news 2024

Research team led by Göttingen University expands the applications of oxygen isotope measurements   Measuring temperatures from Earth's past is important for understanding the development of its climate. Ancient ocean temperatures are most commonly reconstructed by analysing the ratio of different oxygen atoms in the calcium carbonate remains of fossils.

HyFiT fuels can reduce the carbon footprint of heavy goods transport and cut harmful emissions Synthetic fuels could make heavy goods traffic climate-friendly in the future. A team from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, RWTH Aachen University, and ETH Zurich is now presenting a synthesis route that can be used to produce a fuel, known as HyFiT fuel, made from biomass or CO2 that can be used to refuel conventional combustion engines.

A research team at the University of Tübingen has found that most glyphosate that ends up in European rivers likely does not come from herbicides, as previously assumed; instead, it may be the result of additives to detergents. For the study, Professor Carolin Huhn of the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and colleagues from the Geoand Environmental Center conducted a large meta-analysis on data from European and US water protection authorities.

A new study on climate communication has just been published in the journal "Frontiers in Climate" "Global warming," "greenhouse effect," and "climate catastrophe" are all terms we are familiar with from international public discourse on the looming effects of climate change. But these terms seem to be limited in their efficacy: "One of the key problems with climate communication is that it does not adequately convey the severity of the issue.

Rocks undergo changes over millions of years. Yet it is possible to extract information from them about the climate at the time of their formation. Fluids circulating underground change rocks over the course of time. These processes must be taken into account if they are to be used as a climate archive.

International research team led by scientist from Freie Universität Berlin proposes that elevated levels of antibiotic resistance genes be considered a new factor of global change Human-caused global change is a complex phenomenon comprising many factors such as climate change, environmental contamination with chemicals, microplastics, light pollution, and invasive plants.

For the first time, the recovery of unique geological samples combined with sophisticated modelling provides surprising insights into when and where today's Antarctic ice sheet formed. In recent years global warming has left its mark on the Antarctic ice sheets. The "eternal" ice in Antarctica is melting faster than previously assumed, particularly in West Antarctica more than East Antarctica.

International team of evolutionary biologists investigate genomic underpinnings for the adaptive potential of spoonworts Plant cold specialists like the spoonworts have adapted well to the cold climates of the Ice Ages. As cold and warm periods alternated, they developed a number of species that also resulted in a proliferation of the genome.

Researchers have developed the first cell-free system in which genetic information and metabolism work together Metabolic processes outside living cells only continue as long as they are supplied with building blocks from the outside. A team of Max Planck researchers led by Tobias Erb has now developed the first in vitro system inspired by nature that couples genetics and metabolism and can drive itself.

An international team of researchers has investigated the mechanism that makes some types of bacteria reflect light without using pigments. The researchers were interested in the genes responsible and discovered important ecological connections. These findings were published in the current issue of the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The Freiburg project 'I4C - Intelligence for Cities' has developed locally precise climate models and foundations for planning tools Urban spaces are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change, such as heat waves, floods, and storms. But which areas of a city are affected, and how can city planners respond? 'I4C - Intelligence for Cities' is an interdisciplinary project conducted by the University of Freiburg and several Fraunhofer Institutes.

Researchers from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Görlitz have studied the role of the desert grass Stipagrostis sabulicola in the African Namib Desert. In their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports , they show that the plant is able to absorb moisture from fog events and thus forms an essential basis of an - altogether unexpectedly complex - food web in the drought-stricken landscape.

Researchers from Konstanz have measured the heart rate of bats over several days in the wild, including complete flights - the first time this has been done for a bat species. To record the heart rate of male common noctule bats during flight, the scientists attached heart rate transmitters weighing less than one gram to the animals, which they then accompanied in an airplane while the bats flew, sometimes for more than an hour, in search of food.

The EU Emissions Trading System is not only good for reducing CO2 and for the climate. It also results in considerable health benefits due to reduced air pollution and saves hundreds of billions of euros, according to a recently released study by a team at Universität Hamburg. The research team from the Cluster of Excellence Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS) at Universität Hamburg analyzed the indirect effects of the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) on hazardous air pollutants such as sulfur oxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides.

A guest commentary by biologists Niklas Kästner and Tobias Zimmermann, editors of the online magazine "ETHOlogisch - Verhalten verstehen" ("ETHOlogical - Understanding Behaviour") A mouse which disappears in a hole, a bee heading for a blossom, a blackbird in full-throated song - we are surrounded by animals which interact with their environment in certain ways.

Würzburg researchers from the Bavarian initiative Solar Technologies Go Hybrid are reporting progress on the road to more efficient utilisation of solar energy: they have developed an innovative light-harvesting system. In order to convert sunlight into electricity or other forms of energy as efficiently as possible, the very first step is an efficient light-harvesting system.

News from Two new papers published by researchers from Leipzig University and its partner institutions shed light on the complex relationships between biodiversity, soil and climate. They show how human influences and climate change are jeopardising our environment and emphasise the need for integrated solutions that promote sustainability and social justice.

Eleven mines and 57 recycling plants fewer: economic and ecological potential for savings on material consumption for electromobility in Europe The demand for electric vehicles which run on batteries is increasing worldwide. At the same time, resources of primary battery materials - i.e. those obtained from mining activities - are limited.

In a warming climate, cloud patterns change in such a way that they exacerbate global warming. A research group led by Johannes Quaas from Leipzig University and Hao Luo and Yong Han from Sun Yat-sen University in China has discovered that the cloud cover is increasingly showing asymmetrical changes: it decreases more during the day than at night.

Botanical gardens are found all'over the world and are home to plants from all'over the world. They are therefore ideal study platforms for researchers to find out how different plants react to changes - for example as a result of climate change. Numerous scientific studies are now being carried out in cooperation with botanical gardens, including the "PhenObs" project of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv) .