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Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Oct-2026 04:16 ET (21-Oct-2026 08:16 GMT/UTC)

Concrete waste from nuclear sites could help lock away radioactive strontium for the long term

University of Manchester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research shows concrete can react and become a long‑term sink for strontium-90, particularly when exposed to air or treated with phosphate. This means crushed concrete from legacy nuclear facilities could play a far greater role in safely managing radioactive land than previously understood.

Journal: ACS ES&T Water

Chonnam National University identifies dual-function rice gene that boosts drought tolerance and grain yield

Chonnam National University, The Research Information Management Team, Office of Research Promotion
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As climate change intensifies drought stress and threatens agricultural productivity, improving crop resilience has become increasingly important. Now, researchers from Chonnam National University have identified OsFeSOD3, a rice gene that coordinates chloroplast development and protection against stress-induced reactive oxygen species. Rice plants overexpressing OsFeSOD3 produced 33–42% higher grain yields under drought conditions across two growing seasons. This discovery offers a promising strategy for developing climate-resilient, high-yield crops worldwide.

Journal: Plant Biotechnology Journal

World first as ECMWF brings cloud radar data into its global forecasting system

ECMWF
Business Announcement

New cloud radar data from the ESA-JAXA EarthCARE space mission is being assimilated into the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF)’s global forecasting system for the first time.

Nanoparticle exsolution opens a new route to functional oxide electronics and spintronics

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers demonstrate a giant insulator-to-metal transition and room-temperature superparamagnetism by controlling defect reconstruction and nickel nanoparticle formation in perovskite oxide thin films.

Journal: Advanced Materials

Ancient subduction zones helped create hotspots of mineral wealth

University of Sydney
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research by a PhD student at the University of Sydney shows how plate tectonics offers framework for finding copper, zinc and lead deposits.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Geoscience Australia, Australian Research Council

UT climate model of last year’s July 4 storms suggests that sea surface temperatures actually reduced rainfall

University of Texas at Austin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The July 4, 2025 rain storm — which caused catastrophic flooding that killed at least 139 people — very well could have been worse. Above-average sea surface temperatures in the days leading up to the storm weakened an air current called the Great Plains low-level jet, thus weakening this enormous rainstorm. Had sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico been at the 40-year average for this week in early July, the researchers estimate that rainfall totals could have been 5-8% higher over Central Texas.

Journal: Geophysical Research Letters

The miracle microbes that could save crops from impact of rising sea levels

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of East Anglia researchers have helped uncover a hidden ally in the fight against one of agriculture’s greatest threats - salty soil. The new study shows how naturally occurring soil bacteria can dramatically boost plants’ ability to survive in salty conditions. The findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism by which microbes help plants – including maize, tomato and rapeseed - survive in harsh environments. It is hoped that the breakthrough could herald a new era of climate-resilient agriculture.

Journal: Science Advances

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