EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science - News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Apr-2025 10:08 ET (25-Apr-2025 14:08 GMT/UTC)

How did the division of labor emerge in animals and humans? Little-known organisms hold clues

University of Colorado at Boulder
Peer-Reviewed Publication

You've probably seen bryozoans at the beach without even knowing it—some look like floating balls of mucus, while others resemble a bit of crust growing over docks and other hard surfaces. According to a new study, these strange organisms may reveal how colony-forming animals evolved a system for divvying up jobs millions of years ago.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

Scientists issue call to action underlining importance of microbial solutions to tackle climate crisis

Applied Microbiology International
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ahead of COP29, Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has partnered with leading global scientific organisations to issue a unified call to action, spotlighting microbial solutions as pivotal in combating climate change.

In a strategic publication, released in multiple high-impact scientific journals at once, the joint paper advocates for the establishment of a global science-driven climate task force. This initiative aims to expedite the deployment of microbiome technologies, providing stakeholders worldwide with access to effective and immediate solutions.

Journal: Sustainable Microbiology

AMS Science Preview: Turbulence & thunderstorms, heat stress, future derechos

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research published early online in journals of the American Meteorological Society spotlights a new metric for heat stress at extreme temperatures, lengthening hurricane seasons, future derechos and precipitation extremes, and thunderstorms causing aircraft turbulence at long distances.

Journal: Journal of Climate

Measurements from ‘lost’ Seaglider offer new insights into Antarctic ice melting

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research reveals for the first time how a major Antarctic ice shelf has been subjected to increased melting by warming ocean waters over the last four decades.

Scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) say the study - the result of their autonomous Seaglider getting accidentally stuck underneath the Ross Ice Shelf - suggests this will likely only increase further as climate change drives continued ocean warming.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council, U.S. National Science Foundation, H2020 European Research Council

Pioneering Planetary Boundaries science as key to mitigating rising planetary risks

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Planetary Boundaries framework is a pivotal tool for tackling the climate crisis and safeguarding humanity’s future on Earth. For the first time, the full story of the Planetary Boundaries is now being told from its beginning: In a review, researchers highlight the growing influence of the framework across disciplines and its impact on society and policy. The paper offers a unique overview of how the framework has been adopted across sectors. It also underscores how, 15 years after its initial proposal, PB science has become widely recognised as crucial for advancing the global sustainability agenda in an era of rising planetary risks.

Journal: Nature Reviews Earth & Environment

“Allegations of maladaptation harm the poor”

University of Bonn
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku (Azerbaijan) from November 11 to 22, 2024 will also address the sensitive issue of financing adaptation strategies. Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper from the Department of Geographical Development Research at the University of Bonn and Dr. Aditi Mukherji from CGIAR, warn in the journal Science against misusing the alleged lack of measurability of climate change adaptation strategies to cut funding. Both scientists were involved in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Journal: Science

Could crowdsourcing hold the key to early wildfire detection?

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

USC computer science researchers have developed a new crowdsourcing system that dramatically slashes wildfire mapping time from hours to seconds using a network of low-cost mobile phones mounted on properties in high fire threat areas. In computer simulations, the system, FireLoc, detected blazes igniting up to 3,000 feet away and successfully mapped wilderness fires to within 180 feet of their origin.

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