One of the biggest questions in science is how life first emerged on Earth. Researchers generally agree that the appearance of the first biopolymers and their building blocks marked a critical step in the origin of life (OoL). However, scientists still do not know exactly how a collection of prehistoric inert chemicals (gases) transformed into […]
Trees planted along farmland to shield crops from strong winds are often viewed as a simple way to support biodiversity. But new research suggests the picture is more complicated, especially in agricultural wetlands where many bird species depend on open landscapes. A team of researchers studying farmland wetlands on the western coast of central Japan […]
The Arabian Peninsula has seen temperatures on the hottest days of the year rise by what feels like 4°C since the 1970s, a sharper increase than in many other parts of the world, a study has shown. As a result, more people are being put at risk from heat stress, research from the European Centre for […]
The rainfall loss caused by deforestation could cost over $1 trillion of GDP annually in Europe, China and the USA, a new study has found. Around the world, over 130 countries are economically dependent on the rainfall that is generated by forests, according to researchers at the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change. They estimate that in […]
Despite backsliding on some commitments, the UN climate conference showed glimmers of hope ahead of COP31. The Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB64) drew to a close today (18 June), laying the groundwork for COP31 in Türkiye in November. The meetings provide a crucial space for governments who have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on […]
Flexible power and energy security are being used to lock Europe deeper into fossil fuels, a new report warns. The fossil fuel price shock triggered by the war on Iran has exposed Europe’s dangerous reliance on oil and gas. But rather than treating it as a warning, governments across the EU are doubling down – […]
An Arabian Sea humpback whale, which usually hugs the coastline of Oman, has been tracked making a journey to Goa in search of food or a mate. This is the first direct evidence that the species crossed the Arabian Sea and is considered by scientists to be a behavioural anomaly because its members are so uniquely […]
This year’s potentially record-breaking El Niño could impact food systems, energy production, economies, ecosystems and human wellbeing. Climate scientists have warned that El Niño has officially begun, as the world braces for a year of turbocharged weather. The natural phenomenon, which happens irregularly every two to seven years, occurs when sea surface temperatures in the […]
Renewable energy is saving crops from going to waste. When dicing vegetables, few of us pause to think about the challenges farmers had to overcome to get that food to our chopping board: drought, extreme heat, flooding, poverty and sky-high fuel costs to name just a few. If they manage to grow and harvest healthy […]
A new study examines the one region on Earth that has cooled, not warmed, in recent years. Researchers say the ‘cold blob’ is closely tied to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, AMOC. In the North Atlantic, south of Greenland, lies the so‑called “Cold Blob”, a mysterious patch of cold that is considered the only place […]
