## Major Errors Discovered in Al Gore's Climate TRACE Emissions Database

A groundbreaking study from Northern Arizona University (NAU) is casting serious doubt on the accuracy of one of the world's most prominent greenhouse gas tracking tools. Researchers have concluded that the Climate TRACE database — developed by a consortium co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore — is significantly underreporting carbon dioxide emissions produced by vehicles in American cities, sometimes missing the mark by more than 90%.

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal *Environmental Research Letters*, reveal that across 260 U.S. cities, the Climate TRACE database underestimates vehicle-related CO2 emissions by an average of **70%**. The implications for climate policy and emissions reduction strategies could be substantial.

## What the Research Found

The study was led by Kevin Gurney, a professor in NAU's School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS). His team specifically examined how Climate TRACE reports carbon dioxide output from cars and trucks in urban environments — a critical category of fossil fuel emissions that plays an outsized role in city-level climate planning.

To benchmark the Climate TRACE figures, researchers cross-referenced them with data from **Vulcan**, an independent onroad emissions database developed by Gurney's own laboratory. The Vulcan system draws on verified traffic records and official energy consumption data to generate reliable emissions estimates, carrying an uncertainty margin of roughly 14%.

The contrast between the two datasets was stark.

"The Climate TRACE CO2 emissions were, on average, 70% lower than those same emissions in the Vulcan onroad CO2 emissions database," said Bilal Aslam, a SICCS postdoctoral researcher and co-investigator on the study.

### Some Cities Showed Gaps Exceeding 90%

The discrepancies weren't uniform. Certain cities revealed dramatically larger gaps between the two data sources. According to Pawlok Dass, a research associate at SICCS, cities like **Indianapolis and Nashville** showed Climate TRACE figures that fell more than 90% below what Vulcan recorded — a difference so large it raises fundamental questions about the database's methodology.

The research team also believes these inaccuracies are unlikely to be limited to the United States. They suspect similar underestimates may exist in Climate TRACE data for cities around the world, potentially undermining global climate accountability efforts.

## A Pattern of Concern

This is not the first time Climate TRACE's accuracy has been questioned by NAU researchers. An earlier study from the same team identified comparable problems in how Climate TRACE estimates emissions from **power plants**, another major source of fossil fuel-based CO2.

Taken together, Gurney says the two studies suggest that Climate TRACE may be significantly underreporting more than half of U.S. fossil fuel CO2 emissions in urban settings — a troubling pattern for a tool used to inform climate decisions at the highest levels.

"Given the importance of vehicle CO2 emissions in cities, we carefully examined the Climate TRACE data which relied on promising new artificial intelligence-based approaches," Gurney explained. "Our results suggest that the Climate TRACE data significantly underestimate over half of U.S. fossil fuel-based CO2 emissions in cities."

## AI Promise vs. Scientific Rigor

Climate TRACE employs artificial intelligence to monitor and estimate greenhouse gas emissions globally — an innovative approach that researchers acknowledge holds genuine promise for environmental tracking. However, the NAU team argues that technological ambition must be paired with rigorous scientific standards.

In their view, transparency, independent expert review, and methodological integrity are non-negotiable when producing data that feeds directly into climate legislation and public policy. Without these safeguards, even well-intentioned tools can mislead the decision-makers who rely on them.

The published study includes a set of concrete recommendations designed to help Climate TRACE improve its accuracy, providing a constructive path forward for the consortium's ongoing work.

"We will never estimate emissions with perfect accuracy, but we must ensure that the data shared with policymakers and the public is unbiased and meets best practices and the most rigorous scientific standards available," Gurney stated. "Without this, we mislead decision makers and potentially lose public trust in our ability to tackle climate change."

## About the Lead Researcher

Kevin Gurney brings more than two decades of expertise to this field, working at the intersection of atmospheric science, ecology, and public policy. His federally supported **Vulcan and Hestia projects** map greenhouse gas emissions at extraordinary resolution — from individual roadways and power plants down to neighborhood-level detail — helping identify emissions hotspots across the country.

With over 180 published scientific papers and more than 20,000 citations to his name, Gurney is a recognized authority in the field. He has participated in United Nations climate negotiations for over 25 years and serves as a lead author for the **Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)**. His work also contributed to a recent U.S. National Academy report titled *Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Decisionmaking*.

A new NAU study finds Climate TRACE, co-founded by Al Gore, underestimates urban vehicle CO2 emissions by 70% on average across 260 U.S. cities.

Climate TRACE Database Undercounts Vehicle CO2 by 70%

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Climate TRACE Emissions Database Undercounts Vehicle CO2 by 70%, Study Warns

## A Small Change Making a Big Difference Beneath the Waves

A straightforward engineering tweak to lobster pots used by fishermen along the East Yorkshire coastline is proving to be a powerful tool in the fight against one of the fishing industry's most persistent environmental problems — bycatch.

By incorporating a small **escape hatch** into the side of traditional lobster pots, fishermen are now allowing juvenile lobsters, fish, and other unintended marine life to swim free before ever reaching the surface. The modification is simple, low-cost, and increasingly seen as essential to the long-term sustainability of the shellfishing industry.

## What Is Bycatch and Why Does It Matter?

Bycatch refers to the unintentional capture of marine species that were never the intended target of a fishing operation. It is a growing source of alarm among marine conservationists worldwide.

A recent report published by Wildlife and Countryside Link revealed the alarming scale of the problem in UK waters alone:

- **Thousands of protected seabirds** are killed annually through bycatch
- **More than 1,000 porpoises and dolphins** lose their lives each year
- **Dozens of whales** are also affected

One particularly striking incident occurred three years ago on a Bridlington beach, where dozens of seabirds perished after becoming entangled in an abandoned fishing net — a tragic example of the real-world consequences of inadequate gear management.

## Fishermen Speak Out on the New Design

Grant Watson, a crew member aboard the Bridlington-based fishing vessel *Dylharis*, has witnessed the benefits of the redesigned pots firsthand. He describes the escape hatches as a genuine step forward for both the environment and the industry's future.

*"It's letting the smaller stuff get out. It reduces fighting in the pots between species and it's cutting down on deaths inside the pots,"* Watson explained.

He emphasized that fishermen are far from indifferent to the health of the ocean ecosystem around them.

*"Marine life needs to be there for our future as well, and if we can help it, then it also helps our industry. We're all conscious of nature as fishermen, and there's some amazing wildlife out there."*

The report also highlighted the efforts of fisherman Rex Harrison, who independently redesigned his own nets specifically to reduce the number of seabirds accidentally caught — a testament to the growing environmental awareness within the fishing community.

## Conservation Groups Call for Government Action

While the fishing industry is taking meaningful steps at a grassroots level, marine conservation organizations are urging the government to go further and faster.

**Yorkshire Wildlife Trust**, alongside several other marine conservation bodies, is pressing ministers to implement a formal national strategy to tackle bycatch head-on.

Andy van der Schatte Olivier, Marine Programme Manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, described government intervention as *"vital"* for the survival of numerous species. Although he acknowledged that the trust was collaborating productively with local fishermen to raise awareness and reduce accidental capture, he stressed that policy-level action was urgently needed.

*"We are calling for the government to immediately put in a bycatch action plan,"* he stated.

A spokesperson for Wildlife and Countryside Link added that the government had been slow to formulate concrete plans, noting that existing regulations even prevent fishermen operating near UK shores from attaching acoustic deterrent devices to their nets — tools that could help keep dolphins at a safer distance.

## The Government's Response

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed its commitment to ocean health and outlined existing initiatives aimed at addressing the bycatch problem.

A departmental spokesperson stated: *"This government is committed to restoring our oceans to good health and we are taking action to reduce the bycatch of marine species."*

Key government measures currently in place or in development include:

- **The Clean Catch Programme** — a flagship initiative using electronic monitoring technology to gather bycatch data and assess the effectiveness of mitigation strategies
- **A new Seabird Bycatch Action Plan** — designed to reduce the number of seabird deaths occurring in and around English waters
- **Deterrent trials** — ongoing since 2019, testing various methods to reduce accidental marine mammal capture

## An Industry and Environment That Must Coexist

The story unfolding along the East Yorkshire coast reflects a broader truth about the relationship between commercial fishing and marine conservation — they are not mutually exclusive. The growing adoption of escape hatches in lobster pots demonstrates that even modest innovations can yield meaningful environmental benefits while simultaneously supporting the long-term viability of the fishing industry itself.

As pressure mounts on governments to act decisively, the collaboration between local fishermen and conservation organizations offers an encouraging model for how industry and ecology can work hand in hand toward a healthier ocean future.

Fishermen on England's East Yorkshire coast are using redesigned lobster pots with escape hatches to reduce bycatch and protect marine wildlife.

Lobster Pot Escape Hatches Help Reduce Marine Bycatch

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How Simple Escape Hatches in Lobster Pots Are Saving Marine Life

## A Historic Step Forward for River Conservation

A pioneering water quality monitoring initiative has been launched along the entire length of Hampshire's River Test, marking what is believed to be the first scheme of its kind anywhere in the United Kingdom. The project deploys nearly 20 specialist sensors — known as sondes — directly into the chalk stream to deliver continuous, real-time readings of critical water quality indicators.

### Why the River Test Needed Protection

Concern over the health of the River Test reached a tipping point in 2024, when a period of heavy rainfall caused sewage overflow outlets to discharge into the river. Southern Water described the events as "exceptional circumstances," but the incident triggered widespread public outrage. In March of that year, hundreds of residents and environmental campaigners gathered outside the company's Fullerton Waste Water Treatment Works to demand action.

According to local Liberal Democrat councillor and Pan Parish River Pollution Forum member Geoff Cooper, that demonstration proved to be a turning point in how Southern Water engaged with the community.

"That made Southern Water realise just how angry people were," Cooper said. "They opened their doors to us and gave us the opportunity to work collaboratively to find solutions and better understand the quality of our rivers."

## How the Monitoring System Works

The sondes, positioned from the river's source all the way to its mouth — including coverage of major tributary areas — provide automated updates every 30 minutes. Each sensor tracks dissolved oxygen levels, ammonia concentrations, and water temperature, offering an unprecedented, continuous picture of the river's health.

Currently, this data is accessible to environmental campaigners and riverkeepers. Plans are in place to make the information publicly available within the next 12 months.

### Insight From the Riverbank

Seth Crosswaite, who has served as riverkeeper at Houghton Lodge in Hampshire for a decade, explained just how transformative the technology could be in responding to pollution events.

"All those monitors down that river will measure it in real-time," he said. "If we get a pollution incident, we can look upstream to identify where it's coming from and downstream to assess the impact it's having on the river."

Crosswaite noted that clean gravel beds — essential for fish spawning — are the hallmark of a healthy chalk stream, and that protecting that environment is central to the initiative.

## A Collaborative Effort With Wide-Reaching Goals

The project is the result of a collaborative partnership between Southern Water, local community groups, and environmental advocates. The water company says it is investing £84 million in improving water quality across the River Test catchment, with £28 million specifically allocated to upgrades at the Fullerton Waste Water Treatment Works.

Joff Edevane, Southern Water's Environment and Water Quality Lead, emphasised that the monitoring scheme extends beyond the company's own infrastructure.

"The sondes give riverkeepers joined-up daily insight into what's affecting water quality," Edevane explained. "This isn't just about our outfalls — numerous factors affect water quality, from agricultural runoff to illegal connections. But we know we need to do better when it comes to discharges and storm overflows."

The company also noted that the voluntary scheme positions it ahead of upcoming environmental legislation, with the sensor network designed to capture inputs from agricultural and other sectors operating along the river corridor.

## Protecting a National Treasure for Future Generations

Chalk streams are exceptionally rare ecosystems, with the majority of the world's examples found in England. The River Test is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of this habitat type — celebrated for its crystal-clear waters, rich biodiversity, and cultural heritage as one of England's most prized fly-fishing rivers.

Geoff Cooper believes the monitoring network represents not just a technological achievement, but a statement of intent from all those who care about the river's future.

"The River Test is the gold standard of chalk streams," he said. "It's crucial that we, as custodians of it, do everything we can to protect it for future generations."

With real-time data now flowing as freely as the river itself, conservationists hope this initiative will set a new benchmark for freshwater protection across the country.

A network of 20 real-time water quality sensors has been deployed along Hampshire's River Test in a UK-first initiative to combat pollution and protect this rar

Real-Time Sensors Now Monitoring River Test Water Quality

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Groundbreaking Real-Time Monitoring System Launched to Safeguard England's Precious Chalk Stream

## Devon Fabric Firm Takes Center Stage in Global Space Industry

A specialist textile manufacturer tucked away in the English countryside has quietly become one of the most important suppliers in the global space industry — and the world's leading space giants have taken notice.

Heathcoat Fabrics, based in Tiverton, Devon, recently hosted a high-profile parachute engineering conference that drew representatives from NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin, underscoring the company's critical role in some of humanity's most ambitious missions beyond Earth.

## A Historic Factory With an Out-of-This-World Portfolio

The Tiverton-based firm has a remarkable heritage in parachute fabric manufacturing that stretches back to before World War Two. Decades later, that same expertise is being applied to some of the most advanced spacecraft ever built, helping to safely slow down rockets, rovers, and capsules as they return from the cosmos.

Peter Hill, Director at Heathcoat Fabrics, expressed his pride in the company's achievements and its broader impact on the region.

"We're proud to be putting Devon on the map as a hub for space innovation," Hill said. "This is a chance to showcase the incredible work our team does to support missions that push the boundaries of human achievement."

Hill highlighted the growing demand for the company's materials, noting that an increasing number of organisations are sending payloads into space and require reliable systems to bring them safely back to Earth.

### From Mars Rovers to Pharmaceuticals

The scope of Heathcoat Fabrics' work extends well beyond traditional aerospace. Hill revealed that pharmaceutical companies are now manufacturing drugs in microgravity conditions aboard spacecraft, with the finished products then parachuted back to Earth — a process that depends on the Devon firm's high-performance materials.

Additionally, the company is collaborating with both the UK Ministry of Defence and the United States Department of Defense on advanced projects including chemical warfare protection gear, protective clothing, and lightweight parachute systems.

"More and more companies are taking things to space and need to bring them back again," Hill explained, adding that the firm remains committed to innovation in order to "meet the needs of an evolving market."

## Industry Leaders Speak Out

### Blue Origin Praises Devon-Made Parachutes

Rob Sinclair, representing Blue Origin — the space company behind the celebrated all-female spaceflight in April 2025 — attended the conference and spoke glowingly about the Devon manufacturer's contribution to that historic mission.

"We've had Gayle King and Katy Perry come back safely to Earth with parachutes using fabric that was made right here in Devon," Sinclair said.

### NASA's Mars Mission Connection

Clara O'Farrell from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory also attended, emphasising just how pivotal Heathcoat Fabrics has been to the agency's deep-space endeavours.

O'Farrell described having the "great fortune" of being part of the team that successfully landed the Mars Perseverance Rover — a mission that relied directly on fabric produced in Devon.

"We partnered with the team here to manufacture the fabric that we used to assemble the parachute that successfully landed that Rover on Mars," she said. "We hope to continue that partnership in future space missions."

## A Small Town With a Giant Footprint in Space

The conference serves as a powerful reminder that cutting-edge space exploration is not confined to Silicon Valley or Cape Canaveral. A centuries-old textile town in the heart of Devon is helping to write the next chapter of human achievement among the stars — one parachute at a time.

Heathcoat Fabrics in Devon hosted NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin reps at a parachute engineering conference, celebrating its role in landmark space missions.

NASA and SpaceX Visit Devon Factory Behind Space Parachutes

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NASA and SpaceX Descend on Devon Factory Behind Space Parachute Technology

## A New Path Forward for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Engineers working to push computer chips beyond their current physical limits may have just gotten a significant boost. A newly developed technique using plasma processing could make it far easier to work with the ultrathin materials considered essential for the next generation of electronics.

Researchers discovered that applying oxygen or fluorine to a material called molybdenum disulfide before plasma exposure allows manufacturers to remove just the outermost layer of atoms with far greater precision and safety. The findings were published in the *Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters*.

## Why Silicon Alone Is No Longer Enough

Silicon has served as the backbone of computer chip manufacturing for decades. However, engineers are increasingly bumping up against the material's fundamental physical boundaries. As demand for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices continues to grow, researchers are exploring ways to supplement silicon with advanced ultrathin materials.

One of the most promising categories is known as transition metal dichalcogenides, or TMDs. A standout candidate within this group is molybdenum disulfide — a material only three atoms thick, composed of a single layer of molybdenum sandwiched between two layers of sulfur.

For future transistors that integrate both silicon and TMD materials, manufacturers must be able to selectively strip away atoms from only the top sulfur layer, leaving everything beneath it completely intact.

## The Challenge of Plasma-Based Atom Removal

One established method for removing surface atoms involves plasma — the high-energy state of matter present in stars like the Sun. Under precise conditions, particles within a plasma can collide with a material's surface and dislodge individual atoms.

The difficulty lies in achieving exactly the right energy level. Removing sulfur atoms from the top layer requires enough force to break surface bonds, but too much energy risks damaging the molybdenum layer underneath. The margin between success and destruction is razor-thin, making a reliable, repeatable process extremely hard to achieve.

Plasma research has been a core focus at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) for more than 75 years, and this study draws directly on that expertise.

## How Oxygen and Fluorine Change the Equation

Using advanced computer simulations, researchers found that pretreating molybdenum disulfide with either oxygen or fluorine before plasma exposure substantially lowers the energy threshold needed to remove surface sulfur atoms.

### The Energy Numbers Tell the Story

On an untreated surface, dislodging a sulfur atom requires approximately 30 electron volts of energy. After fluorine pretreatment, that threshold drops to around 10 electron volts. Oxygen pretreatment reduces it to roughly 14 electron volts.

This reduction is critically important because plasma ions naturally vary in their energy levels — not every particle carries the same charge. On an untreated surface, the narrow energy window between removing sulfur atoms and inadvertently damaging the molybdenum layer below means some ions will inevitably cause harm.

By lowering the removal threshold to 10 or 14 electron volts, the technique creates a far wider and more forgiving operating window, giving manufacturers significantly more control over the process.

## Chemistry Doing the Heavy Lifting

Rather than relying purely on physical force to knock atoms free, the new approach harnesses chemical reactions to assist the removal process.

When a plasma ion strikes an oxygen-treated surface, two oxygen atoms can bond with a neighboring sulfur atom to form sulfur dioxide — a stable gas that naturally lifts off the surface on its own. Fluorine behaves in a comparable way, generating sulfur-fluorine compounds that detach with much less effort.

"We are not directly breaking the bonds," explained Yury Polyachenko, a Princeton University chemistry graduate student and lead author of the study, who also worked at PPPL during the summer of 2025. "We are forming some intermediate products, such as sulfur dioxide. This intermediate product is much easier to break off."

## What Comes Next

The research team is already planning the next phase of investigation, aiming to quantify the degree of damage the process causes rather than simply determining whether damage occurs at all.

Beyond that, the researchers intend to test whether the same chemical pretreatment strategy works for related TMD materials — for example, substituting tungsten for molybdenum or selenium for sulfur — to determine just how broadly the technique can be applied across different material systems.

The study was conducted by Polyachenko alongside PPPL researchers Igor Kaganovich and Shoaib Khalid, as well as PPPL alumnus Yuri Barsukov. It received support from the Department of Energy's Office of Science, covering both Fusion Energy Sciences and Basic Energy Sciences, under the Extreme Lithography and Materials Innovation Center initiative. Computational work was carried out at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center and Princeton University's high-performance computing clusters.

Researchers found that pretreating molybdenum disulfide with oxygen or fluorine improves plasma chip manufacturing precision, enabling next-gen electronics.

Plasma Trick Could Unlock Smaller, Powerful Computer Chips

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Plasma Chemistry Breakthrough Could Pave the Way for Next-Generation Computer Chips

## When Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

Delhi has been enduring a punishing heatwave for weeks, with daytime temperatures regularly climbing above 40°C. Weather apps dutifully display a "feels like" figure a few degrees warmer — but even that fails to capture what life is actually like for the millions navigating the city's streets every day.

On a recent Tuesday, India's Meteorological Department officially logged the capital's peak air temperature at 43.5°C. Yet when Greenpeace India researchers took to those same streets armed with a thermal imaging camera, the readings told a dramatically different story — surface temperatures reaching as high as 64°C in certain locations.

## Air Temperature vs. Surface Temperature: Understanding the Gap

The distinction matters enormously. Official meteorological readings measure ambient air temperature under carefully controlled, standardized conditions. Thermal cameras, by contrast, capture the heat radiating from physical surfaces — roads, concrete footpaths, parked vehicles, and open ground baking under relentless sunlight.

On intensely hot days, these surfaces absorb enormous amounts of solar energy and can become far hotter than the surrounding air. That radiant heat transfers directly to the human body, making urban environments feel significantly more oppressive than official figures suggest — especially in areas stripped of shade or greenery.

## What the Thermal Camera Revealed Across Delhi

### IIT Flyover: A Traffic Junction Turned Heat Trap

The first stop was the IIT flyover in south Delhi, one of the city's most heavily trafficked intersections. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles pass through this junction daily, and during peak hours, commuters can sit idle for up to ten minutes.

Greenpeace researcher Nibedita Saha swept her thermal camera across the scene just after midday. In the shaded areas beneath the flyover structure, the reading settled at 42°C — uncomfortable, but manageable. Panning to bikers waiting at red lights under direct sunlight, the figure jumped to 64°C. The surface where the team stood registered 61°C. Moving fewer than ten feet to stand beneath a single tree brought the reading down to 39.8°C.

"Consistent exposure to temperatures this high can trigger serious health complications," Nibedita noted. "But sometimes, just a few feet makes all the difference. That's the impact one tree can have."

### The Human Body Under Extreme Heat

Dr. A. Fathahudeen, a pulmonologist, explains that the human body's normal core temperature sits at 37°C. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat forces that number upward, and once it surpasses 40°C, the body begins to malfunction.

"The most immediate sign is heat exhaustion — intense sweating, pounding headaches, and deep fatigue," he said. In more severe cases, individuals can experience confusion, disorientation, and seizures. Left untreated, the consequences escalate to multiple organ failure and, ultimately, death.

His guidance for surviving a heatwave: drink water consistently even without feeling thirsty, choose loose and light-coloured clothing, and carry an umbrella. He also urged the government to formally restrict outdoor labour between 10:30am and 3:00pm during extreme heat events.

## Delhi's Working Poor Have No Choice But to Stay Outside

### Red Fort's Street Vendors: Surviving on the Pavement

The team made their way to the iconic Red Fort in Old Delhi, expecting quiet streets. Instead, they found vendors who had no option but to remain at their posts, hoping for customers despite the brutal conditions.

Sanjana Ben, who sells dry fruits from a pavement stall, sat on a makeshift cushion assembled from spare clothing, her wares — cashews, almonds, raisins, walnuts, dried figs — arranged before her. The thermal camera recorded approximately 40°C near her face. Angled toward the ground at her feet, it read 51.4°C, rising to 57°C just inches further away.

"Sometimes my head spins and my vision goes blurry," she told the BBC. "When the ground becomes unbearably hot, I stand up for a while — but I can't do that forever, so I sit back down."

Nearby, footwear vendor Mohammad Mahfouz Alam described the relentless assault of heat rising from below and beating down from above simultaneously. "There's no relief, day or night. I feel drained, my legs ache, and I arrive home exhausted. Even after bathing, I can't sleep — the fan just pushes hot air around."

He gestured toward the tree shading his stall. "If that tree weren't here, I couldn't survive this spot. The day it's gone, everything ends for me."

The thermal camera confirmed his words — readings around him ranged from 40°C to 58.5°C, with his own shoulder registering 44.8°C.

### Chandni Chowk: A Pedestrian Zone Without Shade

A short walk away, the historic Chandni Chowk boulevard — redesigned as a pedestrian-friendly zone in recent years — offered stone seating pillars intended as rest stops. But with zero overhead shade, not a single person was using them. One young toy vendor, absorbed in his phone, sat unknowingly on a concrete pillar that the thermal camera recorded at 56.9°C.

### Sundar Nagri: Evening Heat That Refuses to Relent

By the time the team reached Sundar Nagri, a lower-middle-class neighbourhood in east Delhi's Seelampur district, the clock had passed 5pm and the sun's intensity was beginning to ease. Still, a concrete bench at the colony's entrance — partially exposed to remaining sunlight — read 51.6°C.

## The Bigger Picture: A City Heating Beyond Its Limits

Mahfouz Alam's observation that Delhi's seasons have grown increasingly unpredictable echoes what climate scientists have been warning for years. Summers are hotter and longer, monsoons less reliable, and the urban heat island effect amplifies every degree. For those with the means to stay indoors with air conditioning, heatwaves are an inconvenience. For the city's vast outdoor workforce, they are a daily threat to life.

The thermal camera made visible what official statistics cannot — the lived, surface-level reality of heat in one of the world's most populous capitals.

Delhi's official temp hit 43.5°C, but thermal cameras recorded surfaces above 60°C. Discover why the city feels far hotter and what it means for residents.

Why Delhi Feels Hotter Than 43.5°C: Thermal Camera Data

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Why Delhi's Streets Feel Far Hotter Than the Official Temperature Suggests

## The Hidden Highway Beneath Our Feet

Beneath every forest floor, meadow, and garden lies one of nature's most extraordinary engineering feats — a sprawling, invisible network of fungi that quietly connects trees, plants, and ecosystems across the globe. Now, scientists are embarking on an ambitious mission to map this underground world in unprecedented detail.

Ecologist Justin Stewart recently joined NPR's Adrian Florido on *All Things Considered* to discuss the remarkable challenge of charting what amounts to quadrillions of miles of fungal threads woven through the soil beneath us.

## What Exactly Is This Fungal Network?

The underground system scientists are working to understand is known as the mycorrhizal network — a dense web of microscopic fungal filaments called hyphae. These structures attach themselves to plant roots and essentially act as an extended root system, dramatically increasing a plant's ability to absorb water and nutrients.

But the network does far more than simply feed individual plants. It functions as a living communication system, allowing trees and plants to share nutrients, chemical signals, and even warning messages about environmental threats like pests or drought. Some researchers have poetically dubbed it the "Wood Wide Web."

## Why Mapping It Matters

Understanding the full scope and structure of this fungal web could have profound implications for how we approach ecology, conservation, and even climate science. Fungi play a critical role in carbon sequestration — locking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the soil — making them key players in the global effort to address climate change.

### The Scale of the Challenge

The sheer scale of the mapping effort is staggering. Scientists estimate that the total length of fungal threads in the world's soils measures in the quadrillions of miles — a figure so vast it is almost incomprehensible. Capturing accurate data on a system this expansive requires innovative methods, combining soil sampling, genetic analysis, and advanced computational modeling.

### Tools and Techniques

Researchers like Stewart are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to make sense of the complexity. Environmental DNA sampling allows scientists to identify fungal species present in a given location without ever directly seeing them. Paired with satellite imaging and machine learning algorithms, these tools are helping build a clearer picture of how fungal networks are distributed across different ecosystems and geographies.

## A New Appreciation for What Lies Below

For most of human history, the underground fungal world has remained largely out of sight and out of mind. But as scientific tools have grown more sophisticated, our understanding of just how vital these organisms are to life on Earth has deepened considerably.

The fungi beneath us are not passive bystanders — they are active architects of ecological health. Their presence or absence can determine whether a forest thrives or collapses, making the effort to map and protect them more urgent than ever.

## Looking Ahead

As the mapping project continues to evolve, researchers hope their findings will inform land management policies, reforestation efforts, and conservation strategies worldwide. By understanding where the healthiest and most diverse fungal networks exist, decision-makers can better protect the ecosystems that depend on them.

The underground fungal web has been doing its quiet, essential work for hundreds of millions of years. Science is only now beginning to appreciate the full magnificence of what lies just beneath the surface.

Scientists are mapping the vast underground fungal network connecting Earth's plants. Learn how this hidden web works and why mapping it matters.

Mapping Quadrillions of Miles of Underground Fungi

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Scientists Are Charting the Vast Underground Fungal Web That Connects Earth's Forests

## A New Era in Neuroscience Research

One of the most prestigious brain research centers in the world is making a bold scientific pivot. Rather than relying on the longtime laboratory staple — the fruit fly — researchers are now turning their attention to a far more unusual subject: a tiny, transparent fish.

This shift represents more than a change in specimen. It signals a fundamental evolution in how scientists approach one of biology's most complex questions: how does the brain actually control behavior?

## Why a Transparent Fish?

At first glance, swapping flies for fish might seem like an unconventional leap. But for neuroscientists, the appeal of a transparent aquatic creature is anything but arbitrary.

Because the fish's body is entirely see-through, researchers can observe its brain activity in real time without invasive procedures. This remarkable biological trait allows scientists to watch neurons fire, circuits activate, and signals travel — all while the animal goes about its natural behaviors.

This level of visibility is virtually impossible to achieve with other common research animals, making the fish an extraordinarily valuable tool for studying the living brain in action.

## Understanding the Brain-Behavior Connection

The central ambition driving this research shift is both profound and far-reaching: to understand precisely how the brain governs the actions and responses of a living creature.

By mapping these neural pathways in a transparent organism, scientists hope to uncover universal principles that apply not only to fish, but potentially to mammals and even humans. The brain, despite varying enormously in size and complexity across species, often operates according to shared fundamental rules.

Understanding those rules in a simpler, more observable organism could open powerful new windows into human neurological function — and ultimately, human behavior.

## A Strategic Bet on the Future

The decision by a world-leading brain research center to realign its resources around this model organism reflects a growing consensus in the neuroscience community. As research tools become more sophisticated, scientists need study subjects that can keep pace — animals whose biology cooperates with modern imaging, genetic, and computational techniques.

The transparent fish fits that profile exceptionally well. It is small, fast-reproducing, genetically accessible, and above all, visually transparent — a combination that positions it as one of the most promising research models of the coming decade.

While the fruit fly has delivered decades of invaluable discoveries, the future of brain science may well swim on fins rather than wings.

A top brain research center is replacing fruit flies with a tiny transparent fish to better understand how the brain controls animal and human behavior.

Transparent Fish Could Revolutionize Brain Science Research

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Why One of the World's Top Brain Research Centers Is Betting on a Tiny Transparent Fish

## A New Era in Neuroscience Research

One of the most prestigious brain research laboratories in the world is making a significant shift in its scientific approach. The lab is moving away from the fruit fly — a longtime staple of biological research — and turning its attention to a remarkably small, see-through fish. The reason behind this transition is as fascinating as the science itself.

## Why the Switch?

For decades, fruit flies have served as invaluable subjects in neuroscience. Their relatively simple nervous systems and short life cycles made them ideal for studying brain function. However, researchers are now setting their sights on something more ambitious: watching an entire animal's brain operate in real time.

### The Power of Transparency

The tiny fish at the center of this scientific pivot possesses a unique biological advantage — its body is naturally transparent. This remarkable trait allows scientists to observe neural activity across the whole brain without invasive procedures or obscured views. It essentially turns the animal into a living window into neurological function.

## What This Means for Brain Science

This transition could represent a major leap forward in our understanding of how brains process information, respond to stimuli, and generate behavior. By observing a complete brain in action rather than isolated sections or simplified models, researchers may unlock insights that were previously out of reach.

The ability to monitor an entire brain simultaneously — rather than piecing together data from different regions — opens up new possibilities for studying neurological conditions and cognitive processes at a systems level.

## Looking Ahead

As neuroscience continues to advance, the tools and subjects researchers choose become increasingly critical. This bold move from fruit flies to transparent fish signals a broader ambition within the scientific community: to understand the brain not just in parts, but as a whole, dynamic, living system.

A leading brain research lab is ditching fruit flies for tiny transparent fish, aiming to observe a complete living brain in real time. Here's why it matters.

Brain Lab Switches From Fruit Flies to Transparent Fish

From Fruit Flies to Tiny Fish: How Brain Research Is Evolving

## Oxford Scientists Unlock a Stranger, More Powerful Version of Schrödinger's Cat

Physicists at the University of Oxford have pushed one of quantum mechanics' most iconic concepts into uncharted territory. By creating an entirely new family of quantum superposition states — built from components that are themselves deeply quantum in nature — the team has opened a promising new frontier for quantum computing, precision sensing, and our fundamental understanding of physical reality.

## What Is Schrödinger's Cat, and Why Does It Matter?

At the heart of quantum mechanics lies one of its most unsettling ideas: objects don't have to exist in just one state at a time. They can occupy multiple states simultaneously — at least until they are observed. This counterintuitive concept is most famously illustrated by the thought experiment known as Schrödinger's cat, in which a hypothetical cat is considered both alive and dead until someone looks inside the box.

While that scenario remains fictional, quantum superpositions are very real. Scientists routinely create and manipulate them in laboratories using atoms, light, and even physical motion. These superposition states form the backbone of technologies like quantum computers and atomic clocks that push the limits of precision measurement.

A quantum bit, or qubit, is the most familiar example — a unit of quantum information that can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously. But the quantum world offers far more complexity than a simple two-state system can capture.

## Beyond the Qubit: Quantum Oscillators Open New Doors

Quantum harmonic oscillators represent a much richer class of quantum system. Unlike a qubit constrained to two possible states, these oscillators can occupy a vast range of energy levels. They appear across many physical contexts — describing the behavior of light, vibrations in materials, and the motion of trapped particles.

Scientists have long used oscillators to generate a variety of exotic quantum states. Among the most well-known is the so-called "cat state," in which an oscillator exists as a superposition of two wave packets traveling in opposite directions. These wave packets, known as coherent states, represent the closest quantum analog to classical physical motion.

## Building Quantum States From Nonclassical Components

The Oxford research team has now gone significantly further. Rather than assembling cat-like quantum states from coherent-state components, they developed a technique that builds superpositions from components that are already profoundly nonclassical.

In one example, they created what are known as squeezed-state superpositions — states in which quantum uncertainty is distributed unevenly across different aspects of the system, producing behavior with no classical equivalent.

The experiment was conducted using a single trapped ion, a platform that elegantly combines two quantum systems within a single physical object. The ion's internal structure behaves like a qubit, while its physical motion functions as a quantum harmonic oscillator capable of existing across a wide range of motional states. This dual nature makes trapped ions an exceptionally versatile tool for advanced quantum state engineering.

### How the New States Were Created

To produce these novel quantum states, the researchers first engineered precise interactions that entangled the ion's internal qubit state with various possible motional states. They then performed a mid-circuit quantum measurement on the internal state — a targeted observation that caused the ion's motion to collapse into the intended superposition of nonclassical components.

"This approach gave us a tool to sculpt the quantum superposition into almost any shape," explained lead author Dr. Sebastian Saner of the University of Oxford's Department of Physics.

## Programmable Precision Over Exotic Quantum Behavior

One of the most significant aspects of the new technique is the degree of control it affords. By tuning experimental parameters, the team could adjust the relative size, orientation, and spatial separation of components within a given superposition. This flexibility enabled them to generate a wide variety of exotic motional quantum states using the same experimental apparatus.

To verify their results, the researchers reconstructed the quantum states directly from measurements. The data revealed distinct interference patterns and regions of what physicists call Wigner negativity — a telltale signature that a quantum state cannot be explained by any classical model. These findings confirmed that the team had successfully produced genuine quantum superpositions with fully nonclassical building blocks.

"We were really encouraged by our colleagues' reaction when we showed them what we had made. We believe we're still scratching the surface of what's possible, both for practical applications and for understanding these states at a more fundamental level," said Dr. Raghavendra Srinivas, who supervised the research.

## What This Means for the Future of Quantum Technology

The implications of this breakthrough extend well beyond the laboratory. The newly demonstrated states point toward a new generation of quantum technologies built around quantum oscillators rather than conventional qubits alone.

In quantum computing, these states may prove more resilient to the errors that currently limit the performance of quantum processors. They also suggest simpler and more effective approaches to quantum error correction — one of the field's most pressing engineering challenges.

Beyond computing, the work establishes a new experimental platform for probing one of physics' deepest open questions: precisely where the boundary lies between the familiar classical world and the strange quantum reality that underlies it. The Oxford team is currently collaborating with theorists to develop better tools for quantifying exactly how nonclassical their newly created states truly are — suggesting that even more surprising discoveries may lie ahead.

Oxford physicists engineered a radical new class of quantum superposition states from nonclassical components, advancing quantum computing and physics research.

Oxford Physicists Create Stranger Schrödinger's Cat States

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Oxford Scientists Unlock a Stranger, More Powerful Version of Schrödinger's Cat

## Citizen-Led Breeding Program Aims to Rescue a Vanishing Wetland Insect

A nationally rare insect that once thrived across British wetlands could be given a new lease on life — thanks to the efforts of everyday volunteers. Citizen Zoo, an organization that engages local communities in grassroots rewilding initiatives, has launched a breeding program designed to bring the bog bush cricket back from the brink in East Anglia.

### A Species Struggling to Survive

The bog bush cricket is one of ten bush cricket species currently recorded in the United Kingdom. Measuring approximately 18mm in length, this small but ecologically significant insect favors lowland peat bog habitats. According to conservation charity Buglife, the species has become nationally rare primarily due to widespread habitat loss over recent decades.

Unlike many insects, the bog bush cricket is almost entirely flightless. It typically develops only short, non-functional wings, making natural dispersal to new locations practically impossible without human assistance. In the East of England, the species now clings on at just a handful of sites in Norfolk, including Beeston Common, Holt Lowes, Cawston Heath, Marsham Heath, Buxton Heath, Broadland Country Park, Horsford Heath, and Swannington Upgate — all located near the towns of Aylsham, Sheringham, and Holt.

"It almost always has short wings and cannot fly, so its ability to colonize suitable new sites is very limited — it just needs a little help," explained entomologist Stuart Green.

## Building on Proven Success

Citizen Zoo's approach draws directly from its established Hop of Hope citizen rewilding program, which has already demonstrated impressive results. Since 2018, that initiative has successfully reintroduced more than 8,000 large marsh grasshoppers to wetland habitats across Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Last year, Natural England confirmed that the large marsh grasshopper had returned to the Norfolk Broads — a landmark conservation milestone.

Elliot Newton, Director of Rewilding at Citizen Zoo, expressed enthusiasm about applying the same framework to the bog bush cricket. "We are incredibly excited to apply a similar methodology that has already delivered remarkable success with the large marsh grasshopper to a new species," he said.

### Unique Challenges Ahead

Despite the optimism, experts acknowledge that rearing the bog bush cricket will present greater challenges than previous projects. Stuart Green, who led the large marsh grasshopper recovery effort, noted two key hurdles: the species has a longer two-year life cycle, and it can exhibit cannibalistic behavior — both of which complicate captive breeding at scale.

"We will be testing a few methods that might get around these problems and allow us to rear significant numbers of the bush cricket for release into the wild," Green said.

Citizen Zoo is currently working to establish a scientifically sound captive breeding model that can reliably support future wild reintroductions and broader population recovery efforts.

## Looking Toward a Wilder Future

While specific reintroduction sites have yet to be finalized, conservation experts have identified The Fens as a potentially suitable habitat for the species' return. The long-term vision is to restore the bog bush cricket to multiple locations across East Anglia, reversing decades of ecological decline.

For Newton, the significance of the project extends beyond the insects themselves. "At a time when ecological decline can often leave people feeling powerless, community-led projects like this offer something vital — hope," he said. "They show that local people can play a direct role in restoring nature and shaping a wilder future."

By placing conservation directly in the hands of local volunteers, Citizen Zoo is demonstrating that meaningful ecological restoration does not always require large institutions — sometimes, it begins at home.

Citizen Zoo is recruiting volunteers to breed the rare bog bush cricket at home, aiming to restore the species to wetlands across East Anglia.

Volunteers Help Breed Rare Bog Bush Cricket in the UK

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Community Volunteers Join Forces to Save Rare Bog Bush Cricket From Extinction

## Genetic Echoes of a Vanished Human Species

Thousands of years after the Denisovans disappeared from the face of the Earth, their genetic legacy lives on — not as dormant biological baggage, but as actively functioning DNA that continues to shape how modern humans fight disease and develop physically. A sweeping new study from Yale University has uncovered some of the most compelling evidence yet that ancient interbreeding between early humans and the mysterious Denisovans left behind genetic variants that remain biologically active in people alive today.

The research, published on June 11 in the journal *Science*, represents one of the most thorough analyses of human genetic diversity across Oceania ever conducted — a region whose populations have long been overlooked in mainstream genomics research.

## A Critical Gap in Genetics Research

Despite being home to some of the most genetically diverse populations on the planet, communities across the South Pacific have historically been underrepresented in large-scale genomic studies. The vast majority of genetics research has centered on individuals of European ancestry, leaving significant blind spots in our understanding of human evolutionary history.

"The drastic underrepresentation of Oceanians limits our understanding of human evolution and could exacerbate health inequalities as genomic research is used to develop novel medical treatments," said lead author Serena Tucci, assistant professor of anthropology at Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the Yale Human Evolutionary Genomics Laboratory.

To address this imbalance, Tucci's team launched an ambitious project to expand the global map of human genetic variation, with a particular focus on identifying inherited traits passed down from extinct hominin relatives.

## Sequencing the Genomes of Near Oceania

For the study, researchers sequenced the complete genomes of 177 individuals drawn from 12 distinct populations across Near Oceania — a region encompassing Papua New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands. These newly generated genomes were then analyzed alongside 1,284 previously published genomes from populations around the world.

By tracing the genetic history of some of humanity's earliest Pacific settlers — populations whose ancestors arrived in the region at least 45,000 years ago — the research team uncovered striking new details about human migration, adaptation, and interbreeding with now-extinct relatives.

Among the study's most remarkable revelations: the ancestors of Near Oceanian peoples interbred with at least three separate and distinct groups of Denisovans, an extinct branch of the human family tree first identified through fossil remains found in a Siberian cave.

## Denisovan DNA Is Not Just a Relic — It's Still Working

Previous research had established that DNA from extinct hominins such as Neanderthals and Denisovans survives in scattered fragments throughout modern human genomes. What sets this new study apart is the team's ability to demonstrate that this inherited DNA isn't simply sitting dormant — it is actively switching genes on and off.

"With this study we have moved beyond simply 'resurrecting' this DNA to showing how it actively turns genes on and off, which is game-changing," said Tucci. "This DNA is not just a remnant of ancient liaisons; it continues to influence our biology today."

To investigate exactly how these ancient genetic variants function, the researchers employed a cutting-edge technique known as a massively parallel reporter assay. This method allows scientists to directly test the impact of hundreds or thousands of genetic variants on gene activity simultaneously. The analysis pinpointed more than 3,100 variants capable of altering gene expression in measurable ways.

## Ancient Immunity Boosters

A significant portion of the functionally active Denisovan variants identified in the study were connected to the interferon-gamma signaling pathway — a critical component of the human immune system responsible for defending the body against bacterial and viral infections.

According to Patrick Reilly, first author of the study and associate research scientist at the Yale Human Evolutionary Genomics Laboratory, this finding makes evolutionary sense. As ancient human populations migrated into new environments, they encountered unfamiliar pathogens that posed serious threats to survival.

"Pathogens are one of the strongest selective pressures throughout human evolution," Reilly explained. "We find evidence that genes inherited from Denisovans bolstered immunity to viruses and bacteria ancient humans encountered in Near Oceania."

In other words, interbreeding with Denisovans may have given early modern humans a crucial immunological advantage — one that natural selection then preserved and passed down through countless generations.

## Skeletal Development and a Surprising Evolutionary Pattern

The study's findings extend beyond immunity. Researchers also identified Denisovan-derived genetic variants linked to skeletal development, specifically within a gene called TRPS1.

What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is that the same gene shows signs of strong positive selection in two entirely unrelated populations: central African rainforest hunter-gatherers and highland communities in Ecuador. This parallel pattern of adaptation — occurring independently across vastly different environments and populations — suggests that certain evolutionary solutions are so effective that nature arrives at them repeatedly.

### A Legacy Written in DNA

The broader implication of this research is profound. Although the Denisovans vanished from the Earth long ago, their biological influence persists in the people who inhabit the Pacific today — and likely in populations beyond that region as well.

"While Denisovans vanished from the Earth thousands of years ago, this research proves that our histories remain deeply intertwined," Tucci noted.

The study was supported by funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Human Genome Research Institute, both part of the National Institutes of Health. Coauthors came from Yale University, Binghamton University, Temple University, and the Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research.

A landmark Yale study reveals that DNA inherited from ancient Denisovans remains biologically active in modern humans, influencing immunity and skeletal develop