EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science - News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Feb-2026 00:11 ET (26-Feb-2026 05:11 GMT/UTC)

Solved: New analysis of Apollo Moon samples finally settles debate about lunar magnetic field

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, have resolved a long-standing debate about the strength of the Moon’s magnetic field. For decades, scientists have argued whether the Moon had a strong or weak magnetic field during its early history (3.5 - 4 billion years ago). Now a new analysis – published today (26 February) in Nature Geoscience – shows that both sides of the debate are effectively correct.

Journal: Nature Geoscience

Engineered biochar could unlock more effective and scalable solutions for soil and water pollution

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists are refining a promising climate-smart material that could help clean polluted soils, protect water resources, and support more sustainable agriculture. A new review highlights how engineering biochar with magnetic and mineral modifications may significantly expand its environmental applications while overcoming key practical limitations.

Journal: Biochar

Tropical flowers are blooming weeks later than they used to through climate change

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Climate change has caused some tropical plants to flower earlier or later than they used to, in some cases by a matter of weeks or even months, according to a study of 8,000 flowers across more than two centuries, published February 25, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Skylar Graves and Erin Manzitto-Tripp of the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Journal: PLOS One

Applied Microbiology International launches new report on improving soil health in the UK

Applied Microbiology International
Reports and Proceedings

Scientists have warned that the world’s tiniest organisms need to be taken into account in efforts to improve soil health. AMI has launched a new policy report setting out key recommendations to support the long-term protection, restoration and sustainable management of soils across the UK’s four nations.

Vertebrate paleontology has a numbers problem. Computer vision can help

Florida Museum of Natural History
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How many fossils does it take to accurately train an image-based AI algorithm? According to a new study, the answer is much smaller than previously thought, with big implications for the field of paleontology.

Journal: Paleobiology
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, Florida Museum of Natural History

‘Tiny’ dinosaur, big impact: 90-million-year-old fossil rewrites history

University of Minnesota
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team co-led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researcher Peter Makovicky and Argentinean colleague Sebastian Apesteguía has identified a 90-million-year-old fossil that provides the “missing link” for a mysterious group of prehistoric animals.

Journal: Nature

Code for Earth launches 2026 climate and weather data challenges

ECMWF
Business Announcement

ECMWF has launched a new round of Code for Earth data challenges, inviting innovators to develop open-source solutions to real-world weather and climate problems. This year’s challenges are related to wildfires, floods, machine learning reliability, and for the first time, a dedicated stream focused on joint challenges with African partners.

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