While wildfire initially disrupts life below ground, healthy and diverse soil communities drive ecosystem restoration.
Environment
Fossilized plants offer a new route to analyze Earth’s past atmosphere
By decoding carbon trapped in ancient plant matter, scientists track carbon fluxes back beyond ocean records.
Plant diversity fell in the wake of the Black Death
A new study used the Black Death as a natural experiment, finding that medieval farming fostered Europe’s biodiversity.
Tectonic movements are instrumental in rocky coastal erosion
Earthquakes and shifting tectonic plates factor into coastal erosion along the US West Coast.
Fruit flies are mapping the ecological cost of urbanization
A citizen science project in Vienna reveals how urbanization is reshaping fruit fly communities.
Water-powered gadgets may be on the horizon thanks to new evaporation-based energy device
Scientists created an “evapolectrics” generator that draws power directly from water evaporation, offering a sustainable, battery-free energy source from humidity.
Sustainable building material extracted from seawater
A sand-like material can be extracted from seawater by adding carbon dioxide, potentially making the building industry more sustainable.
Common bacteria could be used to produce biodegradable bioplastics
Engineered Escherichia coli bacteria could be used to make sustainable biobased plastics.
Microplastics could be hotspots for antimicrobial resistance
Microplastics facilitate a “super slime” that is resistant to antibiotics, sparking concern about antibiotic resistance in heavily polluted areas.
Molecules found in wood could make pesticides more efficient
Scientists in Finland have developed a method that can achieve a tenfold increase in pesticide retention on farmed crops.
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