For The Past 70 Years, The Danube Has Almost Never Frozen Over

Today, only the eldest inhabitants of the Danube Delta recall that, in the past, you could skate on the river practically every winter; since the second half of the 20th century, Europe’s second-largest river has only rarely frozen over. The reason: the rising winter and water temperatures in Central and Eastern Europe, as a German-Romanian research team recently determined. Their analysis has just been published in the online magazine Scientific Reports.

A New Wrinkle to the Limits of Life on Earth

Glacial retreat in cold, high-altitude ecosystems exposes environments that are extremely sensitive to phosphorus input, new University of Colorado Boulder-led research shows. The finding upends previous ecological assumptions, helps scientists understand plant and microbe responses to climate change and could expand scientists’ understanding of the limits to life on Earth.

Continental Growth Spurt 2.4B Years Ago Brought Snow, Oxygen

Earth’s first snow may have fallen after a lot of land rose swiftly from the sea and set off dramatic changes on Earth 2.4 billion years ago, says UO geologist Ilya Bindeman.

‘Deforestation-Free’ Palm Oil Not as Simple as it Sounds

Genuinely ‘deforestation-free’ palm oil products are problematic to guarantee, according to a new study.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil that is used in thousands of products worldwide, including an estimated 50% of all products on supermarkets shelves, from food to detergents to cosmetics.

Bumblebees Confused by Iridescent Colours

Iridescence is a form of structural colour which uses regular repeating nanostructures to reflect light at slightly different angles, causing a colour-change effect.

Dusty Rainfall Records Reveal New Understanding of Climate

Ancient rainfall records stretching 550,000 years into the past may upend scientists' understanding of what controls the Asian summer monsoon and other aspects of the Earth's long-term climate, reports a University of Arizona-led international team of researchers in the May 25 issue of the journal Science.  

Researchers Identify Bacteria and Viruses Ejected from the Ocean

Certain types of bacteria and viruses are readily ejected into the atmosphere when waves break while other taxa are less likely to be transported by sea spray into the air, researchers reported May 22.

Forecasters predict a near- or above-normal 2018 Atlantic hurricane season

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a 75-percent chance that the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season will be near- or above-normal.

Embracing ‘citified’ agriculture means rethinking land use priorities

Community gardens, the feel-good darlings of the growing season, are great for raising awareness about sustainability—but they’re just scratching the surface of a much larger harvest, according to a University of Alberta researcher.

Heat Wave Kills Dozens in Pakistan

South Asia is in the midst of an intense, weeks-long bout of heat and extreme weather. For the last four days, daytime temperatures in Karachi, Pakistan hovered around 111 degrees Fahrenheit. At least 65 people have died so far and widespread power outages threaten the health of tens of thousands of others. Forecasters predict the heat wave will continue into June, with temperatures soaring to 122 degrees in the coming days.