EARTHSKY - Many studies have demonstrated links between global warming and longer and more active fire seasons. But a team of researchers from the University of California, Riverside, looked at a kind of reverse: how wildfires can influence local weather. On June 18, 2024, the researchers said large fires create hotter and drier weather than...
EOS - Thallium, one of the most toxic heavy metals on Earth, is more abundant in the Baltic Sea than in waters with otherwise similar chemistry. A new study in Environmental Science and Technology finds that human activity—particularly since the 1940s—is likely behind these elevated levels. The Baltic Sea is euxinic, meaning the water both...
ANTHROPOCENE - It’s hard to fathom that there’s an upside to air pollution. But it’s becoming clear that, paradoxically, cleaning up tailpipes and smokestacks comes with a price for the planet. As pollution controls cut emissions of aerosols such as sulfur dioxide, scientists are uncovering the myriad ways these tiny, sunlight-reflecting particles have been taking...
EARTH.COM - The quest for cleaner air is a noble, shared aspiration for a healthier planet and happier lungs. But what if this pursuit to improve air quality by reducing aerosol pollution, however well-intentioned, inadvertently fuels a different kind of environmental disaster? A study from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) reveals a startling paradox...
INVERSE - Nobody likes smog. Aerosol pollution, a mucky particulate cocktail of soot, dust, chemical fumes, and other compounds that linger in the atmosphere, is a worldwide problem. It’s unsightly, triggers environmental harms like acid rain, and is terrible for the health of humans and wildlife alike. Scientists and environmental advocates generally agree: We want...
FORBES - Man-made greenhouse gases have long been a hot button topic here on earth since as pollutants, they are largely responsible for anthropogenic climate change. But what about alien civilizations that intentionally use greenhouse gases to save their planet from the onset of a snowball earth type situation; that is, a completely ice-covered planet...
SPACE.COM - A new catalog of 126 worlds beyond the solar system contains a cornucopia of newly discovered planets — some have extreme and exotic natures, but others could potentially support life as we know it. The catalog's mix of planets is further evidence of the wide and wild variety of worlds beyond our cosmic...
GIZMODO - Do we live in an unusual star system? Astronomers have been trying to figure out if the Solar System is unique compared to other stars and their orbiting planets, and they just took a major step towards answering the longstanding cosmic mystery. An international team of planet-hunting astronomers spent three years analyzing thousands...
ZME SCIENCE - A research team led by University of California Riverside researchers has unveiled a new member of the HD 104067 star system. Located approximately 66 light years from Earth, this is one of the hottest solar systems out there — quite literally. The newly identified fiery planet, designated TOI-6713.01, exhibits conditions so extreme...
LIVE SCIENCE - A newly discovered planet in a faraway star system appears to be erupting with so many volcanoes, it glows a fiery red when seen from space. No planet like this has ever been observed before, researchers say, and follow-up observations will be required to confirm the strange world's existence. The newfound planet...