317 news posts in Earth and beyond

Climate action

21 Feb 2025

Hurricane-proofed downtown skyscrapers unexpectedly vulnerable to ‘bouncing’ winds

In May 2024, a type of windstorm called derecho caused considerable damage to the facades of Houston’s tall buildings, which had been designed to withstand stronger, hurricane-strength winds. In contrast, hurricane Beryl in July 2024 caused only minimal damage to the same buildings. Researchers analyzed the damage from this derecho and used wind-tunnel modeling to simulate its unique wind loading effects on miniature tall buildings. They concluded that besides interference between groups of tall buildings, the unique characteristics of local events like derechos worsened the structural damage. This finding has implications for the design of future tall buildings and urban planning.

Environment

20 Feb 2025

‘Fog harvesting’ could yield water for drinking and agriculture in the world’s driest regions

A field study spanning a year showed that water collected from fog could ease water scarcity affecting vulnerable populations living in Chile’s Atacama Desert

Environment

18 Feb 2025

Restoring African grassland habitats makes life more peaceful for humans and wildlife, scientists find

Conservation researchers working on grassland restoration in Kenya found that larger areas of restored habitat reduced both social conflicts and human-wildlife conflicts.

Space sciences and astronomy

06 Feb 2025

Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving

Scientists explored microbial movement as a possible biosignature to detect life on Mars and beyond, cheaper and faster than ever before.

Space sciences and astronomy

03 Feb 2025

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Space belongs to no-one, yet many nations and private entities now plan to lay their claim on its resources. In a recent Frontiers in Space Technologies article, Nishith Mishra, Martina Elia Vitoloni and Dr Joseph Pelton shared their thoughts about how plans to exploit the ocean floors could impact the way resources from space are used and managed.

Climate action

27 Jan 2025

Empowering Amazonian communities: sustainable development through open science

The Amazon rainforest, often called the lungs of Earth, is a vast and intricate ecosystem. It hosts at least 10% of the world’s wildlife and is home to many indigenous peoples and local communities. This vast expanse of rainforest plays an important role in regulating the Earth's climate, sustaining the livelihoods of millions.

Environment

22 Jan 2025

Curious blue rings in trees and shrubs reveal cold summers of the past — potentially caused by volcanic eruptions

Blue growth rings found in woody plant stems represent years when cells did not lignify properly because of summers too cold for growth.

Climate action

12 Dec 2024

Sleepers made from recycled plastic could make railways even more eco-friendly

Part of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from railways lie in the energy used to produce and maintain the necessary infrastructure. Researchers from Finland here showed the feasibility of using more eco-friendly railway sleepers from two types of recycled plastic, liquid packaging board and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Carbon emissions saved each year by phasing out concrete sleepers and replacing them with such recycled plastic could amount to the equivalent of heating for 1,200 Finnish households.

Environment

06 Dec 2024

3D scans of giant hailstones reveal surprising discoveries that could help predict future storms

Scientists used CT scans to learn more about the anatomy of hailstones, information which could advance hail formation forecasting

Environment

05 Dec 2024

Gene editing and plant domestication essential to protect food supplies in a worsening climate, scientists say

To continue producing enough food for the world, we need to adapt our crops by changing their genetic code or by domesticating their more resilient ancestors

Environment

03 Dec 2024

Experts reveal how revolutionary technological advances could use the sun to source hydrogen fuel

Crucial advances in technology could allow us to harness the power of the sun to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and siphon off renewable fuel

Space sciences and astronomy

20 Nov 2024

Astronauts found to process some tasks slower in space, but no signs of permanent cognitive decline

Researchers found that astronauts’ processing speed, working memory, and attention slowed down, but a few months in space did not result in lasting cognitive impairment

Environment

18 Nov 2024

Migrating birds have stowaway passengers: invasive ticks could spread novel diseases around the world

Ticks have always travelled on migrating birds — but the rising temperatures of the climate crisis mean they may now survive at their destination, and so could the pathogens they carry.

Climate action

07 Nov 2024

Consistent climate action can change the air we breathe: Here are five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, it’s impossible to cover all of them. Here are just five amazing papers you may have missed.

Climate action

18 Oct 2024

Scientists create new overwintering sites for monarch butterflies on a warming planet

Migrating monarch butterflies depend on mountain forests of sacred firs in Mexico as overwintering sites. These forests are under threat from global warming. But researchers from Mexico have now shown that seedlings derived from their original range can be transplanted successfully to a new site further east, on the higher and colder volcano Nevado de Toluca. The resulting new stand of sacred firs could ultimately serve as the overwintering sites of the future.

Frontiers | Science News

Science News post list

317 news posts in Earth and beyond

Hurricane-proofed downtown skyscrapers unexpectedly vulnerable to ‘bouncing’ winds

‘Fog harvesting’ could yield water for drinking and agriculture in the world’s driest regions

Restoring African grassland habitats makes life more peaceful for humans and wildlife, scientists find

Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Empowering Amazonian communities: sustainable development through open science

Curious blue rings in trees and shrubs reveal cold summers of the past — potentially caused by volcanic eruptions

Sleepers made from recycled plastic could make railways even more eco-friendly

3D scans of giant hailstones reveal surprising discoveries that could help predict future storms

Gene editing and plant domestication essential to protect food supplies in a worsening climate, scientists say

Experts reveal how revolutionary technological advances could use the sun to source hydrogen fuel

Astronauts found to process some tasks slower in space, but no signs of permanent cognitive decline

Migrating birds have stowaway passengers: invasive ticks could spread novel diseases around the world

Consistent climate action can change the air we breathe: Here are five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

Scientists create new overwintering sites for monarch butterflies on a warming planet