An international team of researchers from the U.S. and Kenya analyzed a trove of fossilized footprints that were left behind by a troop of eight hominins, first discovered nearly 50 years ago in northern Kenya. The team analyzed the anatomy and movement patterns of the fossil footprints and determined they were made by Paranthropus boisei; the conclusion was surprising because the tracks were similar sizes to those left by Homo erectus, which was long thought to be significantly larger than P. boisei. The new track site also reveals that adult male Paranthropus sometimes traveled in groups around the margins of Lake Turkana. 

A new study documents a set of fossil footprints preserving a snapshot of “fossil behavior” from an ancient hominin group along a lakeshore in northern Kenya around 1.4 million years ago. An international team of researchers from the US and Kenya found tracks showing eight Paranthropus boisei individuals — an extinct “cousin” of modern humans — in one place at one time. All of the individuals are thought to be adults, and some appear to have been much larger in body size than previous estimates based on rare fossil bones.

A localized study in Tiaty, Kenya, shows how climate variability and land-use change are reshaping pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods. Using satellite imagery, climate records, agroecological information, and socioeconomic data, researchers found shifts in vegetation, rainfall seasonality, livestock choices, and settlement patterns. The findings highlight the need for locally tailored adaptation strategies that support resilient livestock systems, sustainable rangeland management, and climate-smart farming.

A new study published in Big Earth Data proposes an operational framework that integrates multiple machine learning and deep learning models with high-resolution Sentinel-2 data to estimate agricultural drought conditions in irrigated and non-irrigated maize fields in Eastern Austria. Results from 2018–2023 show that deep learning models, particularly the Deep Neural Network (DNN), achieved the best performance, while non-irrigated fields exhibited higher prediction accuracy due to clearer drought signals, demonstrating the value of Sentinel-2–based deep learning for operational drought monitoring.

A recent study published in National Science Review developed an open-access interactive map of ARGs in Chinese soils. It revealed that the relative abundance of total ARGs and Rank I ARGs in croplands declined by 52.6% and 77.0%, respectively, after 2016, coinciding with the implementation of China’s National Action Plan to Contain Antimicrobial Resistance (2016–2020). The study further highlights chemical pollutants and agricultural activities as important factors for future environmental AMR management.

Biochar is widely used to improve soils, remove contaminants, recycle nutrients, and store carbon. Its quality and long-term stability are often assessed using static chemical indicators, particularly the molar hydrogen-to-organic-carbon ratio, known as H/Corg. Lower values generally indicate a more aromatic and potentially persistent carbon structure.