Wildfires threaten water quality for up to eight years after they burn

​Wildfires don’t just leave behind scorched earth—they leave a toxic legacy in Western rivers that can linger for nearly a decade. A sweeping new study analyzed over 100,000 water samples from more than 500 U.S. watersheds and revealed that contaminants like nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, and sediment remain elevated for up to eight years after a blaze.

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Rainforests News — ScienceDaily

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Half of Amazon insects could face dangerous heat stress

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Climate models may be missing massive carbon emissions from boreal wildfires

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Climate models may be missing massive carbon emissions from boreal wildfires

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For every known vertebrate species, two more may be hiding in plain sight

​Earth’s vertebrate diversity may be far richer than anyone realized. A sweeping analysis of more than 300 studies suggests that for every known fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mammal species, there are about two nearly identical “cryptic” species hiding in plain...
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Atacama surprise: The world’s driest desert is teeming with hidden life

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Massive asteroid impact 6.3 million years ago left giant glass field in Brazil

​For the first time ever, scientists have uncovered a vast field of tektites in Brazil — mysterious glassy fragments forged when a powerful extraterrestrial object slammed into Earth about 6.3 million years ago. Named “geraisites” after Minas Gerais, where they were...
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Congo basin blackwater lakes are releasing ancient carbon into the atmosphere

​Deep in the Congo Basin, vast peatlands quietly store enormous amounts of Earth’s carbon — but new research suggests this ancient vault may be leaking. Scientists studying Africa’s largest blackwater lakes discovered that significant amounts of carbon dioxide...
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Congo basin blackwater lakes are releasing ancient carbon into the atmosphere

​Deep in the Congo Basin, vast peatlands quietly store enormous amounts of Earth’s carbon — but new research suggests this ancient vault may be leaking. Scientists studying Africa’s largest blackwater lakes discovered that significant amounts of carbon dioxide...
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Climate change is accelerating but nature is slowing down

​As the planet warms, many expected ecosystems to change faster and faster. Instead, a massive global study shows that species turnover has slowed by about one-third since the 1970s. Nature’s constant reshuffling appears to be driven more by internal ecological...
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Europe’s “untouched” wilderness was shaped by Neanderthals and hunter-gatherers

​Long before agriculture, humans were transforming Europe’s wild landscapes. Advanced simulations show that hunting and fire use by Neanderthals and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers reshaped forests and grasslands in measurable ways. By reducing populations of giant...
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