Scientists examined multiple fire danger indices for the contiguous U.S. to assess the impact of climate change on future wildfire risk and seasonality.
3000 years of carbon monoxide records show positive impact of global intervention in the 1980s
An international team of scientists have assembled the first complete record of carbon monoxide concentrations in the southern hemisphere, based on measurements of air.
Volcanic Eruptions Triggered Historical Global Cooling
The new study, led by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at St Andrews with international colleagues from the Desert Research Institute and others in Switzerland and the USA, and published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (6 November 2023), finds that massive volcanic eruptions caused historical global cooling.
Scientists Map Loss of Groundwater Storage Around the World
A new study maps, for the first time, the permanent loss of aquifer storage capacity occurring globally. Researchers from DRI, Colorado State University, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology examined how groundwater extraction is driving land subsidence and aquifer collapse.
Childhood Traumas Strongly Impact Both Mental and Physical Health
Most Americans report experiencing at least one childhood trauma and these experiences have significant impacts on our health as adults.
Childhood trauma and genetics linked to increased obesity risk
New research from the Healthy Nevada Project® found that participants with specific genetic traits and who experience childhood traumas are more likely to suffer from adult obesity.
NSF-funded Study Finds Eolian Dust Systems Impact Cardio-Pulmonary Health
The study, published in Geology, seeks to characterize dust emission potential from landforms in two end-member eolian systems, where wind is the primary source of sediment transport.
Within an Antarctic Sea Squirt, Scientists Discover a Bacterial Species With Promising Anti-Melanoma Properties
New research has traced the production of palmerolide A, a key compound with anti-melanoma properties, to a suite of genes coded in the genome by a member of a sea squirt’s microbiome.
1,000 years of glacial ice reveal ‘prosperity and peril’ in Europe
Sandra Brugger, a paleoecologist at the Desert Research Institute, found in her recent study that Europe’s past prosperity and failure, driven by climate changes, has been revealed using thousand-year-old pollen, spores and charcoal particles fossilized in glacial ice.
Early Human Activities Impacted Earth’s Atmosphere More Than Previously Known
An international team of researchers led by Desert Research Institute analyzed ice core samples from Antarctica’s James Ross Island and found early human activity caused significant changes to the earth’s atmosphere. Their findings were just released in a new Nature journal article.