High pressure-temperature experiments using a large-volume multianvil apparatus show that subducted carbonate addition promotes Ca-Mg exchange with silicates and enhances Ca incorporation under Fe-rich conditions, significantly boosting davemaoite exsolution in carbonate-altered oceanic crust. This reaction concentrates davemaoite to 12–33 vol.% near 560 km depth, producing the 2–4% impedance contrast required to explain the seismic splitting of the 520-km mantle discontinuity. Consequently, deep carbon cycling plays a crucial role in actively reshaping mantle mineral equilibria.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences, researchers at Sun Yat-sen University developed an SFA-based Climate Prediction (SCP) method, which directly extracted slow-varying predictable signals from observed precipitation data and applied it to seasonal prediction of summer precipitation over South China. Independent forecasts for 2011–2022 show that the SCP method achieves a regional mean temporal correlation coefficient of 0.36 and accurately predicted the sign of regional-mean precipitation anomalies in 10 of 12 summers, outperforming two dynamical models and a hybrid dynamical–statistical prediction system. The study provides a new perspective to identifying potentially predictable signals and improving regional seasonal precipitation prediction.

Shaft resistance of large-diameter bored piles is commonly estimated using empirical adhesion (α) and friction (β) factors, but their values vary widely and remain poorly defined for intermediate geomaterials (IGMs). In a new study, researchers developed field-calibrated empirical correlations by back-analyzing 20 instrumented static load tests. The proposed equations improve prediction of shaft resistance in clay, sand, and IGMs, enabling more reliable and economical foundation design in soil–rock transition environments.

Soil acidification threatens agricultural productivity across large areas of the world, but predicting how well biochar can restore acidic soils remains difficult. A new review suggests that artificial intelligence could help scientists move from trial-and-error applications toward more precise, mechanism-guided biochar management, provided that researchers improve the quality and biological relevance of the data used to train AI models.

Silver ions are widely used in industrial and antimicrobial applications, but their high mobility and toxicity can create serious risks when they enter aquatic environments. A new study published in Biochar shows that nano-biochar can rapidly convert dissolved silver ions into silver nanoparticles under carefully controlled alkaline conditions, revealing a key role for superoxide radicals in the process.

Advances in computing power helped scientists create a method for dating pottery purported to be ancient.

The method takes advantage of the fact that the firing and cooling of clay materials creates a virtual time stamp within their structures based on the orientation of Earth's magnetic field through time. 

Now that the method is established, the researchers intend to apply it to artifacts of debated authenticity in museums all over the world.