Miniaturized stone tools have long been recognized as hallmarks of human adaptation, but their role in South China has remained scarcely investigated. 

Allowing dairy cows to graze on fresh grass in open pastures for a significant proportion of the year seems more natural and sustainable. And there are proven advantages for the environment: stable grasslands promote biodiversity, protect the soil, and support carbon storage. However, farms face challenges as they are heavily dependent on the weather and the time of the year. Farming is more productive when the pastures have a wide variety of different grasses, herbs and legumes, such as clover and chicory. A research team at the University of Göttingen has analysed this strategy using a meta-analysis of a number of studies. The analysis showed that the diversity of pastureland has no effect on milk production or on emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, which cows emit mainly when they burp. However, a higher proportion of legumes can promote milk production. The results were published in the journal Food and Energy Security.

Glaciers are fighting back against climate change by cooling the air that touches their surfaces. But for how long? The Pellicciotti group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has compiled and re-analyzed an unprecedented dataset of on-glacier observations worldwide. Their findings, published in Nature Climate Change, demonstrate that glaciers will likely reach the peak of their self-cooling power by the next decade before their near-surface temperatures spike up and melting accelerates.

A 6-year cohort study conducted by researchers from Japan, comprising nearly 39,000 older adults found that people living in rental flats and owner-occupied detached houses face higher risks of cardiovascular death compared with those in owner-occupied flats. The study attributes to the increased risk to colder, less stable indoor temperatures in these housing types and suggests that improving housing quality to address these issues could lower cardiovascular mortality, particularly among men.

Microscopic organisms that regulate Earth’s climate and sustain ocean ecosystems take centre stage in a new awareness campaign. Five European research organisations propose 10 October as International Coccolithophore Day, highlighting the calcite-plated plankton that drive the ocean's carbon cycle, shape the climate, and support food webs. Their plates sink to archive climate history, while European projects track how warming, acidification, and ecology affect carbon storage.