EARTH.COM - For over 100 years, the North Atlantic has hosted an anomaly. South of Greenland lies a patch of cool ocean water. This region, called the North Atlantic Warming Hole (NAWH), defies global warming. Scientists long debated its cause. A new study now shows that the weakening of a vital ocean current – the...
THE DEBRIEF - University of California-Riverside (UCR) scientists studying a massive, mysterious cold spot south of Greenland in the Atlantic Ocean have determined the most likely cause is the slowing of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which delivers warmer, saltier waters from the tropical latitudes to northern latitudes. “People have been asking why this...
LAD BIBLE - Scientists have warned that the Gulf Stream could collapse altogether, having weakened significantly over the past 100 years. Without it, you've got the possibility of rising sea levels, climate change, and unliveable temperatures. What is the Gulf Stream? The Gulf Stream is often described as the world's 'conveyor belt' as it transports...
THE DAILY MAIL - Scientists from the University of California, Riverside, have warned that the Gulf Stream has been weakening for more than 100 years - and could soon collapse altogether. The Gulf Stream is only a small part of a much wider system of currents, officially called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Described...
EARTH.COM - Nanoparticles – microscopic specks released by cars, factories, forest fires, and volcanoes – float through every ecosystem on Earth. Scientists are also designing these particles to precisely deliver fertilizers to crop roots, target pests with pesticides, or serve as tiny sensors that detect plant stress. But new research, led by the University of...
LIVE SCIENCE - Dairy farms produce huge amounts of potent greenhouse gases. But now, scientists say these farms can slash their methane emissions by covering cow-poop ponds with a giant tarp. Scientists recorded an 80% reduction in the methane emissions of a dairy farm in California after its owners installed a "digester" — a system...
CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson had some special wisdom he wanted to impart to students making up the college’s 71st graduating class during commencement ceremonies held on June 16 at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA. “Science matters,” he said, “and science is never finished. Every answer leads to a new question. Every theory invites deeper...
DISCOVER MAGAZINE - Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, capable of trapping more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Indeed, it is thought that between 20 and 30 percent of global warming since 1750 can be pinned on methane emissions alone, and agriculture is one of the...
EARTH.COM - A year-long experiment on a Central Valley dairy farm has confirmed that sealing manure lagoons under gas-tight tarps can trap roughly 80 percent of the methane they would otherwise release. By capturing the gas and sending it to fuel markets, the system turns a potent climate threat into a usable resource. Led by...
INTERESTING ENGINEERING - Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is over 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide when trapping heat over a 20-year period. It accelerates global warming much faster than CO2. In California, dairy farms are among the largest sources of methane, especially through how they handle manure. A new study from the...
THE WASHINGTON POST - Completely reforesting Earth might help cool the planet more than expected but still not enough to offset the warming that has occurred since industrial times, a recent analysis finds. The scientists modeled what might happen if humans reached the planet’s reforestation potential, adding about 4.6 million square miles of trees and...
The UC Riverside Academic Senate awarded paleontologist Mary Droser with its top prize during their annual awards. Droser, a distinguished professor of geology, is the recipient of the 2024-25 Faculty Research Lecturer Award, the highest honor bestowed to faculty based on a distinguished record in research. She will deliver a lecture next year.
EARTH.COM - Replanting the world’s forests could significantly reduce global warming, particularly in tropical regions, according to a new modeling study. But even if every tree lost since the 19th century were replaced, the cooling impact would still fall short of reversing the full effects of human-caused climate change. Emissions cuts, the authors stress, remain...
Maritssa Nolasco, a fourth-year Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary School (MTSS) major at the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences and a Digital Agriculture Fellowship (DAF) participant, has been awarded the 2025 National Student Recognition award. Co-sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the...
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE - Project Apis m. reported massive colony loss in early 2025, estimating around 1.6 million colonies lost in a report from April — a large number considering the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated the total number of United States colonies is 2.7 million. While there have been continuous losses of 30...
EARTH.COM - Kelp forests, once a towering and life-filled part of many temperate coastlines, are vanishing fast. In their place, low-growing mats of turf algae are taking over. This shift isn’t just cosmetic. It’s causing steep losses in biodiversity, disrupting how energy and nutrients flow through reefs, and changing the chemistry of coastal waters in...
EARTH.COM - Scientists once dismissed a 1958 hypothesis about vitamin B1, or thiamine, as unlikely. The idea was that this vitamin, vital for basic metabolic functions, might turn into a very reactive intermediate during certain biochemical processes. Now, researchers have shown that the hunch was correct. Prof. Vincent Lavallo from the University of California, Riverside...
Dear R’Garden supporters, Thank you sincerely for reaching out regarding the future of the R'Garden. We share in the disappointment that the recent student referendum to secure ongoing support for R’Garden did not meet the minimum 20% voter participation threshold for approval, despite majority support from those who voted. Although the R'Garden referendum did not...
Each year, the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) proudly recognizes a select group of students who have distinguished themselves through exceptional academic achievements, innovative research, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the science community. These outstanding individuals are more than just award recipients—they are a testament to the...
CHEMISTRY WORLD - A new ‘super-shielded’ carbene is stable in liquid water solutions. The US team that made the carbene claims that it ‘unambiguously confirms’ that it is possible to generate carbenes in an aqueous environment – validating a hypothesis put forward almost 70 years ago by the famed organic chemist Ronald Breslow. In the...
