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Deadly scorpions are picky about their soil
Dirt may help map where scorpions live—and potentially save lives.
Scientists make microplastics glow to see what they do inside your body
Microplastics and nanoplastics are now found everywhere on Earth, from ocean depths to agricultural soils and even inside the human body. Yet scientists still struggle to understand what these particles actually do once they enter living organisms. A new study proposes an innovative fluorescence-based strategy that could allow researchers to track microplastics in real time as they move, transform, and degrade inside biological systems.
Bridging the Gap Between Soil Science and Collective Action
The Save Soil movement converges spiritual vision, digital infrastructures, and transnational advocacy mobilizing people at scale.
Why this rust-like mineral is one of Earth’s best carbon vaults
A common iron mineral hiding in soil turns out to be far better at trapping carbon than scientists realized. Its surface isn’t uniform — it’s a nanoscale patchwork of positive and negative charges that can grab many different organic molecules. Instead of relying on a single weak attraction, the mineral uses several bonding strategies to hold carbon tightly in place. This helps explain how soils store enormous amounts of carbon for the long term.
Do weeds really love poor soil? Not if you look at the science
It's a truism that weeds love poor soil, but is there anything to it? And what is a weed, anyway? James Wong investigates
'Nitrogen fixing' trees could help tropical forests bounce back, research suggests
On the narrow isthmus of Panama, scientists discovered adding nitrogen to the soil doubled tree growth, providing new insights into forest restoration.
Scientists call for urgent action as dangerous amoebas spread globally
Scientists are warning that a little-known group of microbes called free-living amoebae may pose a growing global health threat. Found in soil and water, some species can survive extreme heat, chlorine, and even modern water systems—conditions that kill most germs. One infamous example, the “brain-eating amoeba,” can cause deadly infections after contaminated water enters the nose. Even more concerning, these amoebae can act as hiding places for dangerous bacteria and viruses, helping them evade disinfection and spread.
Ron DeSantis rips Gavin Newsom for 'frolicking' at Davos, dissing Donald Trump on foreign soil
The most one-sided feud between two Governors in American politics continues.
World enters 'era of global water bankruptcy': UN scientists formally define new post-crisis reality for billions
Amid chronic groundwater depletion, water overallocation, land and soil degradation, deforestation, and pollution, all compounded by global heating, a UN report today declared the dawn of an era of global ...
Scientists found the soil secret that doubles forest regrowth
New research shows tropical forests can recover twice as fast after deforestation when their soils contain enough nitrogen. Scientists followed forest regrowth across Central America for decades and found that nitrogen plays a decisive role in how quickly trees return. Faster regrowth also means more carbon captured from the atmosphere. The study points to smarter reforestation strategies that work with nature rather than relying on fertilizers.
The moon has been stealing Earth’s atmosphere for billions of years
Particles from Earth’s atmosphere have been carried into space by solar wind and landing on the moon for billions of years, mixing into the lunar soil, according to a new study.
Science army mobilizes to map U.S. soil microbiome
Massive endeavor including Hopkins researchers and students aims to understand the planet's most biodiverse habitats
Earth has been feeding the moon for billions of years
Tiny bits of Earth’s atmosphere have been drifting to the moon for billions of years, guided by Earth’s magnetic field. Rather than blocking particles, the magnetic field can funnel them along invisible lines that sometimes stretch all the way to the moon. This explains mysterious gases found in Apollo samples and suggests lunar soil may hold a long-term archive of Earth’s history. It could also become a valuable resource for future lunar explorers.
Supreme Court’s National Guard decision could force new debate over how Trump could use Insurrection Act
The Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday blocking President Donald Trump from sending the National Guard into American cities is likely to raise a politically fraught debate about the president’s willingness to invoke a 19th century law to deploy the regular military on American soil instead.
Blending Science and Indigenous Knowledge to Tell an Estuary’s Story
A new study of nutrient levels in soil cores supports oral Indigenous history, informing future estuary restoration efforts.
WHO highlights health risks and opportunities in the global waste crisis
A new World Health Organization (WHO) report, Throwing away our health: the impacts of solid waste on human health – evidence, knowledge gaps and health sector responses, warns that poorly managed solid waste is driving a public health crisis and calls for urgent action to protect people and the environments they live in.Globally, the volume of municipal solid waste is growing at an unprecedented rate. Yet, many countries still lack the systems and resources to manage this waste safely. “Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director a.i., Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration at the World Health Organization. “If we continue to treat waste as an afterthought, we will lock in avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities. This report is a clear call to put health and equity at the centre of how we design, manage and ultimately reduce waste.”The report summarizes evidence on how solid waste – especially municipal solid waste – affects health through polluted air, water, soil and food. When waste is not collected, or is dumped, burned or not poorly treated, it can release hazardous chemicals, contaminate drinking-water sources and create breeding grounds for insects and rodents.Communities underserved by waste management services, those living near dumpsites and poorly managed landfills and incinerators, children and pregnant women, as well as waste workers – particularly those working informally – face the greatest risks. For the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) community, the report underlines that safe management of municipal and health care waste is integral to safely managed, climate-resilient systems.A large share of municipal solid waste is still not collected or is disposed of in uncontrolled conditions, including open dumpsites and open burning. These practices damage ecosystems, contribute to climate change and undermine efforts to build healthy cities. When waste is properly managed, however, it can become a resource – generating energy and creating green jobs. The report calls for a coordinated, multisectoral response grounded in the waste hierarchy: preventing waste where possible, then reducing, reusing and recycling, with safe recovery and disposal.Key actions for governments and partners include reducing waste generation at source; expanding affordable and reliable waste collection services, especially in underserved communities; improving control at recovery and disposal facilities; and eliminating open dumping and burning, including hazardous waste. The new report identifies a central role for the health sector in addressing solid waste as a public health threat. The health sector can prevent and minimize health-care waste at source, improve segregation and safe treatment, invest in cleaner climate-resilient technologies, and advocate for health-protective policies and standards. The report also encourages more surveillance, research and biomonitoring to strengthen the evidence base, and promotes social protection and inclusion of informal waste workers.“This report gives countries and health authorities a very practical agenda,” said Mr Bruce Gordon, Head, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit, WHO. “Health ministries can start now by ensuring safe management of health-care waste, developing strong occupational health programmes for waste workers, and working with municipalities to reduce health risks from solid waste by closing open dumps and burn sites and gradually improving towards safe services. These concrete steps save lives today and will make cities cleaner and healthier in the future.
Prairie strips can rapidly improve soil health
Prairie strips can improve measures of soil health faster than expected, according to new research by Iowa State University scientists working in cooperation with the Soil Health Institute. Earlier studies have shown that prairie strips established in approximately 10% of a field can significantly increase biodiversity and pollinator habitat, reduce erosion and improve water quality. However, strips’ impacts on soil health have remained largely unexamined until now. Findings published recently in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation showed that prairie strips improved a number of soil health measures within 10-12 years.