A growing body of evidence indicates that factors such as rising temperatures and extreme weather are contributing to what some researchers have called “the slow pandemic.”
bacteria & microbes
It Takes Three to Model Methane Right
By combining conventional process-based and atmospheric inversion modeling with machine learning, scientists home in on a more realistic methane model.
A Rare Look at How Life First Colonizes Cooling Lava Tubes
Life finds a way, and when volcanoes form new land, it gets going as soon as temperatures drop to manageable levels—even underground.
The Definitive Guide to the TEX86 Paleothermometer
A new review article summarizes our knowledge of how microbial lipids archived in marine sediments record ancient ocean temperatures and outlines challenges and next steps for the TEX86 proxy.
Jess Atkin: Space Biologist Enriches Soil and the Lives of Fellow Veterans
This biologist—also a rancher and Air Force veteran—finds solace in horses as she studies how to grow plants on the Moon.
Big Trouble from Little Wetlands
New research suggests that small wetlands, previously unaccounted for in the global methane budget, are responsible for about 25% of global methane emissions.
Typhoons Mix Up Bacteria and Biochemistry
After a typhoon surprised a research cruise, scientists took advantage of the unique sampling opportunity to reveal rapid changes in bacterioplankton communities and biogeochemical cycling.
Warm Waters Disrupt Seagrasses’ Microbial Environment
Microbial communities in ocean sediments become imbalanced as water temperatures rise, harming seagrass growth, a new study suggests.
Antibiotic Resistance Might Get a Boost from Droughts
Drought has the potential to turn normal soils into perfect breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, new research has found.
When the Snow Melts, Microbes Bloom
A new study illuminates a complex and changing world of microbes and nitrogen cycling that occurs during the winter.
