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Science and Health

Spreading Crushed Rock on Newly-Planted Forests Boosts Carbon Storing and Nutrients

A sprinkle of crushed basalt rock has turned out to be the fairy dust that newly planted forests need to develop faster and absorb more carbon. That’s what scientists from Imperial College London are reporting in a new study from the largest field experiment studying how...

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Source published Jul 30New3 min readBrightSide page reviewed Jul 30, 2026

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Drone cameras can measure pigments indicating surface health of dryland soils

Drylands soils are being degraded by human activities and climate change, threatening the thin living layers covering their surface, called biocrusts, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Composed of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, algae, fungi and bacteria, biocrusts play major roles in storing carbon, cycling nitrogen, preventing erosion and supporting ecosystems. To better understand the status of these complex biological communities, a team led by researchers at Penn State developed a novel approach for assessing the health and function of biocrusts.

Phys.org Biology - Jul 30

Science and Health

A climate resilience strategy to strengthen US seafood competitiveness

As the U.S. looks to expand domestic seafood production, a new University of Miami study argues that long-term competitiveness will depend on how well fisheries can withstand climate-driven disruptions. The study comes as NOAA advances new efforts to increase domestic seafood production and suggests that producing more seafood will require investments that reduce disruptions to the nation's fisheries and seafood supply chains.

Phys.org Biology - Jul 29

Science and Health

NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has created 18 new awards to support visionary ideas to improve aerospace technologies in areas ranging from the exploration of the solar system to understanding the universe. The 18 NIAC Phase I awards total $3.2 million. Each award provides up to $175,000 for a nine-month initial investigation. The

NASA News - Jul 29

Science and Health

Five-year study finds rewilded elephants develop successful coping mechanisms, with individual differences

Ex-captive elephants released into the wild adapt well to wild environments, according to a study published July 29, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Tenisha Roos and Tamara Eggeling of the Elephant Reintegration Trust of South Africa and colleagues.

Phys.org Biology - Jul 29