Research from UH indicates that exposure to nature can reduce negative emotions, pointing to an urgent need to integrate nature into urban design to increase brain capital. 

A new study evaluates how different three-dimensional crustal velocity models influence strong ground motion simulations in the seismically active Sichuan–Yunnan region of southwest China. Using the 2022 Mw 6.6 Luding earthquake as a case study, researchers compared ground motion predictions from nine representative velocity models based on peak ground velocity (PGV), a key engineering parameter. The results show that different models can systematically overestimate or underestimate shaking intensity, while averaging results from multiple models significantly improves prediction stability. The findings provide practical guidance for post-earthquake ground motion assessment and seismic hazard mitigation.

Scientists have pinpointed, for the first time, exactly when key oil- and gas-forming rocks developed in northwest China. By precisely dating tiny zircon crystals preserved in ancient volcanic ash, researchers built a high-resolution timeline for Carboniferous–Permian source rocks in the Junggar Basin and nearby regions. The study shows that these source rocks formed during three distinct time windows and that the shift from marine to land-based environments occurred at different times across the region. These findings resolve long-standing geological debates, support a step-by-step, “scissor-like” closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, and provide a crucial time guide for future energy exploration.

Tsinghua University Press is pleased to announce the launch of Carbonsphere, a new open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to carbon science, technology, and policy. Sponsored by Qinghai University and Tsinghua University and published by Tsinghua University Press, the journal creates a new interdisciplinary platform for research spanning natural systems, engineered systems, and human systems.

University of Cape Town researchers have discovered that the 2023-2024 El Niño triggered the largest sea level surge ever recorded across Africa's marine domains. A rare convergence of climate patterns amplified the event, causing sea levels to rise faster than the global average and placing over 15 million coastal residents at heightened flood risk. The study is published in Communications Earth & Environment.