In the first study to consider the long-term evolution of the rivers that flow beneath glaciers, researchers have new insights into the future of Antarctica’s melting ice that may change the way climate scientists predict the effects of a warming planet.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment led the project that studied Aurora Subglacial Basin and modelled its subglacial hydrology —the flow of water at the base of the ice. They compared drainage systems at various times ranging from 34 million years ago to 75 years from now.

A forest with high tree-species diversity is better at buffering heat peaks in summer and cold peaks in winter than a forest with fewer tree species. This is the result of a study led by researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig University, and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). The study was carried out in a large-scale planted forest experiment in China, and has been published in the journal Ecology Letters. It provides yet another argument for diversifying tree species in forests, especially under ongoing climate change.

Researchers have engineered yeast to efficiently convert methanol into D-lactic acid, a key compound for biodegradable plastics and pharmaceuticals. By optimizing gene and promoter combinations, they achieved the highest reported yield to date, offering a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based production. Their findings advance eco-friendly chemical manufacturing.

An international study, with the participation of INRAE and the CEA, has discovered that the majority of terrestrial carbon sequestered over the last 30 years is stored in nonliving forms such as the bottom of lakes and rivers, wetlands and soils. Until now, forests were considered to be the main carbon sinks on terrestrial surfaces. However, an analysis of carbon fluxes over the last few decades reveals that, if we take into account gains and losses on a global scale, only around 6% of the total sequestered carbon is stored in live biomass. This loss could be the result of forest degradation in many parts of the world—caused by fires, droughts and deforestation. Very little is known about the key sequestration processes in these nonliving pools, and currently, many are not included in global models of changes in carbon stocks. Published on 20 March 2025 in Science, these results could help to better predict the future trajectory of these reservoirs and how they are affected by human activities and climate change.