Jet streams are often referred to as the “motor” of global weather: High-altitude wind currents steer areas of high and low pressure, playing a crucial role in shaping our weather.  However, how these atmospheric flows are affected by climate change remains uncertain. Now, a team of climate scientists from Leipzig University, working with other research institutions, has developed a new method that enables a deeper understanding of what is referred to as the Eddy-Driven Jet in the Southern Hemisphere. This advance paves the way for more accurate predictions in the coming years about how this wind belt may respond to climate change.

Carbon emissions continue to increase at record levels, fueling climate instability and worsening air quality conditions for billions in cities worldwide. Yet despite global commitments to carbon neutrality, urban policymakers still struggle to implement effective mitigation strategies at the city scale. Now, researchers at Notre Dame’s School of Architecture, the College of Engineering and the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society are working to reduce carbon emissions through advanced simulations and a novel artificial intelligence-driven tool, EcoSphere.

Oak trees change their fine roots by more than 70% and ‘energise’ soil microbes by supplying them with a cocktail of small organic compounds, all to supplement the trees’ supply of essential nutrients when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide. This according to a study conducted at the unique University of Birmingham Institute of Forest Research’s Free Air CO₂ Enrichment (BIFoR-FACE): a very large outdoor forest research facility.

With climate change exacerbating drought conditions, scientists in Japan have identified a hidden player in plant survival: myosin XI. This unexpected link between the motor protein and hormone signalling that regulates water loss deepens our understanding of plant stress responses. It also opens a promising avenue for engineering drought-resilient crops. Targeting myosin XI could enhance water-use efficiency and help reshape the future of agriculture in an increasingly arid world.

One of the most pressing mysteries in climate science is why Earth has begun warming faster over the past 15 years. A new international study points to a surprising contributor: cleaner air in East Asia, particularly China.

Scientists from the Marine Biological Association and the University of Plymouth have revisited turn-of-the-century forecasts about the many and varied threats they thought were likely to face the world’s shorelines in 2025. Their new study highlights that many of their forecasts were correct, either in whole or in part, while others haven’t had the impacts that were envisaged at the time. They have also charted some of the other threats to have emerged and/or grown in significance since their original work, with notable examples including global plastic pollution, ocean acidification, extreme storms and weather, and light and noise pollution.

The azuki bean beetle is a common pest of stored beans and peas. Researchers at Kyushu University have found that when beetles infected with Wolbachia bacteria are exposed to elevated temperature and carbon dioxide they tend to produce larger eggs to enhance the survivability of their offspring. Interestingly, these larger eggs gave rise only to male larvae.