Since the beginning of Earth's history, tiny particles of rock and metal from space have been hitting our planet. On clear nights, we can even see their traces as shooting stars. Trapped in layers of rock, these micrometeorites can remain preserved for billions of years. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen and including the Open University, the University of Pisa, and Leibniz University Hannover has developed a method that allows them to reconstruct the atmosphere of the past using fossilized micrometeorites. The results were published in Communications Earth & Environment.

Many soil microbes play a vital role in ecosystems, as they help plants access nutrients and water and assist in stress tolerance such as during drought and to defend against pathogens. One such group of soil microbes are arbuscular mycorrhizal, aka AM, fungi, which are associated with the roots of approximately 70% of plant species on land.  new Dartmouth-led study reports on how global climate conditions affect AM fungal spore traits and the species biogeographic patterns. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

A study of jewel wasps, known for their distinctive metallic colours, has shown that they can undergo a kind of natural ‘time-out’ as larvae before emerging into adulthood with this surprising advantage

University of Missouri researchers have devised a more efficient and precise method for manufacturing computer chips: ultraviolet-enabled atomic layer deposition (UV-ALD). It uses UV light to precisely control where a thin layer of material — often a metal oxide — is applied during fabrication. The metal oxide coatings help direct the flow of electricity through each transistor, improving the overall efficiency of the chip. This targeted approach could reduce manufacturing steps, saving both time and materials.

To bring fusion power to the grid, researchers will need to know how to make the most of tritium, a rare fusion fuel. A new study provides insights into what is responsible for trapping most of the tritium that winds up embedded in the walls of doughnut-shaped fusion systems known as tokamaks. Conducted in the tokamak known as DIII-D, the research found that the dominant driver of fuel retention is co-deposition: the trapping of fuel alongside lithium that is added during plasma operation, as well as lithium that is eroded and subsequently redeposited. 

Since March 2022, the global community has been negotiating a global plastics treaty within the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – but no agreement has been reached so far. From 5 to 14 August, the next round of negotiations in Geneva (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) 5.2) will make another attempt to reach a legally binding agreement aimed at ending global plastic pollution. Plastic pollution harms not only the environment and human health but also the climate. Environmental chemist Prof. Dr Annika Jahnke and ecotoxicologist Dr Dana Kühnel from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) are advocating cooperation between the scientific, regulatory, industrial, and civil society sectors in order to achieve far-reaching improvements in pollution levels as quickly as possible. Within the INC 5.2 negotiations, they will support the “Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty” and the German delegation.