Researchers at Northumbria University have used the most powerful space telescope ever built to answer one of the longest-standing puzzles in planetary science – why does Saturn appear to spin at a different speed depending on how you measure it?

The cascading impacts of extreme climate-related events must be incorporated into risk models and management, say Laurie Huning and Manuela Brunner in a Perspective. “Although the interconnectivity among these occurrences is becoming more important with global warming, the relationship is often not well described, monitored, or represented in hazard models,” they say. “This hinders accurate estimations of damages and effective preventative strategies.” Climate-related natural disasters, such as wildfires, droughts, and floods, can trigger cascading consequences that ripple across the globe, resulting in far-reaching environmental, social, economic, and public health impacts. For example, the 2023 Canadian wildfires – amplified by an extreme heatwave – caused widespread landscape destruction and generated dense smoke plumes that degraded air quality and affected human health across North America and western Europe. Moreover, when smoke particles settled on snow and glaciers, they accelerated melting and disrupted the timing of water flows, impacting downstream water resources. Similar examples, leading to major economic outcomes and social disruption, exist for severe drought and flooding in major agricultural regions.

 

According to the authors, assessments of natural disasters tend to emphasize direct economic losses, often overlooking less visible yet deeply consequential effects such as social inequality, long-term health issues, and patterns of human migration. This narrow focus makes it difficult to fully account for the true scale of damages produced by cascading impacts. To address this, the authors call for a global monitoring system to track how impacts unfold across space and time, alongside integrated models that account for interactions between hazards, human systems, and multiple sectors. “Ultimately, considering impact cascades, feedback loops, and their complex interactions should help direct preparations for future severe events and rapid transitions or whiplash between climatic extremes,” write Huning and Brunner.

New research published in Science shows spaceborne satellite altimetry can detect two-dimensional tsunami wave patterns near the earthquake’s source, offering critical insight for coastal risk evaluation and preparedness planning. The study highlights three key implications for hazard science: dispersive modeling is remarkably useful for characterizing tsunamis near their source; satellite altimetry can add unique constraints when it observes tsunamis close to where they begin; and wide-swath altimetry provides a transformative tool for understanding earthquake rupture and improving tsunami hazard assessments.

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have discovered new large-scale waves moving deep inside the Sun, driven by magnetic fields far below the surface. These waves provide a window into parts of the Sun that are otherwise inaccessible, giving scientists a new tool to study how its magnetic field is formed and evolves over time.

Waterloo scientists have developed a new way to understand how the universe began, and it could change what we know about the Big Bang and the earliest moments of cosmic history. Their work suggests that the universe’s rapid early expansion could have arisen naturally from a deeper, more complete theory of quantum gravity.

Having a baby in space may require a bit more direction, with new Adelaide University research revealing the navigational abilities of sperm are negatively impacted by a lack of gravity.