Climate Science

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

IPCC concludes selection of authors for its Seventh Assessment Report

GENEVA, August 18 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has appointed 664 experts from 111 countries to participate in the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) as Coordinating Lead Authors,...

Greenland’s glacial runoff is powering explosions of ocean life

NASA-backed simulations reveal that meltwater from Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier lifts deep-ocean nutrients to the surface, sparking large summer blooms of phytoplankton that feed the Arctic food web.

Scientists just found a hidden factor behind Earth’s methane surge

Roughly two-thirds of all atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, comes from methanogens. Tracking down which methanogens in which environment produce methane with a specific isotope signature is difficult, however....

The surprising way rising CO2 could supercharge space storms

Rising CO₂ levels will make the upper atmosphere colder and thinner, altering how geomagnetic storms impact satellites. Future storms could cause sharper density spikes despite lower overall density, increasing drag-related...

NASA’s SWOT satellite captures Kamchatka megaquake tsunami in striking detail

When a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, NASA and CNES’s SWOT satellite captured a rare and detailed picture of the tsunami that followed. Recorded just over...

NASA’s PREFIRE satellites reveal a secret glow escaping from our planet

With its two tiny CubeSats, NASA’s PREFIRE mission is capturing invisible heat escaping from Earth, offering clues to how ice, clouds, and storms influence the climate system. The insights could...

The ocean’s fragile fortresses are crumbling under climate pressure

Mediterranean bryozoans, including the “false coral,” are showing alarming changes in structure and microbiomes under acidification and warming. Field studies at volcanic CO₂ vents reveal that these stressors combined sharply...

NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities

Many topics on Bhattacharya’s list are familiar, but order to re-evaluate grants draws concerns

Fossilized fish trails reveal earliest steps out of water

Possible lungfish tracks could push back animal migration onto land by 10 million years

Don’t blame the algorithm: Polarization may be inherent in social media

In simulations, AI-generated users of stripped-down social media without content algorithms still split into polarized echo chambers

Strange spotted rock on Mars could reveal signs of ancient life

A curious red Martian rock nicknamed Sapphire Canyon has scientists excited, as its spotted appearance hints at possible organic origins. On Earth, researchers tested a powerful laser technique, O-PTIR, on...

Measuring flood underinsurance in the USA

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02396-wHomeowners could benefit from flood insurance to offset the negative impacts of climate-induced natural disasters. However, with detailed micro-level data, researchers find...

Corrected study rekindles debate over Microsoft’s quantum computing research

Dispute over elusive Majorana particles claimed in Science highlights controversial approach to robust quantum chips

By sucking up DNA, clot-producing platelets could help diagnose cancer

The cells could be a new source of tumor DNA for liquid biopsies

Thousands of climbing catfish filmed scaling waterfalls

New footage provides rare insight into the daring migration of an enigmatic fish

Hot springs’ hardy microbes offer new source of antibiotics

The mysterious branch of life of known as archaea harbor unique bacteria fighting compounds

The U.S. wants to phase out animal research. Are the alternatives ready?

Drug and chemical safety can be assessed with AI and organ chips, but some scientists say it’s too soon to forgo animal methods entirely

Researchers make ‘quantum cat’ video out of individual atoms

Demo showcases new AI-powered tool of potential use in quantum computers

Museum artifacts rewrite the timeline of gold refining

One technique was practiced significantly earlier than some researchers believe

Brain device that reads inner thoughts aloud inspires strategies to protect mental privacy

Researchers isolated signals from a brain implant so people with movement disorders could voice thoughts without trying to speak

Scientists stunned by colossal formations hidden under the North Sea

Beneath the North Sea, scientists have uncovered colossal sand formations, dubbed “sinkites,” that have mysteriously sunk into lighter sediments, flipping the usual geological order. Formed millions of years ago by...

Unprecedented climate shocks are changing the Great Lakes forever

Extreme heat waves and cold spells on the Great Lakes have more than doubled since the late 1990s, coinciding with a major El NiĂąo event. Using advanced ocean-style modeling adapted...

A single lock of hair could rewrite what we know about Inca record-keeping

Evidence from a 500-year-old khipu suggests commoners helped craft the Inca’s intricate knotted records

New twist on PET scans unlocks hidden signals for diagnosing disease

Overlooked emissions from exotic positronium atoms could improve medical scanners

Fossil teeth reveal a previously unknown human ancestor from eastern Africa

Scientists say the teeth belonged to a type of Australopithecus, a relative of Lucy’s species, that coexisted with our genus, Homo

Judge tells NSF to reinstate suspended UCLA grants

Ruling comes as government seeks settlement with UCLA on larger set of suspended grants

Featherweight flyers could ‘levitate’ above Earth indefinitely

Making use of an obscure physics effect to fly, devices could probe the upper atmosphere and explore Mars

Scientists warn ocean could soon reach Rapa Nui’s sacred moai

Advanced computer modeling suggests that by 2080, waves driven by sea level rise could flood Ahu Tongariki and up to 51 cultural treasures on Rapa Nui. The findings emphasize the...

Youths buried in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries carried West African DNA

Despite bearing remarkably far-flung genetic origins, a girl and young man were buried just like their peers

‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests

Survey of five Australian avians finds numerous discordant individuals, including a genetically male bird that had laid an egg

Europe mulls boosting military R&D with civilian science funding

Worried about regional security, bloc pushes forward on controversial “dual-use” approach

‘Superefficient’ weaver ants show remarkable strength in numbers

Unlike people, these nest-building insects pull harder in teams

Deaths threats to NIH official spark debate over aggressive campaign to end animal research

White Coat Waste Project files complaint over government employee’s emails claiming it incited harassment against Nicole Kleinstreuer

New method reveals perhaps the most massive black hole yet spotted

Big brute 5 billion light-years from Earth is 36 billion times as massive as the Sun

NIH ponders overhauling HIV budget to capitalize on prevention breakthrough

Scientists warn $1 billion push for “implementation science” spurred by promise of lenacapavir will hurt research on new treatments and vaccines

Scientists just uncovered three ancient worlds frozen beneath Illinois for 300 million years

Over 300 million years ago, Illinois teemed with life in tropical swamps and seas, now preserved at the famous Mazon Creek fossil site. Researchers from the University of Missouri and...

332 colossal canyons just revealed beneath Antarctica’s ice

Deep beneath the Antarctic seas lies a hidden network of 332 colossal submarine canyons, some plunging over 4,000 meters, revealed in unprecedented detail by new high-resolution mapping. These underwater valleys,...

Trump order aims to politicize decisions on federal science grants

Researchers worried by plan giving political appointees more control over where funding goes

Transition risk in the banking sector

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02400-3Estimating transition risk is important for the banking sector, yet current practices still rely on conceptual scenarios. Now, a study provides a...

In Guinea, the United States helped beat back malaria. Now, the disease is set to soar

Foreign aid cuts are expected to cause a rise in malaria cases and deaths across sub-Saharan Africa

Canada plans a 15% budget cut. Scientists are alarmed

Cuts could erase promised boost, researchers fear

Navigating energy transition solutions for climate targets with minerals constraint

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 07 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02373-3The decarbonization of energy systems requires access to minerals that are critical for manufacturing low-carbon technologies. Here researchers show that meeting climate...

Structural limitations of the decarbonization state

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 07 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02394-yThe implementation gap between national climate targets and actual policies has been seen as a main barrier for decarbonization. Here researchers show...

DNA from the deep reveals a hidden ocean “superhighway”

Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, a groundbreaking DNA study reveals that the deep sea is far more globally connected than once thought. By analyzing thousands of brittle stars preserved in...

This prehistoric predator survived global warming by eating bones

A prehistoric predator changed its diet and body size during a major warming event 56 million years ago, revealing how climate change can reshape animal behavior, food chains, and survival...

Possible genetic clues to ME/chronic fatigue syndrome identified in massive study

DNA analysis of more than 15,500 people with the debilitating condition identifies eight tentative “genetic signals”

Using electrons to make art, this scientist’s biology images grace rock albums and stamps

Steve Gschmeissner’s electron microscope image of liver cholesterol won a Wellcome Photography Prize this year

Video reveals cockatoos have 30 unique dance moves—including headbanging

Researchers now know why the caged bird dances: a form of mentally enriching play