New research from scientists at Trinity College Dublin strongly implies that heatwaves have a major influence on the spread of many diseases – and that many existing predictive models have overlooked this complexity. Specifically, the scientists have discovered that differences in heatwaves – such as how much hotter they are than normal temperatures, and how long they last – can increase disease burden by up to 13 times in a commonly used experimental animal model

The University of Warwick and UCL astronomers, as part of a global collaboration including partners in Chile, USA, and Europe, have discovered the smallest known star to host a transiting giant planet, which should not exist under leading planet formation theories. 

New research from Colorado State University and Cornell University shows that the presence of solar panels in Colorado’s grasslands may reduce water stress, improve soil moisture levels and – particularly during dry years – increase plant growth by about 20% or more compared to open fields.

A team led by Virginia Tech graduate student Samuel Daramola developed a deep learning model called LSTM-SAM that predicts extreme water levels from tropical cyclones more efficiently and accurately, especially in data-scarce coastal regions, to offer a faster, low-cost tool for flood forecasting.

Amphibians – the most threatened vertebrate class on Earth – are under enormous pressure, with 41 percent of all species already threatened with extinction. A new study from the Faculty of Biological Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt shows that increasing extreme weather events such as heat waves and droughts are further exacerbating the crisis and are directly linked to declining amphibian populations. Particularly affected regions include Europe, Amazonia, and Madagascar. The results highlight the urgency of targeted conservation measures to preserve endangered species and their habitats.

Global warming is continuously advancing. How quickly this will happen can now be predicted more accurately than ever before, thanks to a method developed by climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast and his team at the University of Graz. For the first time, this method enables reliable monitoring of the Paris climate goals and shows that temperatures are rising faster than expected in the latest IPCC report. Based on this, the researchers propose a four-classes assessment scale to quantitatively gauge to what degree the Paris climate goals are being met or missed. "This creates a completely new compliance assessment basis for the political and legal implementation of the agreement", says Kirchengast.

• Tracing the origin of an ultra-hot exoplanet: The chemical composition of WASP-121b suggests that it formed in a cool zone of its natal disc, comparable to the region of gas and ice giants in our Solar System.

• Methane indicates unexpected atmospheric dynamics: Despite extreme heat, methane was detected on the nightside – a finding that can be explained by strong vertical atmospheric circulation.

• First detection of silicon monoxide in a planetary atmosphere: Measurements of this refractory gas allow quantifying the rocky material the planet had accumulated.