Tiny saltwater channels have a big influence on sea ice.

Sea ice typically includes pockets or channels of brine that allow salt water to flow vertically through the ice. When those channels align neatly, they need to make up only about 5% of the ice volume before the water can flow. But in more disordered, granular ice, salt water starts to flow only when the brine channels take up more space—roughly 10% of the ice volume, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports.

This higher threshold could slow the drainage of surface melt ponds, as well as the transport of nutrients to microbial communities inside the ice.

“If we’re trying to find predictive models about how these ice cores are responding under climate change, it’s going to be necessary to take into account these structural and microstructural conditions,” said Stephen Ackley, a sea ice researcher at the University of Texas at San Antonio who was not involved in the study.

Disorderly Constructs

As seawater freezes, it forms a mixture of ice crystals and brine. In calm conditions, the ice slowly grows into long, parallel crystals separated by orderly brine channels. This columnar sea ice is common in the Arctic, and its properties have been widely used in sea ice models.

But in choppy waves or when the ice’s snow-covered surface floods and refreezes, new ice can’t grow into these ordered columns. Instead, it forms small, randomly oriented grains separated by more complex pores containing brine and gases. Called granular ice, this form is more common in Antarctica but is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Arctic as temperatures rise and ice cover thins.

In 1998, University of Utah mathematician Kenneth Golden established the first estimate of the point at which the brine channels are connected enough to allow water to flow in columnar ice, called the percolation threshold. The new work, also led by Golden, extends a similar analysis to granular sea ice.

“It’s the sequel we’ve been waiting decades for,” said Don Perovich, a sea ice researcher at Dartmouth who was not involved in the new work.

To quantify the percolation threshold for granular ice, Golden and his colleagues collected sea ice samples during two expeditions off the eastern coast of Antarctica in 2007 and 2012. They measured how quickly water moved through the brine channels in the ice. After the 2012 expedition, they also mapped the arrangement of ice crystals within the ice blocks to correlate those permeability measurements with the microscale structure of the ice.

The finding that in granular ice, about twice as much of the ice volume needs to be brine for water to flow compared to columnar ice suggests that brine channels within granular ice are much less interconnected.

With the higher threshold, “you have to reassess all these models, anything that relies on fluid flow through sea ice,” if granular ice is present, said Golden. Granular ice will require warmer or saltier conditions to leave enough brine in the ice structure to meet the percolation threshold and allow water to flow vertically.

For example, the new value could influence models of how meltwater ponds behave atop an underlying ice sheet. If meltwater ponds form above a base of granular sea ice, those ponds will require warmer temperatures before they start draining than melt ponds on columnar ice will.

If these melt ponds remain on the surface longer waiting for those warmer temperatures, they could lower the albedo, or reflectivity, of the ice sheet. That could cause the ice sheet to absorb more heat, leading to a feedback loop that could accelerate melting.

The higher percolation threshold could also affect algae that lives within the ice. Ice algae make up an important food source for krill and crustaceans, which in turn become food for fish, penguins, and whales. Algae rely on water flowing through the ice to deliver nutrients. Because granular ice requires warmer temperatures for that flow to start, it could affect the depth at which algae can live inside the ice, Golden said.

Percolation Consideration

Still, experts say more data are needed to establish percolation thresholds across both Arctic and Antarctic ice. The size of the grains in granular ice can vary substantially at different temperatures, under different formation conditions, and between the poles. Larger grains could lower the percolation threshold, allowing water to flow even when the ice contains much less than 10% brine by volume, said Sønke Maus, a scientist studying ice microstructure at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology who was not involved in the study.

“The data that we have at the moment for the granular sea ice is sparse,” Maus said. “You need a big campaign to collect such data.”

Golden said that in future work he also plans to develop models to compute the electromagnetic properties of both columnar and granular sea ice. Knowing these properties can help scientists determine the thickness and age of an ice sheet from satellite data.

—Skyler Ware (@skylerdware), Science Writer

Citation: Ware, S. (2026), Changes in sea ice microstructure could affect climate models, Eos, 107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EO260164. Published on 20 May 2026.

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Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors.

Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) can expand low-carbon energy production, but fluid injection may trigger earthquakes whose locations and mechanisms are difficult to predict. Feng et al. [2026] investigate induced seismicity at China’s first EGS site in the Gonghe Basin using a comprehensive observational dataset. Machine learning processing of data from 20 surface seismic stations produced a high-resolution earthquake catalog with well-constrained locations and focal mechanisms. Stress inversion and modeling, constrained by borehole stress measurements, reveal mechanically weak faults with low friction coefficients, indicating that low-to-moderate fluid overpressure can trigger seismic slip. Site-scale analysis shows that seismicity reflects shear reactivation of pre-existing natural faults, rather than the creation of new tensile fractures. Further integration with borehole image logs reveals a fine-scale relationship between the main seismogenic zones and stress heterogeneity, expressed as rotations of the principal stress axes that likely reflect localized lithological contrasts and fault-damage zones.

Together, these integrated analyses show that geothermal-induced seismicity is controlled by inherited fault architecture at the site scale and localized stress heterogeneity at the borehole scale. By linking seismic observations to borehole stress and image-log evidence, the study provides a more physically constrained framework for seismic-hazard assessment and stimulation design in enhanced geothermal reservoirs.

Citation: Feng, P., Wang, R., Zhang, H., Zhang, C., Schultz, R., & Yang, L. (2026). Pre-existing structures and stress variations jointly control the induced seismicity in enhanced geothermal system of Gonghe Basin, China. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 131, e2025JB033158. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB033158  

—Xiaowei Chen, Associate Editor, JGR: Solid Earth

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Animals are not the only stinky living things on this planet. The putrid corpse flower blooms with  the stench of rotting flesh, as does the lesser-known (but equally pungent) Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis. Then there is the elegant stinkhorn (Mutinus elegans), a fungus known for its phallic appearance and spores that give off the odor of rotting meat.

Also called the devil’s dipstick, elegant stinkhorns are found across most of eastern North America, particularly from spring to the earliest days of winter. It has also been found in parts of Europe and Asia. They typically prefer temperate climates and looser soils, springing up in gardens, mulch beds, forests, and wood debris during warm and wet weather. They can grow to about four to six inches tall, and a mature mushroom will only last a day or two before subsiding. 

All of that stench comes from the dark and slimy coating on the mushroom’s tip called the gleba, and it serves an important purpose. The fungi uses this dark and stinky spore mass to get the flies and other insects buzzing. Once they get a whiff of that rotten flesh smell, they will land on the stinkhorn and get covered in spores. As the bugs fly away, they spread the stinkhorn’s spores far and wide, so that more stinkhorn can pop up elsewhere.  

During the Victorian era, their penis-like appearance was reportedly distressing to some ladies. According to one story, naturalist Charles Darwin’s daughter Henrietta (or Etty), was openly combative towards the elegant stinkhorn. She would roam the woods armed with a spear, following her nose to the offensive mushrooms. Her niece recalled that Etty would find the fungi and “poke his putrid carcass into her basket.” After cleansing the territory, Etty would then secretly burn it to protect “the morals of the maids.”

If you encounter this bizarre fungus in the wild like Etty Darwin, don’t worry. Beyond offending your nostrils, it is not poisonous or dangerous to your health. But you still probably shouldn’t eat it anyway. 

The post This phallic fungus also smells like rotting flesh appeared first on Popular Science.

Researchers in the United Kingdom found that people who engage with the arts biologically age more slowly than those who do not. These results echo others over the years that show a correlation between exercising creative muscles and improved health outcomes.

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Source: Geophysical Research Letters

As seismic waves travel through Earth, they gradually lose energy, a process called attenuation. That energy loss doesn’t happen uniformly—some features in the crust sap far more energy from seismic waves than others. Researchers can map underground features by watching where seismic waves lose more or less energy. The Southern Array for the Lithosphere and Uplift of Taiwan Experiment (SALUTE) is doing just that, providing information that could lead to improved seismic hazard planning in the country.

Lin et al. report attenuation results from SALUTE focused on the convergence between the Eurasian plate and the Luzon Arc, an understudied, geologically dynamic area where Earth’s crust is deforming. Using the overall attenuation rate and relative attenuation rates of P and S seismic waves, the authors imaged active faults, identified distinct lithologies, and better resolved the Luzon forearc block that sits just offshore of Taiwan.

The authors used data from the SALUTE high-density seismographic network, spanning December 2020 to December 2023, to construct both 2D and 3D attenuation models. They found clear changes in attenuation associated with major faults, as well as areas of high attenuation associated with fluid-rich, ductile zones in the lower crust that cause tectonic tremors. Their attenuation imaging additionally revealed that the Luzon forearc block, which had been poorly imaged in the past, dips northward and narrows as it nears the convergence zone.

The authors say their results agree well with previous velocity-based seismic imaging studies and show that attenuation can image features, such as transition zones, that were previously difficult to capture. Their data could also be useful for better understanding seismic hazard throughout the region, they note. (Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL121583, 2026)

—Nathaniel Scharping (@nathanielscharp), Science Writer

Citation: Scharping, N. (2026), Seismic attenuation techniques reveal what lies beneath Taiwan, Eos, 107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EO260150. Published on 11 May 2026.

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Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.

Concrete is everywhere, and that’s a problem. Manufacturing the essential material accounts for around eight percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the single biggest contributors to the climate crisis. Researchers are investigating all types of creative solutions to the issue, often by replacing ingredients with more eco-friendly alternatives.

Recent propositions include adding coffee grounds, bacteria, and even recycled diapers into the mix.But engineers at Purdue University in Indiana think the answer can already be found in the natural world. According to a study recently published in the journal Chemistry of Materials, one solution may be swapping out the cement for shellfish.

“Oysters generate a natural cement. They use this material for attaching to each other when building reef structures,” chemist and study co-author Jonathan Wilker explained in a recent university profile.

Wilker has spent years examining the biological properties of oyster cement in hopes of recreating the sturdy adhesive for other applications. They have since learned that the bivalves bind together by producing the inorganic compound calcium carbonate—basically chalk. While calcium carbonate isn’t usually adhesive by itself, oysters also produce a small amount of stickier organic materials like phosphorylated proteins. This allows the shellfish to fuse together, even when saturated in water.

After breaking down the chemical composition of oyster cement, Wilker’s team recreated it in a laboratory. They then collected a bunch of limestone bathroom tiles, since their calcium carbonate is virtually identical to oyster shells. From there, they glued stacks of tiles together using their artificial, biomimetic cement. In nearly every stress test, the tiles broke before the bond itself.

Confident in their faux-oyster cement’s abilities, Wilker and colleagues finally tried combining a polymer from their creation into commercially available concrete mix. In lab tests, their oyster-inspired concrete was 10 times stronger while doubling its compressive strength. On top of all that, it also took less time to cure.

Wilker’s team plans to continue testing their patent-pending recipe. He notes that it’s not simply stronger. It’s even more eco-friendly when compared to most adhesives on the market.

“Most of the adhesives that you see at the hardware store are made of organic compounds, derived from petroleum,” he said. “There is so much more that we can learn from nature.

The post Want stronger concrete? Just add oysters. appeared first on Popular Science.

Anything unfortunate enough to venture too close to a black hole inevitably falls prey to the gargantuan object’s inescapable gravitational pull. But that doesn’t mean a black hole is constantly devouring its next cosmic meal. In many cases, there comes a time when there simply isn’t anything left in its vicinity to consume. Although these dormant black holes don’t go anywhere, astronomers have a tough time detecting and observing them.

That hasn’t stopped researchers from successfully spotting the most distant example ever seen. At over 10 billion light-years from Earth, the dormant black hole inside the galaxy MRG-M0138 is 15 times farther away than the prior record holder. As astronomers explained in a study published on June 4 in the journal Science, the far-away subject is now offering experts an unprecedented look at one of the earliest regions of the universe.

To pull off the remarkable achievement, researchers harnessed both the James Webb Space Telescope as well as a technique called stellar dynamics, which utilizes the movements of stars around an invisible black hole to assess its mass. This approach has previously helped identify similar cosmic objects inside galaxies, including our own Milky Way, but never at such a great distance.

Astronomers wouldn’t be able to locate any stars moving around such a far away black hole in most scenarios. However, a galaxy located directly between Earth and MRG-M0138 enabled the otherwise impossible task through a dynamic known as gravitational lensing. Incoming light from MRG-M0138’s stars is refracted around the intermediary galaxy, which then refocuses and enlarges its appearance by 30 times its normal size. This then allowed astronomers to track and calculate the distant stellar dynamics around the dormant black hole.

“By combining JWST data with gravitational lensing, we could peer inside the black hole’s sphere of influence, where its gravity boosts the speeds of stars,” study co-author and Carnegie Science astronomer Andrew Newman said in a statement. “This is one of the best techniques we have to weigh a black hole, so we were excited to extend it to a much earlier period in cosmic history.”

After crunching the numbers, Newman and colleagues determined the dormant black hole has a mass about six billion times greater than the sun, and is observable from an era when the universe was barely three billion years old. That’s around a quarter of its age today, which means astronomers are now glimpsing some of the earliest moments in cosmic history.

Experts have already determined that it’s not just MRG-M0138’s black hole that is dormant—the entire galaxy itself is basically silent, with no recently formed stars. The study authors also theorize the galaxy previously included a quasar, which emits huge amounts of radiation and are some of the brightest objects in the universe.

Moving forward, astronomers can now apply their methodology to other areas of the cosmos, as well as gain a better understanding of galactic evolution throughout the eons.

“By demonstrating the feasibility of such a technique for galaxies in the early universe, we can now undertake a more complete census of how black holes develop over time and infer their role in shaping galaxy evolution,” added study co-author and University College London astronomer Richard Ellis.

The post JWST spots dormant black hole 10 billion light-years from Earth appeared first on Popular Science.

Fractions are a difficult math concept for many children to learn, but pairing lessons with basketball may offer some help. After participating in an experimental workshop that combined education with shooting hoops, students in Denmark performed an average of 15 percent better in fraction tests than a control group that did not play basketball..

“I am convinced that sport and physical activity can open up mathematics for pupils who are not otherwise engaged by the subject,” explained University of Copenhagen sports exercise researcher Jacob Wienecke.Wienecke is also the co-author of an accompanying study on the fraction experiment published in the journal Educational Psychology Review.

The project involved over 300 students between ages 11 and 13, who attended a one hour, once-a-week meetup that tied fraction lessons to specific basketball drills. For example, teachers asked kids to throw 10 shots at a hoop, then determine the fraction of successful versus unsuccessful attempts. They then practiced converting those numbers into percentages.

The subject area improvements also went beyond fractions. Study participants also saw around five percent improvement in other math concepts after the workshop. And, of course, their skills on the court benefitted from the extra hoop time.

“Our research shows that you can easily invite other subjects into physical education and make it work,” said Wienecke“And it can actually make children experience that subject in a completely different way, while still preserving their motivation and enjoyment of learning.”

Who knows? By expanding similar programs to more school districts, future NBA Finals teams may also be filled with mathletes.

The post Basketball can make you better at math appeared first on Popular Science.

Like all high schools, Cavour Scientific High School has its fair share of rumors. For years, students swore that their classrooms were built atop ancient, unexplored Roman ruins. Their theories were understandable given the school’s impressive view.. From its front steps on Via degil Annibaldi, Cavour Scientific High School is less than a five minute stroll to the Colosseum. Yes, that Colosseum.

The monumental symbol of ancient Rome is only one example of the surrounding neighborhood’s historical significance. Famous figures including Pompey, Cicero, and Emperor Augustus all lived there, but much of the vital archaeological record remains buried underneath centuries of municipal development. The school, originally built during the late 19th century as a missionary complex, is its own testament to this constant change. Although construction work at the time revealed portions of a large Roman villa home known as a domus, no one conducted extensive surveys of the remnants. Instead, the domus’ true size and condition was a matter of speculation for generations.

Knowing this, local students recently undertook multiple clandestine explorations through passageways underneath the gymnasium and finally confirmed longtime suspicions: an ancient, luxurious Roman abode resides beneath their hallways. After their history and Latin teacher reported the findings to the Special Superintendency of Rome, archaeologists spent months excavating the area earlier this year. Now known as the Domus Liceo Cavour (House of the Cavour High School), is offering experts a remarkable glimpse of Roman life circa the mid-second century CE.

The house is impressively preserved despite its age. Archaeologists documented decorative stucco along the vaulted ceilings, floral wall frescos, and even a detailed mosaic featuring irregularly shaped tiles that were popular with wealthy Romans at the time. An inscription left during the first excavation project in the 19th century reports the home likely belonged to someone in the Umbrius family. Although not much is known about them, they possibly originated in Samnium, an area in south-central Italy near Pompeii.

Archaeologists hope to continue their work sometime in the future, and school officials plan to eventually open the site to the public. Until then, much more of Domus Liceo Cavour remains to be examined—including a fair amount of graffiti from former students and urban explorers.

The post Students discover long-lost Roman villa under high school gym appeared first on Popular Science.

As if we needed reminding, new research documenting dozens of previously unknown insect species highlights just how little we know about our fellow planet-dwellers. 

For the first time, researchers have comprehensively revisioned the Platydracus genus of beetles in China. Meaning flat dragon, Platydracus is a genus of rove beetles. In this new review, the team recorded over 100 species, a majority of which are new to science. Their work highlights how it’s not just the small and bland species that get overlooked in taxonomic work—sometimes, even large and colorful animals go unnoticed. 

In fact, these beetles are pretty large (frequently several centimeters long) and a lot of them mimic wasps or have bright colors. And yet, many of them have either gone completely unnoticed in the wild or sat for years unidentified in museum collections.

“It is striking that so many new species can remain hidden among large and colourful beetles. It shows how little we actually know about biodiversity and that even highly visible species can still go unnoticed,” Alexey Solodovnikov, senior author of the study recently published in the journal Insect Systematics and Diversity, said in a statement. 

Solodovnikov is a systematic entomologist at the University of Copenhagen who studies rove beetles. His team’s work puts a spotlight on the Linnean shortfall, or the difference between the number of scientifically named and described species and the number of species that exist in reality. 

For example, Platydracus is part of the rove beetle family Staphylinidae. This large family consists of approximately 70,000 known species, though researchers estimate that these are only 20-25 percent of the actual number of rove beetle species. More broadly, there are about 925,000 formally described insect species. This number is shockingly low compared to how many insect species exist, which is estimated at over five million. What’s more, even the species we do know are frequently insufficiently recorded, according to the study. 

The team also rectified some mistakes, which included cases of species having been described based on, per today’s taxonomic standards, too little knowledge. 

“Many species were originally described on a very limited basis. With more collected specimens and modern methods of examination, we can now test and refine earlier species delimitations while adding new species to nature’s mosaic,” Solodovnikov explained. “This gives us a much more accurate picture of biodiversity, which is crucial both for our understanding of nature and for our ability to protect it.” 

The researchers closely studied the beetle’s bodies and used DNA barcoding—a method that uses an organism’s genetic sequence to recognize the species. They found that sometimes species can look very different despite having the same DNA markers. The oppositescenario—having different DNA markers, but appearing very similar—can also happen.

Ultimately, the study stands as a reminder that we still have a long way to go in mapping out all the life that we share the planet with.

The post 61 new beetles discovered in China appeared first on Popular Science.

Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates that provide context for the flurry of news that impacts science and scientists today.

Sand is the most exploited solid natural resource on Earth. It has been integrated into how we build homes, roads, buildings, and bridges as well as how we protect coastal infrastructure from rising seas. Sand underpins nearly every aspect of modern infrastructure and economics, plays crucial roles in supporting ecosystem biodiversity, and literally shores up rivers and coasts.

A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) found that we are using 50 billion metric tons (50 trillion kilograms) of sand per year. As global development and industrialization expand, demand for sand in the building sector is expected to rise 45% by the year 2060, outpacing current efforts to sustainably harvest it. The report’s authors urge countries to establish sand as a strategic national asset and develop policies for sustainable extraction.

“Sand is sometimes referred as the unrecognized hero of development, but its essential role in sustaining the natural services on which we depend is even more overlooked,” Pascal Peduzzi, director of the UNEP Global Resource Information Database Geneva, said in a press release about the report. “Sand is our first line of defence against sea level rise, storm surges, and salination of coastal aquifers—all hazards exacerbated by climate change.”

Sand Wanted: Dead or Alive

Dead sand, or sand that has been extracted from its natural environment, is a key component in building materials like concrete and asphalt. Communities around the world use sand in water filtration systems, providing clean water for drinking and agricultural use. And although a transition to clean energy sources is necessary to curb the effects of climate change, many of those sources also depend on sand: solar panels require glass made from high-purity silica sand, and wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, and nuclear power plants all require concrete.

Sand also plays a critical role in natural ecosystems. It is home to a wide array of critters from crabs, sharks, and turtles to microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. It supports the growth of corals, mangroves, and seagrasses that in turn support even more marine creatures. It is a key component of healthy soil and aids in surface drainage. It guides river evolution and acts as flood buffer and storm barrier. It also provides local economic benefits via tourism.

These are among the values of sand when it is left alone and unused, called “alive” sand. The UN report notes that these benefits are typically of greater value over time than if sand is dredged and used. But because these benefits are hard to see, they are often overlooked when nations calculate the value of their sand resources.

A Sustainable Sand Future

Despite sand’s importance whether dead or alive, the report notes that few countries have established sand as a strategic national asset or have developed strategies for sustainable extraction. At the current pace, humans are extracting sand from the natural environment at a faster pace than it is being replenished by geologic processes.

What’s more, the UNEP’s Marine Sand Watch tool shows that about half of sand dredging companies are operating within marine protected areas, accounting for about 15% of the volume of dredged sand. This practice, the report notes, is potentially trading in sand’s long-term benefits for short-term gains.

The UN report recommends a few actions to protect the long-term availability of sand as a natural resource, including:

• Recognizing sand as strategic national asset, establishing national inventories, and creating long-term regional planning groups that consider sand as an essential resource for resilience;
• Establishing circularity and recycling of building materials, especially in areas of conflict and natural disasters;
• Strengthening environmental protection practices, and codifying international frameworks to strengthen accountability along the supply chain, including increased transparency about extraction; and
• Integrating sand-related biodiversity and social risks into financial decisionmaking and governance.

“Over-reliance on short-term economic metrics risks obscuring, and further impacting, the geological and ecological processes that take centuries to form and may not be restored once critical thresholds are crossed,” the report states. “What is hardest to measure may be precisely what sustains both nature and human societies over the long term. The challenge ahead is not only to manage extraction, but to recognise and balance the full spectrum of sand’s values.”

—Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@astrokimcartier.bsky.social), Staff Writer

These updates are made possible through information from the scientific community. Do you have a story about science or scientists? Send us a tip at eos@agu.org.

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