Large region of unusually hot rock beneath the Appalachian Mountains in teh USA is linked to the splitting of Greenland and North America 80 million years ago.This finding challenges the long-held belief that the NAA resulted from North America separating from Northwest Africa 180 million years ago.

Since the beginning of Earth's history, tiny particles of rock and metal from space have been hitting our planet. On clear nights, we can even see their traces as shooting stars. Trapped in layers of rock, these micrometeorites can remain preserved for billions of years. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen and including the Open University, the University of Pisa, and Leibniz University Hannover has developed a method that allows them to reconstruct the atmosphere of the past using fossilized micrometeorites. The results were published in Communications Earth & Environment.

Using energy piles for geothermal heat exchange in buildings offers a sustainable alternative to traditional temperature regulators. However, designing these systems is often complex. Now, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, have developed a simplified modeling framework to improve the design of energy pile systems. Using a combination of finite element modeling and field testing, they quantified the thermal interference between piles and soft clay soil—offering insights for quicker and enhanced geothermal performance.

New research from northern Scandinavia and Svalbard reveals that Arctic lakes could emit more methane as climate change increases lake and ecosystem productivity. The study highlights how even modest warming can drive greenhouse gas emissions from Arctic sediments—fuelled by lake algal production and plant growth around the lakes.