Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) refer to a group of man-made chemicals that are widely used due to their water- and stain-resistant properties and exceptional chemical stability. However, they often accumulate in the environment, causing environmental and health hazards. A team of researchers has recently shown how zinc oxide nanocrystals capped with specific ligands can efficiently defluorinate perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a well-known perfluoroalkyl substance. This approach could solve PFAS recycling challenges.

Aviation’s climate impact extends beyond carbon dioxide emissions. A new study from Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and Imperial College, UK, reveals that contrails can represent a significant portion of aviation’s overall climate cost. The study also shows that climate impact can be reduced by optimising flight routes.

In a new article in Nature Communications, The social costs of aviation CO₂ and contrail cirrus, the researchers demonstrate that both CO₂ emissions and contrail formation contribute materially to aviation’s climate impact – and that the associated societal costs differ substantially depending on weather patterns and routing decisions. They find that, at the global level, contrails account for about 15 percent of aviation’s climate impact when measured in economic terms.

Researchers developed DeepMet, a new AI system that sharply improves long-range weather forecasting across the U.S. The model predicts key temperature and humidity patterns up to 45 days ahead with far greater accuracy than current systems, helping identify extreme heat and cold events earlier. DeepMet offers faster, more reliable guidance for climate preparedness and public-health protection.

You're invited! Join us for a free, live online webinar featuring Prof. Dato’ Dr. Agamutu Pariatamby FASc, Senior Professor and globally recognized expert in sustainable waste and climate solutions from the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University, Malaysia.

Ocean data assimilation systems combine data assimilation with numerical ocean models to predict ocean conditions. Researchers recently created the Yin-He Global Ocean Data Assimilation and Forecast System (YHGO) to provide more accurate estimations of oceanic conditions than older platforms.

This paper elucidates the ecological context of two theropod dinosaurs of differing body sizes inhabiting the lakeshore region of Otog Banner, Inner Mongolia. The larger theropod exhibited a walking gait characterized by relatively short stride lengths, whereas the medium-sized theropod demonstrated a digitigrade posture indicative of rapid locomotion, achieving speeds up to 45 km/h. This represents the highest recorded speed among theropod dinosaur trackways from the Cretaceous period worldwide to date. Furthermore, these findings provide critical empirical evidence for advancing the understanding of the maximal locomotive capabilities of medium-sized theropods.The results were published as the cover paper in the 11th issue of Science China: Earth Sciences for 2025.

Large phytoplankton blooms north of the Hawaiian Islands have been seen in satellite imagery as vast swirls of color nearly every summer, but their origin and ecosystem dynamics have remained mysterious. A recent investigation revealed the confluence of conditions that support the explosion of photosynthetic microbes and the cascade of responses within the microscopic marine world. The highly multidisciplinary study offers the first comprehensive look at the anatomy of these massive biological events