Climate Science

Latest climate science research, data, and scientific findings from leading institutions

‘I fear we are sitting on a time bomb.’ Scientists debate mass distribution of antibiotics in Africa

Prophylactic use of azithromycin saves vulnerable children’s lives, but could trigger antibiotic resistance

‘It’s like a horror movie pregnancy.’ Researcher studies maggots—by letting them eat him

Science chats with wildlife epidemiologist Tony Goldberg about what he’s learned from becoming a meal for parasites

JD Vance officiated the wedding of new head of NIH environmental institute

Unusual hiring process raises fears of political favoritism

Scientists say dimming the sun could spark global chaos

Scientists are taking the once-radical concept of dimming the sun through stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) seriously, but a Columbia University team warns that reality is far messier than models suggest....

Scientists just found hidden life thriving beneath the Arctic ice

Melting Arctic ice is revealing a hidden world of nitrogen-fixing bacteria beneath the surface. These microbes, not the usual cyanobacteria, enrich the ocean with nitrogen, fueling algae growth that supports...

JD Vance officiated the wedding of new head of NIH environmental institute

Unusual hiring process raises fears of political favoritism

Stranded coral boulders point to a medieval tsunami in the Caribbean

Study pinpoints likely date for a massive earthquake on the Puerto Rico Trench—and highlights an underappreciated regional hazard

A surprise bonus from COVID-19 vaccines: bolstering cancer treatment

Patients who got shots of mRNA before starting a type of cancer immunotherapy lived much longer

Lab mice can now have periods like humans

Studies of rodents with a menstrual on/off switch could help people with endometriosis and other disorders

Beetle compound is so valuable insects eat bird poop to get it

To obtain the toxic chemical cantharidin, insects suck beetles’ blood—and even munch on their digested remains

A clue to ancient life? What scientists found inside Mars’ frozen vortex

Mars’ north polar vortex locks its atmosphere in extreme cold and darkness, freezing out water vapor and triggering a dramatic rise in ozone. Scientists found that the lack of sunlight...

How poop-eating beetles evolved to eat rotting flesh

Analysis of thousands of fossils pushes back change in beetles’ diets by more than 37 million years

Bull’s-eye! Static electricity pulls worm through air to its insect victim

Electrostatic charges may help roundworms infect a wide variety of hosts

Common research monkey is endangered, conservation group confirms

Listing could affect availability for biomedical studies

Southern Ocean freshening stalls deep ocean CO2 release in a changing climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02446-3The Southern Ocean carbon sink is predicted to decline under climate change. This study explores why this is yet to be seen...

Damage development on Antarctic ice shelves sensitive to climate warming

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02453-4Damages such as crevasses or cracks can be early indicators of ice shelf weakening. Here, the authors quantify changes in damage structures...

MIT finds traces of a lost world deep within planet Earth

Researchers have discovered chemical fingerprints of Earth’s earliest incarnation, preserved in ancient mantle rocks. A unique imbalance in potassium isotopes points to remnants of “proto Earth” material that survived the...

As his fraud trial looms, Alzheimer’s scientist exonerated by his university—sort of

Excusing record-keeping “misconduct” flagged in earlier investigative report, City University of New York concluded in letter that image doctoring by Hoau-Yan Wang was not proved

These stinkbugs coat their eggs in fungi to protect them from parasitic wasps

An unusual relationship could shed light on how insects choose their partners

On an Arctic archipelago, frozen soil may preserve a hidden history of viruses

Scientists are hunting for ancient RNA in Svalbard’s permafrost, hoping to shed light on the evolution of viral diseases

Famed Japanese primatologist settles lawsuits over mishandled contracts

Tetsuro Matsuzawa agreed to pay Kyoto University $219,000 to end legal dispute

Ancient sea turtle discovered in Lebanon reveals a surprising evolutionary history

Oldest known sea turtle soft tissues could help reveal how a variety of vertebrates adapted to ocean living

Asteroid Ryugu’s hidden waters could explain how Earth got its oceans

Ryugu’s samples reveal that water activity on asteroids lasted far longer than scientists thought, possibly reshaping theories of how Earth gained its oceans. A billion-year-old impact may have melted ancient...

Towards an open model intercomparison platform for integrated assessment models scenarios

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02462-3Scenarios, generated by integrated assessment models in model intercomparison projects (MIPs), play a central role in climate decision-making. This Perspective discusses the...

Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02455-2Impacts from a climate event can cascade through natural, anthropogenic and socio-economic systems. Here the authors assess cascading climate impacts on the...

Forged in fire: The 900°C heat that built Earth’s stable continents

New research reveals that Earth’s continents owe their stability to searing heat deep in the planet’s crust. At more than 900°C, radioactive elements shifted upward, cooling and strengthening the landmasses...

Polluted weapons factory begins locking up nuclear waste in glass

After years of delay and political wrangling, DOE’s Hanford site opens vitrification plant

Poisonous sacs helped toads conquer the world

Iconic amphibians took an unexpected path across the globe, study finds—with toxins as a “game changer”

Did lead poisoning doom Neanderthals?

Modern humans’ tolerance for the toxic metal may have helped them outcompete our closest evolutionary cousins

An ancient cousin to humans probably built tools with its huge hands

New fossils reveal Paranthropus had massive yet dexterous hands

Mountain glaciers will lose their cooling capacity as they shrink

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02448-1Glacier microclimates can decouple glacier temperatures from ongoing climatic warming, slowing down melting. However, these microclimates will decay as glaciers retreat. A...

Chicago’s beloved ‘rat hole’ was actually made by a squirrel

Scientists reopen the case of “splatatouille”

Ancient chewing gum could reveal how early men and women split up their chores

Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides rare window into life 6000 years ago

Whiplash at CDC as hundreds of employees are terminated, then reinstated

Agency’s prestigious training programs among those spared, while other key offices are scrapped

Earth’s climate just crossed a line we can’t ignore

Humanity has reached the first Earth system tipping point, the widespread death of warm-water coral reefs, marking the beginning of irreversible planetary shifts. As global temperatures move beyond 1.5°C, the...

DNA from rum-soaked fishes chronicles century of environmental change

Museum specimens collected during a 1907 marine expedition reveal loss of genetic diversity in the Philippines

Economics Nobel celebrates researchers who showed how science and technology drives growth

Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt explained why the last two centuries have seen sustained economic growth rather than stagnation

Using generative AI to increase sceptics’ engagement with climate science

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02424-9Climate sceptics tend to avoid climate information, making it even harder to reduce scepticism. This study shows that generative AI can enhance...

Generative AI can influence climate beliefs and actions

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02438-3The rise of generative AI presents both risks and opportunities for shaping climate discourse. New findings suggest it can help lower climate...

New simulation reveals how Earth’s magnetic field first sparked to life

Geophysicists have modeled how Earth’s magnetic field could form even when its core was fully liquid. By removing the effects of viscosity in their simulation, they revealed a self-sustaining dynamo...

As U.S. shutdown drags on, ‘it’s just one blow after another’

Federal researchers confront growing uncertainty about future

Perfume scientists tweak cells into having ‘sense of smell’

A study could transform the lab study of olfaction—and may challenge a Nobel-winning hypothesis

They’re smaller than dust, but crucial for Earth’s climate

Coccolithophores, tiny planktonic architects of Earth’s climate, capture carbon, produce oxygen, and leave behind geological records that chronicle our planet’s history. European scientists are uniting to honor them with International...

The interplay of future emissions and geophysical uncertainties for projections of sea-level rise

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02457-0Unclear emissions and ice-sheet processes drive uncertainties in future sea-level rise. The authors show that the timing of emissions reductions drives the...

Mountain glaciers recouple to atmospheric warming over the twenty-first century

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02449-0It has been argued that air temperatures over mountain glaciers are decoupled from surrounding warming, which could slow down melting. Here the...

Science and Capacity Officer in the IPCC Working Group II Technical Support Unit

Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is filling the position of Science and Capacity Officer Deadline: to apply before November 3, 2025 Help support the authors...

What’s it like to tell someone she won a Nobel Prize?

Science chats with photographer Lindsey Wasson, who captured how Nobel winner Mary Brunkow reacted to life-changing news

These ‘ghost flowers’ thrive without photosynthesis. One scientist is learning how

Japanese botanist Kenji Suetsugu studies plants that steal carbon and nutrients from soil fungi David Malakoff 12:43 PM :heavy_check_mark: