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Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Apr-2026 08:15 ET (13-Apr-2026 12:15 GMT/UTC)

Young scientists from across the UK shortlisted for largest unrestricted science prize

New York Academy of Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists today announced the Finalists for the 2026 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom. The Awards recognise scientific advances by UK researchers across Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering. Now in its ninth year, each Blavatnik Awards Laureate will receive an unrestricted £100,000 (US$135,000) prize, while the remaining six Finalists will be awarded £30,000 (US$40,400) each.

This year’s Finalists include:

Chemical Sciences Finalists

Michael J. Booth, PhD – University College London (UCL)

Mathew H. Horrocks, PhD – The University of Edinburgh

Maxie M. Roessler, DPhil – Imperial College London

Life Sciences Finalists

Nicholas R. Casewell, PhD – Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Thi Hoang Duong (Kelly) Nguyen, PhD – MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Pontus Skoglund, PhD – The Francis Crick Institute

Physical Sciences & Engineering Finalists

Radha Boya, PhD – The University of Manchester

Paola Pinilla, PhD – University College London (UCL)

Iestyn Woolway, PhD – Bangor University

Moving beyond money to measure the true value of Earth science information

University of California - Santa Barbara
Peer-Reviewed Publication

They’re all around us: sensors and satellites, radars and drones. These tools form vast remote sensing networks that collect data on the climate, the ground, the air, and the water. This information is immensely useful for research, conservation, and disaster preparedness. But, according to an interdisciplinary group of Earth science researchers in a paper led by Casey O’Hara of UC Santa Barbara, we’re only just scratching the surface of understanding just how beneficial Earth Science Information can be.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

When water meets rock: Exploring water quality impacts from legacy lithium mining in North Carolina

Duke University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

By investigating the residual effects of lithium mining on the quality of North Carolina water resources, researchers from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment shed light on potential impacts from future mining operations.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology

UW researchers use satellite data to quantify methane loss in the stratosphere

University of Washington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A University of Washington study shows that existing models underestimate methane loss in the stratosphere and generate uncertainty in the global methane budget — a key metric for tracking climate change.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Montana State study of turtle fossil narrows timeline of Cretaceous species migration

Montana State University

By dating the layer of sediment where the Basilemys fossil was found, students determined the creature was the oldest of its species ever discovered in North America.

Journal: Historical Biology

Seeing the whole from a part: Revealing hidden turbulent structures from limited observations and equations

Tokyo University of Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Turbulence can be found everywhere, from stirring in a teacup to currents in the planetary atmosphere. Predicting such flows is difficult, especially when only incomplete information is available. Now, researchers from Japan and the UK have shown that, in two-dimensional turbulent flows, observing only large-scale motion is sufficient to reconstruct the full flow. Their findings contribute to a deeper understanding of fluid dynamics, with implications for data-driven weather forecasting.

Journal: Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Why only a small number of planets are suitable for life

ETH Zurich
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The right amount of oxygen being present when the Earth’s core was formed meant that there were sufficient phosphorus and nitrogen available in the mantle and crust. This means the Earth was the beneficiary of a stroke of chemical good fortune in the universe. It is located in a zone with optimal chemical conditions for the development of life. When searching for life elsewhere in the universe, scientists should therefore look for solar systems that resemble our own. Focusing on water is not sufficient.

Journal: Nature Astronomy

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