Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers measured the composition of a mini-Neptune inside the orbit of a hot Jupiter. They say this highly unusual planetary system probably formed out beyond its star’s “frostline,” in the colder region of the system’s early disk of protoplanetary material.

Determining how ice is affected by neighboring meltwater is key to understanding and eventually reducing global ice loss, so in Physics of Fluids, researchers used pairs of ice cylinders to study how meltwater from one ice structure alters the melting of another. They towed two pieces of cylindrical ice through water, with the two pieces melting as they traveled, and systematically changed the gap between them. Using a combination of imaging techniques, they measured how the shapes and melt rates of the ice cylinders changed over time.

University of Missouri researchers are exploring ways to grow sweet corn more efficiently to help American farmers cut costs. In a recent study, scientists from Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and College of Engineering found sweet corn can be grown using less water without sacrificing the flavor that consumers have come to expect.

A recent study published in National Science Review has revealed new insights into the global riverine carbon cycle. This study constructed global maps of riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, along with its radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C) and stable carbon isotope (δ¹³C) signatures, based on a comprehensive global database and machine learning approaches. It systematically elucidates the sources, spatial distribution, and age characteristics of riverine DOC, quantifies the contributions of different endmembers, and reveals how its age and origin are dynamically regulated by climate conditions, hydrological processes, and soil properties. The results show that soil carbon residence time plays a key role in determining the age of dissolved organic matter transported by global rivers. In particular, warming-induced permafrost thaw is accelerating the release of long-preserved “old carbon” into river systems. Once mobilized, this aged carbon can be transported downstream and participate in aquatic biogeochemical processes, potentially enhancing carbon cycle feedbacks to the climate system.