An international study, with the participation of INRAE and the CEA, has discovered that the majority of terrestrial carbon sequestered over the last 30 years is stored in nonliving forms such as the bottom of lakes and rivers, wetlands and soils. Until now, forests were considered to be the main carbon sinks on terrestrial surfaces. However, an analysis of carbon fluxes over the last few decades reveals that, if we take into account gains and losses on a global scale, only around 6% of the total sequestered carbon is stored in live biomass. This loss could be the result of forest degradation in many parts of the world—caused by fires, droughts and deforestation. Very little is known about the key sequestration processes in these nonliving pools, and currently, many are not included in global models of changes in carbon stocks. Published on 20 March 2025 in Science, these results could help to better predict the future trajectory of these reservoirs and how they are affected by human activities and climate change.

Researchers develop technique to estimate glucose concentrations in solution and tissue via sound waves

A modulator developed by researchers from ETH Zurich has broken the terahertz mark. The ultrafast component efficiently transmits large volumes of data into the fibre-optic network in a short space of time.

Scientists at the University of Leicester have captured the first detailed “molecular movie” showing DNA being unzipped at the atomic level – revealing how cells begin the crucial process of copying their genetic material.

Fuels like kerosene can be produced in a climate-friendly way from CO₂, water and green electricity using Power-to-Liquid processes. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have already demonstrated this with systems in actual operation. Now, researchers working on the Kopernikus P2X project have succeeded for the first time in coupling – at an industrial 220-kilowatt scale – the highly efficient co-electrolysis process with fuel synthesis. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Using machine learning workflows developed in-house, the researchers were able to establish that heat conduction is much more intricate than previously thought. Findings offer potential for developing specific materials.