Earth science – Page 3
-
ResearchPerseverance rover reveals rocks on Mars were repeatedly exposed to liquid water
Suite of analytical tools provides new insight into red planet’s geochemistry
-
OpinionJames Lovelock, a gentleman scientist
Philip Ball reflects on the legacy of the creator of the Gaia hypothesis, who has died aged 103
-
ResearchRadiation discovered to be a major overlooked source of natural gas generation in shales
Uranium and thorium may be responsible for producing a significant portion of hydrocarbons in some fracking wells
-
FeatureThe secrets of the sulfur cycle
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur, and this could impact our ability to correctly model the climate. Rachel Brazil talks to the researchers trying to fill in the gaps.
-
FeatureDrilling deep to discover the secrets of the mantle
Nina Notman hears from the scientists trying to pierce the Earth’s crust below the seafloor to learn more about our home planet
-
ResearchSimulations reveal how manipulating ocean acidity could lower atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
Strategy would see surface acidity pumped into deeper ocean layers
-
OpinionThe seabirds saved by synthetic chemistry
How an agricultural demand for bird poo almost destroyed an island group’s ecosystem
-
FeatureThe RSC’s climate challenge
The Royal Society of Chemistry aims to use Cop26 as a springboard to a more sustainable future. Rachel Brazil reports
-
BusinessBees face a barrage of chemical and environmental burdens
Better understanding of the combined effects of multiple stress factors could help reduce pollinator decline
-
ResearchChemical definition of brine as water could help clear up Chile’s lithium controversy
As evidence grows that lithium mining damages water sources, reclassifying brine as water – rather than as mineral – could empower Indigenous communities to protect their rights and convince mining companies to act more responsibly
-
ResearchTusk isotopes reveal a mammoth’s life
17,000 years after its death, scientists use strontium analysis to trace animal’s movements throughout its 28-year life
-
ResearchOldest human-made quasicrystal discovered in remains of first nuclear blast
Almost 76 years ago, US scientists set off the first nuclear bomb – and accidentally created the first synthetic quasicrystal
-
FeatureHow should chemical mixtures be regulated?
Nina Notman explores the challenge of assessing and managing risk from the coincidental chemical mixtures to which humans and the environment are exposed
-
-
ResearchA glimpse at alien volcanoes that spew metal
Hypothetical ferrovolcanoes explored with world’s only lava flow simulator
-
OpinionSpringing up from the soil
Can we fix nitrogen for plants – and the problem of nitrogen pollution?
-
FeatureGetting to the root of soil nitrogen
The farming industry’s reliance on nitrogen compounds is altering the environment, but Ian Le Guillou finds a better understanding of the interplay between plants and microbes could help to reduce the impact
-
OpinionVolunteers are keeping a vigilant eye on volcanoes in the West Indies
Community monitoring of seismic activity
-
FeatureMarking the Anthropocene
The idea that we’re in a human-influenced geological epoch is gaining traction, but how will future geologists measure it? Rachel Brazil finds out
-
ResearchElectric fields deep in Earth’s mantle helps diamond crystallise
Electrochemical experiments under extreme conditions show diamonds forming from molten carbonate rocks