Environment

Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas – and now it looks like we may have underestimated how much is being released. A new study has identified the thawing Siberian permafrost as a huge, previously unknown source of nitrous oxide emissions.

Glitter spruces up everything from makeup to craft projects, but one thing it doesn’t improve is the environment. A new biodegradable glitter swaps out the plastic and aluminum for plant-based cellulose, which can be produced at scale.

Although the deep ocean floor may seem isolated from life on the rest of the planet, it actually plays a vital role in the carbon cycle. Scientists are now gaining a better understanding of that role, thanks to a tracked robotic underwater rover.

A wood fire is a cosy way to warm up, but sadly they have adverse effects on human health and the environment. But a new soot collector device could help reduce particulate emissions by attracting particles with an electric field.

E-waste is a major environmental hazard, full of valuable metals. Engineers at Rice University have now shown that precious metals and rare earth minerals can be recovered by flash-heating ground-up electronics with a zap of electricity.

A team of engineers has given microchips a new ability – the power of flight. Inspired by wind-dispersed seeds, these “microfliers” are shaped like tiny propellers to catch the wind, and may be the smallest flying structures ever made by humans.

A new company called Colossal plans to revive the woolly mammoth and reintroduce the species to the Arctic. And it isn’t meant to be just a tourist-trap Jurassic Park either – the aim is to restore a long-lost ecosystem to help fight climate change.

Agriculture is a huge environmental issue in many ways, but one that’s often overlooked is livestock urination. Researchers from Germany and New Zealand have now demonstrated a potential way to reduce that problem – by toilet-training cows.

New research has found a correlation between air quality in office environments and workers’ cognitive function. The study found low ventilation rates and increased levels of particulate matter were linked with reduced performance on cognitive tests.

The James Dyson Award is an international competition to encourage students to get creative to solve the world's pressing problems. The national finalists have been announced for 2021, showcasing ideas that help people and the environment.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere attracts most of the attention in environmental concerns, but much of that ends up in oceans, making them more acidic. Now scientists have created nanojars that can easily capture this and other pollutants from water.

Climate change can feel inevitable, but we’ve stepped up to the challenge before. New modeling shows how bad things would be if CFCs hadn’t been banned decades ago – depleted ozone would've increased UV exposure and stopped plants capturing carbon.