Humankind did not live with a high-carbon dioxide atmosphere until 1965
Humans have never before lived with the high carbon dioxide atmospheric conditions that have become the norm on Earth in the last 60 years, according to a new study.
Read moreGlobal Warming
Aerosols from coniferous forests no longer cool the climate as much
Emissions of greenhouse gases have a warming effect on the climate, whereas small airborne particles in the atmosphere, aerosols, act as a cooling mechanism. That is the received wisdom in any case. However, new research can now show that the tiniest aerosols are increasing at the expense of the normal sized and slightly larger aerosols — and it is only the latter that have a cooling effect.
Read moreHigh carbon dioxide can create 'shrinking stems' in marshes
For most plants, carbon dioxide acts like a steroid: The more they can take in, the bigger they get. But scientists have now discovered something strange happening in marshes. Under higher levels of carbon dioxide, instead of producing bigger stems, marsh plants produced more stems that were noticeably smaller.
Read moreScientists find ways to improve cassava, a 'crop of inequality' featured at Goalkeepers
New research has highlighted a crop of inequality called cassava, which has starchy, tuberous roots that sustain more than 500 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, yet cassava has been largely neglected by research and development compared to the staple crops of wealthier regions. Researchers have identified opportunities to improve cassava yields — which have not increased for more than fifty years in Africa.
Read moreTale of two climate crises gives clues to the present
Figuring out what lies ahead for our species and our planet is one of the most pressing and challenging tasks for climate scientists. While models are very useful, there is nothing quite like Earth's history to reveal details about how oceans, animals, and plants respond to and recover from a warming world.
Read moreHow and when was carbon distributed on Earth?
A magma ocean existing during the core formation is thought to have been highly depleted in carbon due to its high-siderophile (iron loving) behavior. Thus, most of the carbon forming the atmosphere and life on Earth may have been delivered by a carbon-rich embryo after the core formation. However, a new high-pressure experiment has shown that previous studies may have overestimated the amount of carbon partitioning to the core.
Read moreScientists decode DNA of coral and all its microscopic supporters
Scientists have seen for the first time how corals collaborate with other microscopic life to build and grow.
Read moreBee biodiversity barometer on Fiji
The biodiversity buzz is alive and well in Fiji, but climate change, noxious weeds and multiple human activities are making possible extinction a counter buzzword. Just as Australian researchers are finding colourful new bee species, some of them are already showing signs of exposure to environmental changes.
Read moreIs theory on Earth's climate in the last 15 million years wrong?
A key theory that attributes the climate evolution of the Earth to the breakdown of Himalayan rocks may not explain the cooling over the past 15 million years, according to a new study. The study could shed more light on the causes of long-term climate change. It centers on the long-term cooling that occurred before the recent global warming tied to greenhouse gas emissions from humanity.
Read moreWhy are mountains so high? It doesn't add up
Researchers have analyzed mountain ranges worldwide to show that a theory relating erosion and mountain height doesn't always add up.
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