Reflooding the Aral Sea could prevent massive CO₂ emissions
About 90% of the Aral Sea has dried up. The exposed sediments have already released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide (748 megatons) since 1960. However, through restoration, the lake could once again become a carbon sink. This is shown by a study by the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), published in Science, in which the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) participated. Hydrological restoration of the desiccated sediments would prevent emissions equivalent to Spain's total emissions over three years—namely, around 605 megatons, according to the research team's calculations.
A strange quantum effect dramatically boosts energy transfer
Electron and proton motion often work together in both living systems and engineered materials. The most familiar example is proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), a process that plays a central role in bioenergetics, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation. PCET has also influenced the design of many artificial materials used for energy conversion and storage. More recently, scientists identified another related process known as proton-coupled singlet energy transfer (PCEnT).
In Kyushu's decorated tombs, humans were never meant to be individuals
When you first step into Japan's Kyushu tombs, the first thing you notice is nothing at all. "When you enter, you're engulfed by darkness; you can smell earth and stone, and you have the sensation of being enclosed …," said Claudia Zancan, a Ph.D. candidate who examined these sixth to seventh-century tombs. "Without a torch, you can't move at all."
Can hedging make you a better communicator?
"People hedge all the time," says Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger. "Whether we are talking to a boss or a colleague, a salesperson talking to a client, a marketer trying to pitch something or even talking to family members, we often say things like 'That could work' or 'This might be a good approach.' But how does hedging impact persuasion? And might certain types of hedges be more impactful than others?"
Q&A: What happens when producers are responsible for recycling their products and packaging?
Who should pay when a product becomes waste—the company that made it or the public? That question sits at the center of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy strategy that shifts recycling costs onto manufacturers to reduce waste and promote more eco-friendly design. Used in more than 100 countries for packaging, electronics, mattresses and batteries, EPR is gaining traction in the U.S. Seven states have passed legislation requiring producers to cover the costs of recycling their packaging.
How to unlock unlimited geothermal energy, anywhere we want | New Scientist
A geothermal power station in Iceland’s Hengill region, one of the few countries with natural geothermal reservoirs that allows it to turn underground heat into power
Ancient DNA reveals a chilling secret at China’s 4,000-year-old Shimao city
Ancient DNA is revealing new details about the people who lived at Shimao, one of the most important late Neolithic settlements in China. The findings, published in Nature, clarify the population's origins, family relationships, and social organization. They also identify genetic connections with communities farther south and provide evidence that mass burials linked to human sacrifice at the site largely contained men.
Great Barrier Reef at risk of 'collapse', scientists warn
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is at very high risk of extreme and widespread bleaching and "ecosystem collapse" linked to this year's El Niño weather phenomenon, leading scientists warned Tuesday.
A hidden “switch-off” signal could predict solar storms seven years early
Scientists have developed a forecasting technique that could reveal the strength of the Sun's next activity cycle as many as seven years before it reaches its maximum.
The method focuses on the number of sunspots present at a newly identified "switch-off" stage in the solar cycle. At this point, the Sun's most severe space weather appears to end abruptly. Researchers have already used the approach to produce an early estimate for Solar Cycle 26.
Fires in Brazil's Amazon dropped to historic low in 2025
Forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon fell to a historic low in 2025 after peaking the previous year, according to a report published Tuesday.