Researchers discovered that living horsetails act like natural distillation towers, producing bizarre oxygen isotope signatures more extreme than anything previously recorded on Earth—sometimes resembling meteorite water. By tracing these isotopic shifts from the plant base to its tip, scientists unlocked a new way to decode ancient humidity and climate, usingContinue Reading
Explore Hubble … Explore the Night Sky Hubble’s Night Sky… Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact onContinue Reading
Oct. 16 is World Food Day, a global campaign to celebrate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization 80 years ago, and to work toward a healthy, sustainable, food-secure future. More than 670 million people in the world are facing hunger. Millions of others are facing rising obesity ratesContinue Reading
Concrete already builds our world, and now it’s one step closer to powering it, too. Made by combining cement, water, ultra-fine carbon black (with nanoscale particles), and electrolytes, electron-conducting carbon concrete (ec3, pronounced “e-c-cubed”) creates a conductive “nanonetwork” inside concrete that could enable everyday structures like walls, sidewalks, and bridgesContinue Reading
A new report from the International Energy Agency says renewable energy is surging ahead, but natural gas demand could peak five years later than it forecasted last year. By Blanca Begert The world is still on track to reach peak oil around 2030 if countries stick to their “stated policies,”Continue Reading
Two years ago Colombia pledged to stop exploring for new oil, gas and coal. On the world stage, this was a big deal. Here’s what’s happened since. (Image credit: Julia Simon)Continue Reading
Sometimes the answers to seemingly intractable environmental problems are found in nature itself. Take the growing challenge of plastic waste. Jacqueline Prawira, an MIT senior in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), has developed biodegradable, plastic-like materials from fish offal, as featured in a recent segment on the CBSContinue Reading
Born in Palermo, Sicily, Giorgio Rizzo spent his childhood curious about the natural world. “I have always been fascinated by nature and how plants and animals can adapt and survive in extreme environments,” he says. “Their highly tuned biochemistry, and their incredible ability to create ones of the most complexContinue Reading
You’re probably aware that fallen leaves make good mulch, but they can also aid the garden and the flower beds if you make leaf mold.Continue Reading
Over 500 million years ago, the Cambrian Period sparked an explosion of skeletal creativity. Salterella, a peculiar fossil, defied conventions by combining two different mineral-building methods. After decades of confusion, scientists have linked it to the cnidarian family. The find deepens our understanding of how animals first learned to buildContinue Reading
As United Nation climate talks get underway in Belem, a different kind of conference is kicking off: the People’s Summit, a gathering of activists, organizers, environmentalists and Indigenous groups from around the world. On a flotilla of boats or in canoes,…Continue Reading
Dozens of Indigenous protesters burst into the COP30 summit in Brazil on Tuesday, demanding preservation of their lands. Other Indigenous leaders who took part in the summit said the protesters did not represent the broader movement.Continue Reading
The oil company is proposing exploratory drilling and seismic testing beyond the borders of its Willow project, in areas home to caribou and other wildlife that provide sustenance for Alaska Natives. By Nicholas Kusnetz When she was younger, Rosemary Ahtuangaruak used to camp for weeks at a time with familyContinue Reading