Research Spotlights Archives

A hole drilled through a glacier extends off into the darkness. A camera is being lowered into the hole. The photo is bathed in red light.

Research Spotlights

A Long-Term Look Beneath an Antarctic Ice Shelf

by Nathaniel Scharping 6 March 20269 March 2026

More than 4 years of data from a borehole in the Ross Ice Shelf reveal supercooled water and more.

Swirls of blue and green are seen in a satellite image of the ocean. On the edges of the image are green areas of land, white areas of ice, and white clouds.

Research Spotlights

Bacteria Decide the Ocean’s Dissolved Organic Carbon Abundance

by Saima May Sidik 3 March 20263 March 2026

Dissolved organic carbon prevalence follows from how many bacteria are around to eat it, modeling suggests.

The Sun looms large in a red sky over the trees of the Amazon rainforest.

Research Spotlights

Drought Drove the Amazon’s 2023 Switch to a Carbon Source

by Madeline Reinsel 25 February 202625 February 2026

The change was caused by thirsty vegetation taking up less carbon than normal, not by the year’s extended fire season, new research shows.

The larvae of Culex mosquitoes cluster together underwater.

Research Spotlights

New Method Could Improve U.S. Forecasting of West Nile Virus

by Nathaniel Scharping 20 February 202620 February 2026

An innovative model uses regional climate data and records of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease to outperform existing forecasts, potentially helping communities prepare.

A geographic information system (GIS) map shows a number of different layers: Blue areas represent flood zones or floodways, whereas white areas are those with minimal flood hazard. Red, orange, green, and gray areas represent mining waste.

Research Spotlights

Making a Map to Make a Difference

by Rebecca Owen 11 February 202611 February 2026

A new study highlights the partnership between scientists and nonscientist community members in building an interactive GIS map to show flooding risk in a Superfund site.

NASA astronaut Kayla Barron holds a filter used to recycle wastewater.

Research Spotlights

A Road Map to Truly Sustainable Water Systems in Space

by Nathaniel Scharping 9 February 20269 February 2026

Future astronauts need efficient, durable, and trustworthy closed-loop systems to provide water for missions lasting months to years.

A lake, seen from a rock on the shore, is mostly covered in ice but beginning to melt. The melting water is purple. On the other side of the lake, a rocky cliffside with evergreen trees is visible beneath a blue sky.

Research Spotlights

How the Spring Thaw Influences Arsenic Levels in Lakes

by Saima May Sidik 6 February 20266 February 2026

Four lakes near Yellowknife, Canada, show that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

A wave crashes onto a dark, rocky shore. Green rolling hills are in the distance.

Research Spotlights

Our Ocean’s “Natural Antacids” Act Faster Than We Thought

by Sarah Stanley 30 January 202630 January 2026

New evidence from New Zealand suggests that calcium carbonate dissolution occurs not just over millennial timescales, but over annual and decadal ones too.