First plants grow in soil from the moon

"For years, we were asking this question: Would plants grow in lunar soil," says Rob Ferl. "The answer, it turns out, is yes."

Samantha Murray-Florida • futurity
May 16, 2022 ~8 min

Soil-friendly farming produces healthier food

Soil-building techniques that minimize plowing, use cover crops, and include more crop diversity can boost the nutritional content of food.

Hannah Hickey-U. Washington • futurity
March 7, 2022 ~7 min


Pine needles trace 50-year history of ‘forever chemicals’

Pine tree needles are a great way to monitor the proliferation of PFAS over time. "This is... applicable to sites all over the world."

Tracey Peake-NC State • futurity
Feb. 22, 2022 ~5 min

Severe 2011 drought in Texas was much worse than thought

The 2011 drought in Texas, considered one of the worst ever, was even more widespread and longer lasting than previously thought.

Anton Caputo-UT Austin • futurity
Oct. 7, 2021 ~6 min

Wild pigs release more CO2 than 1 million cars

When they uproot soil, wild pigs worldwide release more carbon dioxide every year than 1.1 million cars.

Dominic Jarvis-Queensland • futurity
July 26, 2021 ~5 min

Bacteria clean oil-polluted soil on old military bases

Researchers have shown that bactera can help with soil remediation on now-defunct military bases in the Arctic where diesel has seeped into the ground.

Michael Skov Jensen-Copenhagen • futurity
June 18, 2021 ~6 min

Decades after ban, lead in soil still puts kids at risk

Decades after federal bans ended widespread use of lead paint and gasoline, some urban soils still contain levels that exceed safety guidelines for kids.

Tim Lucas-Duke • futurity
May 27, 2021 ~6 min

Fix for asbestos in soil may risk nearby water

Experiments with asbestos fibers in soil indicate that efforts to prevent human exposure to the cancer-causing mineral may threaten water supplies.

Danielle Torrent Tucker-Stanford • futurity
April 30, 2021 ~7 min


How rocks on Earth rusted and turned red

A new discovery about how rocks on Earth rusted and turned red could help predict what will happen with future climate change, researchers report.

Todd Bates-Rutgers • futurity
Feb. 10, 2021 ~5 min

Remediation gets the lead out of soil, but not kids

A relatively affordable remediation process can remove lead from unregulated battery recycling, but isn't as good at getting it out of children's bodies.

Rob Jordan-Stanford • futurity
Jan. 15, 2021 ~9 min

/

5