Credit: PixabayFollowing an unusually calm August, the Atlantic hurricane season is intensifying. Hurricane Milton, now a Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night, while the state is still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene just under two weeks ago.According to experts speaking to Business Insider, these...
Credit: PixabayTiny openings on the surface of leaves, known as stomata, allow plants to "breathe" by regulating water loss through evaporation. These pores also manage the intake of carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis and growth.Since the 19th century, scientists have known that plants widen their stomatal pores to release water vapor, or "sweat," through...
Credit: PixabayThe world's climate is at a critical juncture, with uncertain outcomes. A new climate model indicates that exceeding the Paris Agreement's primary target for global warming could trigger a chain of tipping points, making recovery extremely difficult, if not impossible.On our current climate path, there's up to a 45 percent chance of surpassing...
Earth has sweltered through its hottest day on record this weekDepositphotosEarth experienced its hottest day on record twice this week. According to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Sunday initially set the record for the highest global average temperature since records began in 1940, only for Monday to surpass it.On Sunday, July...
Credit: PixabayWhile trees and green spaces are often celebrated for their contributions to cleaner air and a healthier environment, recent research has highlighted a surprising drawback: they can also be significant sources of air pollution. A study mapping volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over Los Angeles revealed that botanical emissions, particularly from trees, are responsible...
Credit: PixabayRecently, over 70 wildfires burned simultaneously in Greece. In early 2024, Chile experienced its worst wildfire season ever, resulting in over 130 fatalities. Last year, Canada endured record-breaking wildfires from March to November, and in August, flames ravaged Maui in Hawaii. And the list continues.Watching the news, it seems like catastrophic wildfires are...
President Joe Biden speaks at an Earth Day event on April 22, 2024 in Triangle, VA. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)The US government is aiming to support carbon offsets by endorsing industry-led efforts to reform a market that has faced increasing criticism.The Biden administration has introduced a set of principles to define “high-integrity” carbon...
Two images of a wheat spike. The top image is a spike from an alog1 mutant, with additional spikelets highlighted in pink. The bottom image is a normal spike from a plant without the edited gene. Credit: University of AdelaideScientists have uncovered new insights into the role of a well-known wheat gene, Photoperiod-1 (Ppd-1),...
Credit: PixabayOn May 20th, 2024, a 380 square kilometer (~147 mi²) iceberg separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. This event, known as A-83, marks the third major iceberg calving in this area in the last four years.In 2021, the first significant event occurred when A-74 separated from the ice sheet, followed by...
Credit: PixabayIn Antarctica, massive glaciers are constantly shifting, with ice streams acting like conveyor belts that transport most of the ice and sediment debris from these glaciers to the ocean.According to new research from Washington University in St. Louis, one such ice stream displaces the entire Ross Ice Shelf at least once daily. This...
