New start date for the Anthropocene proposed – when humans first changed global methane levels
Ice cores provide important evidence as archival records of global atmospheric composition that has constantly changed.
Vincent Gauci, Professorial Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham •
conversation
June 19, 2025 • ~8 min
June 19, 2025 • ~8 min
Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm
From sending more pollen airborne to breaking up pollen grains, which lets them penetrate deeper into your lungs, the wind is not the allergy sufferer’s friend.
Christine Cairns Fortuin, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University •
conversation
May 5, 2025 • ~6 min
May 5, 2025 • ~6 min
Maple seeds’ unique spinning motion allows them to travel far even in the rain, a new study shows
Spinning maple seeds can shed raindrops in the blink of an eye to regain their helicopter-like flight.
Andrew Dickerson, Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee •
conversation
Feb. 28, 2025 • ~5 min
Feb. 28, 2025 • ~5 min
Botanic gardens are struggling to keep up with the biodiversity crisis – here’s what they can do
Botanic gardens have evolved from medicinal gardens to scientific institutions, Now, they must become conservation leaders on a global scale.
Samuel Brockington, Professor of Evolution, Curator of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, University of Cambridge •
conversation
Feb. 27, 2025 • ~7 min
Feb. 27, 2025 • ~7 min
Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change
Water availability regulates tree growth and can have ‘legacy effects’ long after conditions change.
Marcus Schaub, Group Leader, Forest Dynamics and Ecophysiology, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) •
conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 • ~11 min
Jan. 9, 2025 • ~11 min
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