Earth

Climate

Rising CO₂ levels might not be as good for plants as we thought

A 20-year experiment spots a reversal in the way two kinds of plants take up extra carbon from the atmosphere.

Microbes

This plastic-gobbling enzyme just got an upgrade

Scientists tweaked a bacterial enzyme and made it more efficient in breaking down plastics found in polyester and plastic bottles.

Oceans

Masses of shrimp and krill may play a huge role in mixing oceans

Hoards of migrating shrimp and krill can cause large-scale turbulence in the ocean, a new study suggests.

Climate

Cargo ships must cut their emissions in half by 2050

A new international agreement places a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from international cargo ships.

Genetics

Sweet potatoes might have arrived in Polynesia long before humans

Genetic analysis suggests that sweet potatoes were present in Polynesia over 100,000 years ago, and didn’t need help crossing the Pacific.

Oceans

Ocean heat waves are becoming more common and lasting longer

Over the last 100 years, the world’s oceans have sweltered through a rising number of heat waves.

Environment

Microplastics may enter freshwater and soil via compost

Compost is pinpointed as a source of plastic pollution, but environmental fate and effects unknown.

Paleontology

This ancient lizard may have watched the world through four eyes

A lizard that lived 50 million years ago had both a third and a fourth eye.

Earth

Efforts to contain Mississippi floods may have made them worse

Intensive management of the Mississippi River has increased the size of its largest floods, suggests a new study.

Health & Medicine

Are we ready for the deadly heat waves of the future?

As heat waves become more common, cities try to respond.

Climate

Seafloor map shows why Greenland’s glaciers melt at different rates

A new high-res look at the seafloor shows how ledges and dips affects whether relatively warm ocean water reaches the ice.

Earth

Powerful New England quake recorded in pond mud

The newfound sediment signature of the 1755 Cape Ann earthquake could be used to trace other prehistoric temblors.