Engineering students developed an AI-powered irrigation solution rooted in intelligence, earning them first place in the “Building a Better Future Through Business and AI” competition.

The rapid production and distribution of chemicals in the environment means that regulatory risk assessment can no longer keep pace with their ever-increasing number. This is the conclusion reached by two authors from ETH Zurich and RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau. In their study of global chemical pollution, they provide an overview of particularly problematic chemical groups, such as PFAS and pesticides, and advocate comprehensive changes to address the associated risks to humans and the environment more effectively. The study was published in the 50th issue of the Annual Review of Environment and Resources journal.

Some proteins can survive drying out, returning to function when water is re-introduced. Revealing the chemical rules behind this ability could lead to longer-lasting medicines and drought resistant crops.

A pioneering two-year field study has revealed that biodegradable microplastics, often hailed as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, are quietly reshaping the chemistry of farmland soils in unexpected and complex ways. Published on August 22, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this research was co-led by Dr. Jie Zhou from the College of Agriculture at Nanjing Agricultural University, China, and Dr. Davey L. Jones from the School of Environmental and Natural Sciences at Bangor University, UK—a powerful Sino-British collaboration bridging soil science, microbiology, and climate resilience. The team investigated how polypropylene (PP)—a common conventional plastic—and polylactic acid (PLA)—a widely used biodegradable plastic—affect soil organic carbon (SOC) in real-world agricultural conditions. Both were added at realistic concentrations (0.2% w/w) to topsoil (0–20 cm), with an unamended plot serving as control. While neither plastic changed the total amount of carbon stored, the story beneath the surface was dramatically different.

Arsenic leaking from abandoned gold mines can harm forest ecosystems by entering soils and affecting soil organisms. In a recent study, researchers tested forest soils with different chemical properties to see how they influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in springtails. Results showed juveniles were more sensitive to mobile arsenic, while adults responded to total arsenic. These findings highlight the importance of soil chemistry and life stage in arsenic risk assessment.

In the upper Abbay basin, cradle of the Blue Nile, a team of researchers have predicted soils of the future: what will happen to soil organic carbon if we bet on regenerative agriculture—returning residues, organic manure, cover crops, agroforestry? Their 50-year modelling unveils a mixed picture: yes, land can regain fertility and resilience if we feed soils more; but under warming and increasingly erratic rains, these benefits weaken and vary greatly across territories.