New techniques have enabled researchers in Sweden to begin decoding how one of Northern Europe's most important coniferous tree species switches from growing branches to producing cones – their seed-bearing reproductive organs.

A new review in SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences maps how different types of RNAs regulate growth, development, and stress responses in plants. The authors synthesize decades of research and provide a roadmap for harnessing RNA-based strategies to address food security and sustainable agriculture in a changing climate.

As Africa prepares for the arrival of a powerful El Niño weather event, an international team of researchers has found that access to improved forecasts alone will not protect many of the region’s poorest livestock farmers from the impacts of climate change.

When will the glacier in your valley disappear? Will the glacier you visited as a child still exist in 2050? And how much difference would limiting global warming make? Scientists have launched the Global Glacier Extinction Explorer, a new interactive website that allows anyone to explore the projected future of individual glaciers around the world. By zooming in on www.glacierextinction.com, users can investigate whether, and approximately when, a glacier is projected to disappear under different levels of global warming. The platform builds on a recent study published in Nature Climate Change, led by researchers from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel together with an international research team. The study provided the first global assessment of the disappearance of individual glaciers and showed that the world is approaching a period of unprecedented glacier extinction. The website was developed by lead author Lander Van Tricht (ETH Zurich / VUB) together with Kristof Van Tricht (VITO Remote Sensing), translating the scientific projections into an accessible interactive map.

A Changing Carbon Balance

Soil organic carbon supports soil health, water retention, nutrient cycling, soil structure, and microbial diversity. A review led by Nanthi Bolan examines how climate change-induced droughts, floods, and wildfires can alter these functions by changing carbon inputs, decomposition, erosion, and the movement of dissolved organic carbon.

The analysis places soil carbon within the wider climate system. Depending on environmental conditions and land management, soils can either store carbon or contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions. The authors argue that protecting soil carbon is important not only for climate mitigation but also for sustaining agricultural productivity and ecosystem services.

Mapping the Evidence

On 14 January 2026, the authors searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science using terms related to climate change, extreme weather, soil carbon, microbial activity, decomposition, erosion, dissolved organic matter, and leaching. The initial search produced 14,218 records. After duplicate removal and eligibility screening, 3,754 articles were retained for bibliometric and qualitative analysis.