carbon fight

Terrestrial vegetation has been the foundation of food webs and...

What if your own home became a health hazard every summer? As heat waves grow longer, hotter, and deadlier, aging individuals, especially those living alone, are finding it harder to stay safe inside homes that were never built for such extremes.



But what exactly is making their homes unsafe? In a recent study, conducted in the Basque Country, Spain, researchers examined how older adults who were living independently experienced heat waves. The team also identified the key factors that make houses unsafe in extreme heat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-older-people-experience-heat-waves">How older people experience heat waves</h2>



Standard environmental tools that measure thermal comfort may not fully capture the complexities of how older people experience intense heat throughout the day.



Thus, there is a need for non-intrusive and context-sensitive methods to capture both the physical and emotional sides of heat discomfort in the older population.



The researchers, including study lead author Urtza Uriarte-Otazua, examined the impact of heat waves on independently living <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/older-adults-climate-fears-surge-after-extreme-weather/">older individuals</a> in two different types of housing environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-waves-and-housing-features">Heat waves and housing features</h2>



The team combined on-site monitoring, interviews, and user surveys to understand how older individuals coped with the 2022 heat waves in two separate dwellings. One dwelling was in a typical urban setting and the other was in a small village in a peri-urban environment.



The researchers examined the impact of building features, such as accessibility, passive cooling capacity, and adaptability, on the resilience and vulnerability of the aging residents during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-has-made-heatwaves-more-deadly/">extreme heat conditions</a>.



The study highlighted that heat risks are complex, and tailored solutions are required to improve the thermal comfort and well-being of aging individuals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-older-adults-at-risk-during-heat-waves">Older adults at risk during heat waves</h2>



The results showed that living alone and staying in hot indoor spaces with elevated temperatures were some of the risk factors affecting the older population. In addition, age-related physiological decline, chronic health conditions, and social isolation reduce the ability of older people to cope with the extreme heat.



In the study area, a significant proportion of older people lived alone. Furthermore, they often lived in older houses that lacked proper thermal insulation, mechanical cooling systems and shading.&nbsp;



The research team found that 30 percent of multi-story residential buildings in the Basque region have no elevators, meaning that older residents must walk up and down stairs to access their apartments. This particularly affected those living on upper floors, and also limited their access to cooler spaces.



Many urban and peri-urban homes built before 1980 do not meet modern energy efficiency standards. Even in modern buildings, like <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/nearly-zero-energy-building" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nZEBs</a> (nearly zero-energy buildings), excessive airtightness or sunlight can lead to indoor overheating when passive cooling is not properly applied.



With increased frequency and prolonged heat waves, it is vital to make homes cool to safeguard the health of the aging residents.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-southern-europe-faces-heat-wave-threats">Southern Europe faces heat wave threats</h2>



The situation in the Basque Country is not unique. Heat waves are becoming more intense, frequent, and prolonged in many other parts of the world, including Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula.



According to the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPCC</a>'s (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) sixth assessment report, temperatures in Europe will continue to rise faster than the global average. Since the 1980s, the number of heat waves per decade has more than doubled in Spain.



Due to the <a href="https://climatekids.nasa.gov/heat-islands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UHI</a> (Urban Heat Island) effect, extreme heat especially impacts urban areas. Heat stress poses serious health risks, particularly for aging individuals. With heat waves becoming a deadly threat, their recognition as a public health issue has never been more urgent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-policy-changes-to-safeguard-older-adults">Policy changes to safeguard older adults</h2>



The architectural gaps, when combined with social vulnerabilities, point to an urgent need for structural and policy-level interventions.



Although heat wave patterns, like frequency and intensity, are well studied, researchers have paid less attention to how the features of houses and buildings affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-countries-most-at-risk-from-extreme-heat/">heat risk</a> for older people in their daily lives.



Targeted, heat-resilient housing strategies need to prioritize the aging population. Houses built before the 1980s need to be upgraded with passive cooling features such as night <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/viruses-can-linger-for-hours-in-areas-with-poor-ventilation/">ventilation</a>, cross-ventilation, and external shading systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-support-for-vulnerable-adults">Future support for vulnerable adults</h2>



The government could provide financial support to install elevators in multi-storey buildings where older people live without mobility alternatives. Municipal authorities could establish programs that offer transport and access to local cooling centers during heat waves.



Housing assessments should also include social and emotional indicators, like validated loneliness scales. These steps may improve both heat safety and social support for vulnerable adults, thus potentially enhancing their physical and mental well-being.



With the right approach, it is possible to turn houses into true homes - places of safety and comfort for older adults - even during extreme heat. This is the vision for an inclusive and resilient future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/13/2274">Buildings</a>.



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Older adults may not be safe from heat waves, even inside their homes

What if your own home became a health hazard every...

It’s common knowledge that plants need water to survive, but what’s less obvious is how differently they manage it. From forests to grasslands, plants have developed remarkably varied strategies to cope with water stress.



Some plants burn through water like there’s no tomorrow. Others ration it carefully. The kapok trees of the Amazon have different tactics than the tough grasses on the American plains. 



But until now, scientists had no easy way to compare how these strategies play out across different ecosystems and how they change when the environment shifts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-water-shortages-and-plant-behavior">Water shortages and plant behavior</h2>



Scientists at <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UC Santa Barbara</a> and <a href="https://www.sdsu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">San Diego State University</a> have found a way to make sense of this. They built a model that uses soil moisture data to detect how plants behave when it comes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/not-all-plants-handle-water-the-same-heres-why-it-matters/">water</a>. 



The team applied this model to a global dataset, covering ecosystems all over the planet. The results show that two key factors drive plant behavior: how dry a place is, and how dense the vegetation is.



“When plants face water shortages, grasslands act like spendthrifts (using water aggressively until it’s gone). In contrast, forests act more like careful budgeters (cutting back water use early to avoid disaster),” said senior author Kelly Caylor, a professor at UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science &amp; Management.



The study also points out a flaw in existing models, noting that they likely overestimate how quickly ecosystems lose water during droughts. That has big implications for climate models, agriculture, and water planning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-smarter-way-to-read-soil">A smarter way to read soil</h2>



Plants respond to water stress in a wide variety of ways. That’s part of what makes them so good at surviving. But it’s also made it hard for scientists to find broad patterns in their behavior.



Lead author Bryn Morgan noticed something others had missed: the way soil moisture changes over time might hold the key.



Until now, models of soil drying were focused on being easy to calculate, not on accurately reflecting how plants actually use water. Most treated the relationship between plants and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-much-energy-do-plants-use-to-lift-water-from-the-soil/">soil</a> as linear - simple input, simple output.



“But there is nonlinearity in the data,” said co-author Ryoko Araki, a joint doctoral student at UCSB and SDSU.



To address this, Araki led the development of a new, nonlinear model. It captures how soil dries after rain - not just as a mathematical curve, but in a way that reflects how plants take risks (or don’t) when water is scarce. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-plants-spend-their-water-budget">How plants spend their water budget</h2>



With this model in hand, the team looked at soil moisture readings from a global network of sensors. They found the parts of each record where soil was drying and fit the model to each episode.



By studying the shape and slope of each drydown curve, they could tell how aggressive or conservative the plants were.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grasslands-are-racing-to-adapt-to-climate-shifts/">Grasslands</a> and dry regions tended to show more aggressive water use. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-provide-different-health-benefits-based-on-their-structure/">Forests</a> and wetter regions leaned more conservatively.



“If water is the currency of vegetated ecosystems, grasses are out here like, ‘YOLO,’ while trees are investing for retirement. They’re playing the long game," said Morgan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risky-behavior-vs-cautious-planning">Risky behavior vs. cautious planning</h2>



It’s not just about water - it’s about strategy. Grasses often live fast and die young. They might only have one shot at life per year. Trees are in it for the long haul. They can’t afford to damage their water-transport systems.



“Grasslands are like sprinters who give everything they have until they hit the wall,” Caylor explained. “Forests are like marathon runners who pace themselves and slow down strategically to finish a longer race.”



“This is the overall behavior, but, of course, we see a range of aggressive to conservative strategies within a given ecosystem," said Morgan. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adaptive-behavior-of-plants">Adaptive behavior of plants</h2>



Once the researchers had a sense of how ecosystems differ from each other, they looked at how behaviors shift within a single ecosystem.



The team found that as things get drier, or as water demand rises, plants change their strategy. They become more aggressive. For example, in a place like the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/burrowing-animals-in-the-mojave-desert-escape-the-heat-of-climate-change/">Mojave Desert</a>, where rainfall is highly seasonal, plant behavior can swing wildly across the year.



Until now, scientists mostly studied water use either up-close in the lab or from afar using satellites. This model bridges that gap.



“Bryn’s approach is clever in using in-situ measurements at a global scale,” Araki said. That middle-ground perspective helped them see patterns that had been hidden.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-better-climate-models">Building better climate models</h2>



Soil moisture plays a role in global carbon and climate models, but these models rarely include the subtleties of plant behavior. 



“The uncertainty in estimates of the global carbon cycle is really sensitive to how vegetation responds to soil moisture limitation,” Morgan said.



Better models mean better predictions. Morgan has submitted a proposal to NASA to explore how this new nonlinear parameter could be folded into existing earth system models. She’s also interested in how these plant strategies feed back into the system over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-capturing-soil-moisture-dynamics">Capturing soil moisture dynamics</h2>



Araki, on the other hand, is focused on scaling. Soil moisture isn’t uniform. It changes a lot, even over short distances. That makes it hard to build accurate large-scale models.



“In reality there is topography, vegetation, soil,” said Araki. “So scientists can’t apply simple statistics to the system.”



“Understanding how soil moisture values themselves scale is something hydrologists have been interested in for decades,” noted Morgan. 



The challenge now is figuring out how to capture those dynamics - from a single measurement site all the way up to an entire watershed.



The full study was published in the journal Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution.



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Plants use unique strategies to budget water in the wild

It’s common knowledge that plants need water to survive, but...

Every year, a large share of the carbon pollution we pump into the atmosphere - mainly from burning fossil fuels - is pulled back to the earth by natural systems.



Plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and turn it into biomass. Oceans also soak up a portion of this pollution. These processes help slow the speed of climate change, but they can’t keep up with how fast we’re emitting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-climate-solutions-more-effective">Making climate solutions more effective</h2>



For years, scientists and policymakers have pushed for nature-based approaches to help fill the gap - preserving forests, planting trees, restoring wetlands. The idea is to let nature do what it does best. However, these efforts haven’t delivered the climate punch many hoped for.



A new study led by scientists at the University of Utah’s <a href="https://science.utah.edu/the-wilkes-center/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wilkes Center for Climate Science &amp; Policy</a>, with support from researchers at nine other universities, lays out a clearer path forward. 



The research proposes a way to make nature-based climate solutions more effective, more transparent, and better aligned with science.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-offsets-fail-to-cut-emissions">Carbon offsets fail to cut emissions</h2>



The study looks closely at the current system of carbon “offsets.” Companies and governments often use these programs to balance out their own emissions by funding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-trees-is-important-but-reforestation-can-help-too/">tree planting</a> or forest conservation. 



In theory, this should cancel out a portion of the carbon they emit. But in practice, it often doesn’t work that way.



“Nature-based climate solutions are human actions that leverage natural processes to either take carbon out of the atmosphere or stop the emissions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-carbon-emissions-hit-a-record-high-in-2023/">carbon</a> to the atmosphere,” said study lead author Professor William Anderegg.



“Those are the two main broad categories. There are the avoided emissions, and that's activities like stopping deforestation. Then there's the greenhouse gas-removal pathways. That's things like reforestation where you plant trees, and as those trees grow, they suck up CO2 out of the atmosphere.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-many-offsets-fall-short">Many offsets fall short</h2>



The paper highlights a fundamental flaw in how most current offset programs operate: they let companies claim credit for forest projects without guaranteeing those projects actually result in new carbon savings. 



Even worse, many projects aren’t built to last. Trees planted today could be wiped out tomorrow by wildfires, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-a-thirsty-atmosphere-is-making-global-droughts-much-worse/">drought</a>, pests, or disease.



“There are widespread problems with accounting for their climate impact,” said study co-author Libby Blanchard, a postdoctoral researcher in Anderegg’s lab.



“For example, despite the potential for albedo to reduce or even negate the climate mitigation benefits of some forest carbon projects, calculating for the effect of albedo is not considered in any carbon-crediting protocols to date.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-climate-solutions-are-flawed">Some climate solutions are flawed</h2>



The team outlines four critical components that must be in place for nature-based climate solutions to succeed. These aren’t just theoretical - they are essential if forest-based climate actions are going to make a measurable impact.



First, the project must lead to net <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-cooling-wont-be-a-quick-fix-for-the-state-of-our-oceans/">global cooling</a>. Some tree-planting efforts can unintentionally warm the planet instead. This happens when dark trees are planted in snow-covered regions, reducing the land’s ability to reflect sunlight - a phenomenon known as albedo. 



“If you go in an ecosystem that is mostly snow covered and you plant really dark conifer trees, that can actually outweigh the carbon storage benefit and heat up the planet,” Anderegg said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-interventions-must-include-real-benefits">Interventions must include real benefits</h2>



Second, the intervention must result in additional climate benefits. The action has to go beyond what would have happened anyway. 



Protecting forests that were never at risk of being cut down doesn’t count. “You have to change behavior or change some sort of outcome,” Anderegg said.



“You can't just take credit for what was going to happen anyway. One great example here is if you pay money to keep a forest from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-deforestation-crisis-how-can-we-stop-massive-forest-losses/">deforestation</a>, but it was never going to be cut down to begin with, then you haven't done anything for the climate.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-locking-away-carbon">Locking away carbon</h2>



Third, the solution must avoid carbon “leakage.” This happens when carbon-saving actions in one location lead to increased emissions elsewhere - for example, stopping logging in one region only to have it shift to another.



Finally, the solution must store carbon long enough to make a difference. Fossil fuel emissions inject carbon into the atmosphere that lingers for centuries. That means nature-based projects must be designed to lock carbon away for at least that long.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-current-programs-are-too-weak">Current programs are too weak </h2>



“You have to know how big the risks are, and you have to account for those risks in the policies and programs,” Anderegg said. “Otherwise, basically you're going to lose a lot of that carbon storage as climate change accelerates the risks.”



Most current programs try to address these risks using “buffer pools,” but the study finds those safeguards are too weak. 



The research team is now working on stronger approaches to ensure carbon stays stored for the long haul.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-action-against-carbon-emissions">Real action against carbon emissions</h2>



Instead of handing out carbon credits that companies use to justify their emissions, the authors propose a simpler model: encourage companies to contribute to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-climate-solutions-enhancing-the-role-of-seagrass-meadows/">climate solutions</a> without tying those contributions to claims of neutrality. 



In other words, fund the work, but don’t pretend it cancels out emissions unless the science backs it up.



This contribution model would push for higher standards. It would favor projects that actually reduce atmospheric carbon, last for decades or more, and don’t rely on shaky assumptions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-climate-solutions-seriously">Taking climate solutions seriously</h2>



The stakes are high. The study estimates that about 31% of the carbon we emit through human activity gets absorbed by terrestrial ecosystems, especially forests. 



But we’re also losing forests fast - deforestation today releases roughly 1.9 gigatons of carbon annually, nearly equal to Russia’s total emissions.



“Actions to halt and reverse deforestation are a critical part of climate stabilization pathways,” noted the researchers. It’s time to treat nature-based climate solutions with the seriousness they deserve. They can help, but only if we get them right.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09116-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Climate solutions are failing - but they can still be fixed

Every year, a large share of the carbon pollution we...

Concrete is everywhere - beneath our feet, around our buildings, and across our cities. It's one of the most used materials in the world, but it’s also a major contributor to pollution and climate change.



As the construction industry pushes to cut carbon emissions, some scientists are looking thousands of years into the past for ideas.



Researchers from <a href="https://www.uninorte.edu.co/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universidad del Norte</a>, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley recently explored whether the techniques behind ancient Roman concrete could help us build in a more sustainable way today. The findings shed light on a surprising trade-off between emissions and durability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-made-roman-concrete-different">What made Roman concrete different?</h2>



Modern concrete is made of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-crack-resistant-cement-material-inspired-by-nature/">cement</a> mixed with sand, gravel, and water. Roman builders used a different formula. They combined limestone, volcanic ash known as pozzolan, and even rubble from demolished structures.



The key ingredient in both types of concrete is limestone, which must be heated to very high temperatures. This process releases carbon dioxide and produces calcium oxide, which then reacts with other minerals to form a strong binding paste.



Despite the clear differences in recipe, the energy and water required to produce Roman concrete today would be similar to that of modern concrete. Even the carbon emissions would be roughly the same - or in some cases, slightly higher.



“Contrary to our initial expectations, adopting Roman formulations with current technology may not yield substantial reductions in emissions or energy demand,” said study lead author Daniela Martinez of Universidad del Norte.



The research team ran models comparing different Roman concrete recipes and modern methods. They factored in not just ingredients but also production techniques and energy sources - like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-warnings-fossil-fuels-are-causing-climate-health-and-biodiversity-crises/">fossil fuels</a>, biomass, or renewables. The goal was to measure the environmental impact from all angles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-pollution-more-durability">Less pollution, more durability</h2>



While Roman concrete didn’t offer a big drop in carbon emissions, it did produce significantly lower levels of other pollutants - especially <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nitrous-oxide-emissions-erupt-from-farms-in-unpredictable-bursts/">nitrogen oxide</a> and sulfur oxide, which are known to damage human health.



Depending on the fuel source, these pollutants were reduced by anywhere from 11 to 98 percent. Renewable energy made the biggest difference.



And while emissions may be comparable today, Roman concrete’s potential lies in how long it lasts. The ancient structures built with it - bridges, aqueducts, public buildings - have stood the test of time. 



That kind of durability could translate into serious sustainability gains, especially in places where concrete needs frequent repair or replacement, like roads and highways.



“Studying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-ancient-romans-made-such-incredibly-durable-concrete-is-no-longer-a-mystery/">Roman concrete</a> can teach us how to use materials in a way that can maximize the longevity of our structures, because sustainability goes hand-by-hand with durability,” said Martinez.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-concrete-that-lasts-and-less-waste">Concrete that lasts, and less waste</h2>



There’s growing awareness in the building industry that durability matters just as much as emissions. If we can build things that last longer, we don’t have to rebuild as often - and that reduces the environmental cost over time.



“When we take concrete’s service life into consideration, that’s when we start seeing benefits,” explained Martinez.



“In cases where prolonging the use of concrete can reduce the need to manufacture new materials, more durable concrete has the potential to reduce environmental impact,” noted study co-author Sabbie Miller of UC Davis.



But comparing ancient Roman concrete to modern concrete isn’t simple. Modern formulas have only been used for about 200 years, while Roman buildings have lasted over two millennia. 



More importantly, modern concrete often includes steel reinforcement bars, which Roman builders didn’t use. That adds another layer of complexity to the comparison.



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/steel-corrosion-is-a-major-contributor-to-climate-change/">Corrosion</a> of steel reinforcement is the main cause of concrete deterioration, so comparisons should be made with great care,” noted study co-author Paulo Monteiro of UC Berkeley.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-to-the-future">Looking to the future</h2>



The research team plans to continue comparing performance and longevity between Roman and modern concrete in real-world scenarios. Their hope is to better understand how lessons from the past can help solve problems we face today.



“We were interested in how we can draw lessons from their methods to inform some of the climate-mitigation challenges that we currently face in our built environment,” said Martinez.



“There's a lot of lessons that we can draw from the Romans. If we can incorporate their strategies with our modern innovative ideas, we can create a more sustainable built environment.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)01313-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004225013136%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iScience</a>.



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Ancient Roman concrete offers lessons for sustainable building

Concrete is everywhere - beneath our feet, around our buildings,...

Some of the wettest regions in the tropics could dry out dramatically in the coming decades. New research suggests that climate change may slash annual rainfall by nearly half in places like the Amazon if a key Atlantic Ocean current slows down.



The scientists behind this work are from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado Boulder</a>. The study shows that even a modest weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could disrupt global precipitation patterns, endanger ecosystems, and put millions of people at risk.



“That’s a stunning risk we now understand much better,” said lead author Pedro DiNezio, associate professor in CU Boulder’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. He noted that some parts of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amazon-forests-can-survive-drought-but-it-comes-at-a-high-cost/">Amazon rainforest</a> could see up to a 40% drop in yearly rainfall.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-ocean-moves-heat-and-moisture">How the ocean moves heat and moisture</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/collapse-of-main-atlantic-ocean-circulaton-current-amoc-is-already-happening/">AMOC</a> is a powerful system of currents that circulates warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic. This flow helps regulate global climate. It also keeps the tropical rain belt - a narrow zone near the equator where rainfall is heaviest - in place.



As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-polar-ice-sheets-cant-withstand-1-5c-warming-target/">polar ice</a> melts and rainfall increases with global warming, the ocean’s surface water becomes less salty and less dense. This change could slow the AMOC.



While we’ve only been monitoring this current directly for about 20 years, early signs of change have already appeared.



“A few years ago, this monitoring system recorded signs of a decline in the AMOC, but it later rebounded. So we weren’t sure if it was just a fluke. The problem is, we haven’t been measuring the ocean long enough to detect meaningful long-term change,” DiNezio said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reconstructing-the-past-to-see-the-future">Reconstructing the past to see the future</h2>



To better understand what could happen, DiNezio and his team looked to the past. About 17,000 years ago, the AMOC slowed down due to natural causes. That event left behind evidence in cave formations, lake beds, and ocean sediments that preserved past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-and-extreme-rainfall-study-reveals-a-missing-link/">rainfall</a> levels.



By comparing that ancient record with modern climate models, the researchers identified which simulations best matched historical patterns. Then they used those models to project what a future slowdown would look like.



The results were striking. As the AMOC weakens and cools the North Atlantic, that cooling spreads toward the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean. Combined with rising global temperatures, this leads to sharp drops in rainfall over Central America, the Amazon, and West Africa.



“This is bad news, because we have these very important ecosystems in the Amazon,” DiNezio said. The Amazon stores nearly two years’ worth of global carbon emissions. 



“Drought in this region could release vast amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere, forming a vicious loop that could make climate change worse.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-the-tropics">The future of the tropics </h2>



The AMOC probably won't grind to a halt entirely. But even a small slowdown could have major effects across the tropics.



How much and how fast it weakens depends on what we do next. The more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2023-climate-change-report-record-high-temperatures-greenhouse-gases-sea-level-rise/">greenhouse gases</a> we emit, the more likely we are to trigger a dangerous shift.



“We still have time, but we need to rapidly decarbonize the economy and make green technologies widely available to everyone in the world. The best way to get out of a hole is to stop digging,” DiNezio said.



The takeaway is clear: the behavior of ocean currents isn’t just a matter for climate scientists. It’s tied to the lives, lands, and livelihoods of people across the tropics - and beyond.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-tropics-deserve-more-attention">Why the tropics deserve more attention</h2>



For many, climate change brings to mind melting ice sheets or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-seas-are-already-toppling-coastal-cities/">rising seas</a>. But the tropics - home to over 40% of the world’s population - face threats that are just as urgent. 



Shifts in rainfall aren’t only environmental concerns; they’re deeply human ones. They affect farming, food supplies, drinking water, and public health.



In regions already vulnerable to climate stress, losing seasonal rains could push communities past their limits. 



The research highlights a growing truth: the future of the tropics will be shaped as much by global decisions as by local resilience. Ignoring this region is no longer an option.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09319-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Slowing ocean currents could dry out the tropics

Some of the wettest regions in the tropics could dry...

Tiny plastic particles surround us daily. We can’t see them, but we inhale the plastic dust constantly. 



A new study by Nadiia Yakovenko and colleagues at <a href="https://www.univ-tlse3.fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Université de Toulouse</a> uncovers how much more exposure we face indoors than previously assumed.



Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the research reveals just how dense microplastic pollution has become inside homes and vehicles.



Earlier studies showed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scented-products-release-indoor-air-pollutants/">plastics</a> float in the air almost everywhere. These fragments, called microplastics, often come from synthetic clothes, car interiors, packaging, and household items. Indoor air contains more of them than outdoor air. 



Until now, most research focused on larger particles that rarely enter deep lung tissue. This study takes a sharper look at smaller particles - the ones that can reach the lungs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-plastics-harm-your-lungs">Tiny plastics harm your lungs</h2>



When particles are smaller than 10 micrometers (µm), or 0.0004 inches, they become a threat to deep lung tissue. They slip past our natural filters and can reach the bronchi and even enter the bloodstream.



These particles also carry toxic chemicals and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-people-die-from-air-pollution-each-year-yet-theres-still-a-lack-of-monitoring/">pollutants</a>. Once inside the body, they may harm vital systems.



Yakovenko’s team studied both apartments and cars using Raman spectroscopy, a method capable of detecting particles as small as 1 µm. They found that the average indoor air contains thousands of these tiny particles per cubic meter.



Homes and cars had different compositions. Polyethylene dominated in homes, while polyamide was more common in cars due to the types of fabrics and plastics used in vehicle interiors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smaller-particles-bigger-problem">Smaller particles, bigger problem</h2>



Most previous studies used µFTIR spectroscopy, which detects particles no smaller than 10 µm. This left out the most common size range found in indoor air. 



The new study used a more sensitive method and found microplastic concentrations up to 100 times higher than earlier estimates.



More than 90% of all detected particles were smaller than 10 µm. These particles followed a pattern where smaller particles appeared more often. 



The distribution pattern followed a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-mechanics-uncovers-hidden-patterns-in-the-stock-market/">power law</a>, meaning particle numbers rose sharply as size dropped. That means we are breathing in large quantities of the smallest, most hazardous plastics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-indoor-dust-is-mostly-plastic">Indoor dust is mostly plastic</h2>



Sampling revealed a median of 528 particles per cubic meter (~15 particles/ft³) in homes and 2,238 particles per cubic meter (~63 particles/ft³) in cars.



These particles were mostly fragments rather than fibers. Their size typically ranged from 1 to 10 µm.



Based on combined data from this and other studies, researchers estimated that adults inhale about 3,200 larger microplastics and 68,000 smaller ones on a daily basis.



These smaller particles can cross biological barriers, reach the bloodstream, and impact organs. They may also release additives and chemicals that disrupt hormones and affect immunity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-the-gut-and-beyond">Role of the gut and beyond</h2>



Larger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cutting-super-pollutants-could-quickly-cool-the-planet/">particles</a> usually get trapped in mucus and are removed by coughing or swallowing. This process introduces plastics into the digestive system. 



This secondary ingestion route could rival or exceed plastic exposure from food and drinks. In fact, people may absorb more microplastics through air than through meals.



Children may be even more vulnerable due to higher air intake relative to their body weight. Inhalation rates vary, but on average, children may inhale up to 47,000 small plastic particles daily. These particles can reach places in the body where they don’t belong.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-dust-found-everywhere">Plastic dust found everywhere</h2>



“We found that over 90% of the microplastic particles in indoor air across both homes and cars were smaller than 10 µm, small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs," noted the researchers.



This was also the first study to measure microplastics in the car cabin environment. Overall, the team detected indoor concentrations up to 100 times higher than previous extrapolated estimates, revealing indoor air as a major and previously underestimated exposure route of fine particulate microplastic inhalation.



“Everywhere we looked, we find microplastics, even in the air we breathe inside our homes and cars," the researchers said.



The biggest concern is how small these particles are completely invisible to the naked eye. "We inhale thousands of them every day without even realizing it," the team pointed out. 



Deep inside our lungs, microplastics release toxic additives that reach our blood and cause multiple diseases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-step-in-microplastic-research">Next step in microplastic research</h2>



This study also estimates potential exposure to nanoplastics, which are particles smaller than 1 µm (0.00004 inches). These may reach even deeper parts of the lungs and possibly cross into cells.



Though no direct measurements were made, the study extrapolated a likely exposure rate of over 33 million nanoplastics per day in the smallest size range.



Inhaled <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-happens-when-nanoplastics-get-into-the-soil-many-things-none-of-them-are-good/">nanoplastics</a> may behave differently than microplastics. They are smaller, more reactive, and harder to detect. Future research must develop better ways to observe and measure these invisible invaders.



The takeaway is clear. Indoor air carries more microplastics than we assumed, especially in the most harmful size ranges. 



This study urges regular monitoring and a closer look at how these particles move, settle, and affect health. Until then, the invisible plastic dust in our homes and cars remains an open hazard. We breathe it in with every passing moment.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0328011" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Plastic dust is making indoor air more polluted than outside

Tiny plastic particles surround us daily. We can’t see them,...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-contrasting-climate-response">A contrasting climate response</h2>



Most coastal towns are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing for higher sea levels</a>, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-no-longer-has-to-worry-about-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland presents</a> a different scenario during climate change. The ground there is rising at a remarkable rate. Over the past decade, some areas have lifted about 20 centimeters, which translates to roughly 2 meters per century. This rate significantly exceeds current projections for sea level rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geological-rebound-process-through-climate-change">Geological rebound process through climate change</h2>



The mechanism behind this phenomenon is straightforward. As the ice sheet melts, the immense weight is removed from the bedrock, causing the land to rebound upward. This process resembles the way compressed material springs back when pressure is released.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-monitoring-networks">Scientific monitoring networks</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Denmark</a> are documenting this uplift using the GNET network, consisting of 61 GPS stations positioned around Greenland's coast. These sensors can detect movement with millimeter precision, providing detailed measurements of the ongoing changes.



The data reveal that current uplift rates exceed the gradual rebound occurring since the last ice age ended approximately 12,000 years ago. This acceleration corresponds directly with increased ice sheet melting rates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-transformation">Coastal Transformation</h2>



This uplift is actively reshaping Greenland's coastline. New islands and rocky formations, called "skerries," are emerging as previously submerged land surfaces rise above the water level. This represents a notable contrast to global concerns about rising seas.



The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, demonstrates the varied regional impacts of climate change. While many locations face rising water levels, Greenland's bedrock is literally rising above the surrounding seas.



The full study was recently published in <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL104851" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-agent-training-transforms-the-workplace-fear-factor-into-a-competitive-advantage">AI agent training transforms the workplace 'fear factor' into a competitive advantage</h2>



Organizations that offer comprehensive artificial intelligence training to their workers find remarkable value that extends well beyond basic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mind-wandering-might-be-more-productive-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">productivity improvements</a>. Emerging research demonstrates that carefully crafted AI training programs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enhance</a> corporate performance, lower operational costs, and dramatically improve employee psychological well-being by turning workplace uncertainty into professional empowerment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-widespread-ai-anxiety-crisis-among-us">Addressing the widespread 'AI anxiety' crisis among us</h2>



A staggering 53% of employees expressed concern that the use of AI tools to automate work tasks could make them appear disposable to their employers, according to <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft</a>'s 2024 workplace survey. Such pervasive worry about being substituted by machines has caused what researchers have termed "AI technostress" – a psychological state that can result in occupational burnout and poorer mental well-being.



Data published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a> showed that belief in AI learning ability was a moderator in the link between technology adoption and work pressure, and higher confidence significantly lowered negative psychological responses. Workers provided ample training to become competent with AI software have significantly lower stress.



Companies like <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a> have platforms for building what are known as "AI Agents". In essence, AI Agents are simply tools that employees can build for themselves or their teams quickly and inexpensively. MindStudio will even train entire companies, from the CEO on down, at no cost. By letting MindStudio empower employees, companies avoid hiring more IT staff, buying more software, and implementing solutions to problems that do not exist.



MindStudio even has partners locally for companies, like <a href="http://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dominnus</a> with offices in the Carolinas, California, and Denver, to help build AI Agents and support employees as they become resident AI experts for their organization. The training provided by MindStudio is applicable across other AI Agent building platforms as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-productivity-through-focused-learning">Revolutionary productivity through focused learning</h2>



Organizations that implement large-scale AI training programs achieve dramatic outcomes. Employees performed tasks significantly better when they utilized AI support compared to when they didn't, according to <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nielsen Norman Group</a> research findings. Their study documented productivity increases of 66% for a variety of professional tasks.



Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis research finds workers record 33% higher productivity in time working with generative AI tools. The benefit is equivalent to 5.4% of work time savings for AI users – around 2.2 hours per week for full-time workers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-well-being-benefits-through-ai-competence">Psychological well-being benefits through AI competence</h2>



The emotional transformation when employees are provided with proper technology training is a fundamental transformation from fear to professional confidence. A survey of 600 employees across industries, carried out by ScienceDirect, proved that AI capabilities strengthen work environment commitment and improve job satisfaction.



A <a href="https://www.lut.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LUT University</a> study discovered that AI adoption has no direct effect on workers' well-being but does so indirectly through working conditions like task optimization and safety protocols. Strategically deployed AI that involves correct training can actually increase workplace mental well-being.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-replacement-anxiety-to-partnership-confidence">From 'replacement anxiety' to 'partnership confidence'</h2>



Although 35% of those interviewed in recent McKinsey studies were concerned about workforce displacement, firms with large-scale training initiatives witness such fears dissipate quickly. The World Economic Forum found that two out of three respondents believe AI competencies will enhance their career prospects and job marketability.



This shift from fear to trust has measurable implications for job satisfaction. Applied Sciences research indicates AI can create tailored wellness programs based on individual employee requirements.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-financial-benefits-of-increased-retention">Financial benefits of increased retention</h2>



The mental health advantages of AI learning have a direct impact on organizational bottom lines in the form of a positive feedback cycle with high retention of employees. Recent ROI research validates that artificial intelligence learning has a beneficial impact on employee turnover and satisfaction levels.



PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research documents 20% to 30% improvements in productivity, market speed, and revenue in organizations that attempt systematic AI adoption through comprehensive training.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-advantages-of-ai-enabled-teams">Environmental advantages of AI-enabled teams</h2>



AI training has unforeseen environmental benefits as it makes the work environment more efficient. According to a study in Scientific Reports, the carbon footprint in writing and illustrating work is significantly lower when AI performs it compared to humans. AI software produces 130 to 1,500 times less CO2 equivalent per page of text created than human authors.



In addition, AI-driven remote work functionality significantly reduces environmental impact. Research by Cornell University and Microsoft indicates that remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% by not commuting daily to offices. Hybrid workers working remotely two to four days a week can reduce their carbon footprint by 11% to 29%.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cumulative-organizational-advantages">Cumulative organizational advantages</h2>



The compounding gains of better mental well-being, reduced turnover, increased productivity, and environmental benefits flow to enterprises from the pairing. McKinsey analysis estimates the long-term AI potential at $4.4 trillion in incremental productivity growth opportunity from business use cases.



As of now, 75% of knowledge workers globally utilize generative AI, mirroring widespread adoption patterns. Organizations that provide organized training and assistance see the most favorable results in productivity, worker satisfaction, and ecological sustainability.



The research overwhelmingly indicates that companies that invest in proper AI education, like that offered through <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a>, establish win-win scenarios where employees are both more empowered and less stressed, and companies enjoy the gains of increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved mental health outcomes throughout their workforce.



For more on MindStudio's free AI training for companies, visit the website's of MindStudio and Dominnus from the links below.



The research was published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence</a>, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci">Applied Sciences</a>.



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MindStudio.AI: <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.mindstudio.ai</a>



Dominnus: <a href="https://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.dominnus.com</a>

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-natural-solution-to-disease-through-crop-modification">A natural solution to disease through crop modification.</h2>



The agricultural industry stands at a crossroads between productivity and environmental responsibility, and crop modification often carries a negative connotation. While chemical pesticides have long been the go-to solution for crop protection, their harmful effects on ecosystems and human health have prompted scientists to seek alternatives. The recent breakthrough by <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> researchers offers a promising path forward through the precise manipulation of plant-associated microbial communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-science-behind-microbial-partnerships">The science behind microbial partnerships</h2>



Plants naturally harbor diverse ecosystems of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that function as biological allies. These microscopic partners contribute to disease resistance, nutrient absorption, and stress tolerance. However, until now, scientists lacked the tools to deliberately reshape these communities to enhance crop protection.



The Southampton team's approach centered on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-plant-microbiomes-the-future-of-crop-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modifying lignin biosynthesis genes in rice plants</a>. This strategic intervention altered the plant's metabolic output, creating conditions that favored beneficial bacterial populations while suppressing harmful ones. The result was a living defense system embedded within the plant itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-global-food-security">Implications for global food security</h2>



The successful demonstration against Xanthomonas oryzae, the pathogen responsible for bacterial blight in rice, represents more than a laboratory achievement. Rice feeds nearly half the world's population, and bacterial blight causes devastating crop losses annually. Traditional control methods rely heavily on pesticides that contaminate soil and water systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-disease-resistance">Looking Beyond Disease Resistance</h2>



While disease protection represents the immediate application, the research framework opens doors to broader agricultural improvements. Future developments could engineer microbiomes to enhance nutrient uptake, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit addresses both crop productivity and environmental sustainability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



As this technology advances from laboratory to field applications, it promises to reshape sustainable agriculture. The ability to program plants with their own biological defense systems could herald a new era where crops protect themselves naturally, reducing chemical inputs while maintaining yields necessary for global food security.



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4 Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease A natural...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-don-t-we-ever-hear-about-acid-rain-anymore-the-environmental-crisis-that-was-solved">Why don't we ever hear about "acid rain" anymore? The environmental crisis that was solved</h2>



Remember the 1980s when acid rain dominated headlines? Dire warnings about rain eating buildings, killing fish, and destroying forests filled every news cycle. Then, almost like magic, acid rain vanished from public discourse. What happened? Did we actually solve one of the late 20th century's most pressing environmental challenges?



The answer might surprise you. Unlike many environmental issues that drag on indefinitely, acid rain represents one of modern history's most successful ecological recovery stories. It's a tale of science, politics, and technology working together to tackle what seemed impossible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was acid rain?</h2>



Acid rain isn't regular rain having a bad day – it's precipitation that became significantly more acidic due to air pollution. When power plants, factories, and vehicles burn fossil fuels, they release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The science behind it</h2>



Think of acid rain as nature's chemistry experiment gone wrong. These compounds react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. When mixed with water vapor in clouds, they create precipitation with dangerously low pH levels.



While clean rain has a pH of about 5.6, acid rain could drop as low as 4.2 to 4.4 – roughly as acidic as tomato juice or coffee. According to US Geological Survey documentation, Scottish chemist Angus Smith first coined "acid rain" in 1872, but it didn't become a household phrase until the 1960s and 1970s when Swedish scientist Svante Odén documented its devastating effects on Scandinavian lakes and European forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The crisis at its peak</h2>



During the height of public concern, environmental damage was both widespread and visible. This wasn't some abstract future threat – people could see destruction happening in real-time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Environmental devastation</h2>



The most dramatic impacts were impossible to ignore. Research documented by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation shows that in the Adirondack Mountains, more than 200 lakes became so acidic they couldn't support fish life. The Adirondack Council reports that 409 lakes once supported brook trout, but many lost their fish populations due to acid rain.



By 1976, when scientists cataloged all acidified lakes in the Adirondack Park, researchers found that half of the lakes over 2,000 feet above sea level had no fish, according to studies published in environmental journals. The acidification process worked like a slow-motion disaster. As acid rain fell into watersheds, it gradually lowered pH levels. Fish couldn't survive in acidic water, and their food sources died off too.



Trees at high elevations showed stress directly linked to acid rain. It weakened them by leaching nutrients and making them susceptible to disease. Historical records show Germany's Black Forest saw nearly half its trees damaged by the mid-1980s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Economic impact</h2>



Acid rain wasn't just environmental – it was expensive. Acidic precipitation corroded infrastructure, buildings, and monuments. Historic stone structures deteriorated at accelerated rates. Tourism suffered as lakes became fishless and forests declined. EPA economic analyses from the period documented repair costs mounting into billions annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The solution: government action and technology</h2>



Transformation from crisis to success required unprecedented cooperation between governments, industries, and environmental groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Clean Air Act of 1990</h2>



The turning point came with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush. This represented a fundamentally new approach to environmental regulation, as documented in EPA historical records.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cap-and-trade success</h2>



Instead of mandating specific technologies, the 1990 amendments introduced something revolutionary: a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide emissions. EPA program documentation shows this market-based approach set overall limits but allowed companies to trade emission allowances.



The genius was harnessing market forces to find cost-effective pollution reduction. Companies reducing emissions cheaply could sell excess allowances to those facing higher costs. Research published in environmental economics journals and EPA progress reports shows this resulted in dramatic SO2 reduction at a fraction of projected costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technology advances</h2>



Policy provided the framework, but technology made reductions possible. Studies in atmospheric science journals document the widespread adoption of flue gas desulfurization systems ("scrubbers") that removed sulfur dioxide before it reached the atmosphere. By the 2000s, new installations could remove over 95% of SO2 emissions, according to EPA technical reports.



The push coincided with cleaner energy development. Natural gas produces fewer sulfur compounds than coal. Wind and solar, emerging in the 1990s, captured growing market share, reducing reliance on high-sulfur coal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-we-don-t-hear-about-it-today">Why we don't hear about it today</h2>



Why did acid rain disappear from headlines? Simple: the problem was largely solved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Success doesn't make news</h2>



There's an old journalism saying: "If it bleeds, it leads." Environmental success stories don't generate urgency like crisis reporting. Media attention shifted to other challenges: climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. There's only so much environmental anxiety the public can absorb, and newer concerns replaced acid rain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mission accomplished</h2>



The primary reason is beautifully simple: interventions worked. EPA monitoring data shows sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990. Academic research published in environmental science journals confirms pH levels in formerly affected areas returned closer to normal. This represents one of history's most dramatic environmental recoveries. Studies by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation show fishless lakes now support healthy populations. Forests recovered, and building damage slowed dramatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-really-gone">Is it really gone?</h2>



The crisis is largely resolved, but monitoring data shows the problem isn't completely eliminated – it's managed to acceptable levels. Some areas still experience occasional events during high pollution periods. International environmental research indicates that rapidly industrializing Asian countries face similar problems to what we experienced decades ago, though they're implementing successful strategies.



EPA research shows nitrogen oxide emissions proved more challenging than sulfur dioxide, coming from vehicles and mobile sources. Climate science studies suggest changing weather patterns add complexity to how acid rain forms and falls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What this teaches us</h2>



The acid rain experience proves that seemingly intractable environmental problems can be solved with scientific understanding, political will, and technological innovation. Environmental monitoring data shows recovery speed was remarkable – within a decade, measurable improvements appeared in air quality and ecosystem health.



Success came from bipartisan support across party lines. Policy analysis studies show the market-based approach appealed to those preferring economic incentives while achieving environmental goals. This support created lasting policy surviving political changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>



Acid rain's disappearance from public consciousness represents environmental science's greatest success stories. Through effective regulation, technological innovation, and international cooperation, we transformed an overwhelming crisis into a manageable challenge.



Today's silence isn't because we forgot – it's because we solved it. The 1990 Clean Air Act, combined with technology and energy market changes, reduced acid rain emissions over 90%, according to comprehensive EPA data analysis.



This success offers hope for current challenges. It proves complex problems can be solved when science, policy, and technology work together. As we face climate change and plastic pollution, acid rain reminds us that dramatic positive change is possible.



Next time someone asks whether environmental regulations work, remember acid rain. It's proof that sometimes, we get it right.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Sources: This article draws from EPA official documentation and progress reports, peer-reviewed research published in environmental and atmospheric science journals, historical data from the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation records, US Geological Survey publications, policy analysis studies, and environmental monitoring data collected over three decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



1. Is acid rain completely gone? No, but EPA monitoring shows it's reduced to manageable levels. US sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990, making acid rain much less severe than the 1980s crisis.



2. How long did solving take? Environmental monitoring data shows significant improvements began within 5-10 years of 1990s emission controls. Full ecosystem recovery took longer – some areas need 20-30 years for complete recovery.



3. What made the solution successful? Clear scientific understanding, visible damage motivating action, bipartisan support, available technology, and innovative market-based policies like cap-and-trade.



4. Do other countries have acid rain problems? Yes, particularly rapidly industrializing Asian countries. However, international environmental research shows many implement similar successful control strategies.



5. Could acid rain return? Potentially, if regulations weaken or we return to high-sulfur coal without controls, though effects would take years to become severe according to environmental projections.



6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"? The United States Environmental Protection Agency produced a wonderful teacher's guide for ages 14 and under that you can find on the EPA website here: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf</a>



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The environmental problem we actually solved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk Acid rain and a crisis solved. Why don't we...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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