New research led by a York University professor sheds light on the earliest days of the earth’s formation and potentially calls into question some earlier assumptions in planetary science about the early years of rocky planets. Establishing a direct link between the Earth’s interior dynamics occurring within the first 100 million years of its history and its present-day structure, the work is one of the first in the field to combine fluid mechanics with chemistry to better understand the Earth's early evolution.  

Los Angeles has some of the strictest tree planting rules in the nation. These policies limit tree growth, worsen shade disparities and don’t improve safety, researchers found. When USC Dornsife researchers modeled looser planting restrictions in a lower-income neighborhood, potential tree space increased by nearly 26%. But narrow sidewalks and dense infrastructure still limited where larger, shade trees could thrive. Many of L.A.’s strict tree-spacing rules are internal guidelines — not laws — meaning they could be updated more easily to allow for more trees. Closing L.A.’s shade gap, however, will require more than policy tweaks; infrastructure investments are also needed.

The longest organic molecules identified to date on Mars have recently been detected by scientists from the CNRS¹, together with their colleagues from France, the United States of America, Mexico and Spain. These long carbon chains, containing up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms, could exhibit features similar to the fatty acids produced on Earth by biological activity². The lack of geological activity and the cold, arid climate on Mars have helped preserve this invaluable organic matter in a clay-rich sample for the past 3.7 billion years. It therefore dates from the period during which life first emerged on Earth. These findings are due to be published on March 24^th 2025 in the journal PNAS.