Credit: PixabayUsing scented products indoors alters the air chemistry, generating as much pollution as car exhaust does outside, according to a new study. Researchers warn that breathing in these tiny particles could have serious health consequences.Indoor Air Pollution from Common Household ItemsWhen you hear or think about "air pollution," you likely associate it...
Octopus Spring, a thermal spring at Yellowstone National Park's Lower Geyser Basin, contains higher levels of oxygen than the neighbouring Conch Spring. (Bill Wight CA/Getty Images)Recent research from Montana State University suggests that microbial life in Yellowstone’s Lower Geyser Basin could provide insight into the evolution of how life adapted to use oxygen.The microorganisms living...
Scientists have discovered a bacterium that can break down toxic "forever chemicals" DepositphotosThe so-called "forever chemicals" (PFAS) are increasingly present in the environment, food, drinking water, and even our bodies. However, researchers may have found a new solution to this problem: a bacterium capable of consuming these compounds and their toxic byproducts.Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances...
Blue rings visible in one of the tree samples. (Pawel Matulewski/Liliana Siekacz)A simple blue stain may unlock trees’ memories of cold summers and volcanic winters, offering scientists a precise new tool to reconstruct ancient climates through timber anatomy.By combining the biological stains safranin and astra blue, researchers can highlight areas with low lignin, a compound...
Credit: PixabayJanuary set a new heat record, defying expectations that La Niña would bring cooling.Copernicus Climate Change Service reported temperatures 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels, extending a historic warming trend. Scientists expected a cooldown after El Niño peaked in early 2024, but extreme heat persists, fueling debate over additional warming factors.Every fraction of a degree...
Credit: PixabayKeeping global warming under 2°C—the fallback goal of the Paris Agreement—is now "impossible," according to a controversial new study by prominent climatologist James Hansen and his team. Published in Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, the paper argues that Earth's climate is more sensitive to greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought.Adding to...
Sea surface temperature anomalies for 27 January 2025. The deeper the warm colors, the more anomalously high the sea temperature is. (NOAA)The sharp rise in global temperatures since 2023 has fueled relentless disasters worldwide, from the still-burning LA fires to the deadly Valencia floods, leaving scientists scrambling for answers.New ocean data suggests a key culprit:...
Credit: PixabayA recent University of Bristol study, published in Nature Communications, reveals the rapid shrinkage of glaciers in Svalbard, Norway, over the past 40 years. The study shows that 91% of glaciers have significantly retreated, losing over 800 square kilometers of ice since 1985. Moreover, 62% now experience seasonal calving cycles due to rising...
Credit: PixabaySince 1979, the Arctic has warmed almost four times faster than the global average. Svalbard, an archipelago off Greenland's northeast coast, is experiencing climate change at an even faster rate, warming up to seven times quicker than the rest of the planet.More than half of Svalbard is covered by glaciers, and if they...
The caldera of Zavaritskii volcanoOleg Dirksen/University of St. AndrewsA longstanding mystery about a year that effectively skipped summer appears to have been resolved. Researchers, using advanced ice core analysis, have determined that the dramatic cooling of 1831 resulted from a massive volcanic eruption in a remote region north of Japan.1831: A Year of Global...
