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As the UN meets this week to finalise the Global Plastics Treaty, researchers warn that the agreement could fail to address one of the biggest threats to marine environments—microplastics.Even if global production and pollution of new plastic is drastically reduced, scientists,writingin the journalNature Communications, say that legacy plastics, th…

In a recent study, scientists found evidence that long-term changes in tropical weather patterns are leading to more frequent weather extremes in the Indo-Pacific. This region is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, being home to over a billion people, as well as unique and vulnerable ecosystems.Cambridge geophysicist Adriano G…

The Department of Earth Sciences is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a series of new PhD studentships, starting from October 2025. The new Cambridge Research Experience and Advanced Training for Environmental Scientists (CREATES) Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) unites the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey as hosts f…

A ‘one of a kind’ fossil discovery could transform our understanding of how the unique brains and intelligence of modern birds evolved, one of the most enduring mysteries of vertebrate evolution. Researchers have identified a remarkably well-preserved fossil bird, roughly the size of a starling, from the Mesozoic Era. The complete skull has been pr…

Researchers have used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. The results suggest that without ‘unmelted’ asteroids, there may not have been enough of these compounds on Earth for life to emerge.Volatiles are elements or compounds that change into vapour at relatively low temp…

As the new academic year begins, we welcome Marie Edmonds in her new role as Head of Department. Marie is Professor of Volcanology and Petrology, and Ron Oxburgh Fellow in Earth Sciences at Queens’ College, Cambridge. She succeeds Professor Rich Harrison, who led our Department over the last five years; ensuring our teaching and research continued …

Researchers have discovered that seabirds, including penguins and albatrosses, have highly-sensitive regions in their beaks that could be used to help them find food. This is the first time this ability has been identified in seabirds. An international team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, studied over 350 species of modern birds…

Dive to the bottom of the icy ocean that envelops Antarctica and the critter you’re most likely to encounter are echinoderms: a family of marine animals that includes the star fish, sea urchin and the warty, vegetable-like sea cucumber. Many species of Antarctic echinoderm are unique to the region, having lived untouched for millions of years in th…

Earlier this year, Cambridge’s Postdoc Academy asked women postdocs to submit short stories describing their scientific inspiration and what it means to them to be a woman in STEMM.The project is aimed at encouraging more young girls to study science. Participants submitted stories, aimed at 10-12 years old girls, about their scientific superpowers…

New evidence confirms that all but the final stages of megacryst formation occur in magma that is still relatively fluid, rather than a locked-up crystal mush.The Shap Granite of northwest England has gained celebrity status amongst Cambridge Earth Science students because it is one of the first rocks they see in practical classes. Known as G5a in …

The IMPULSE research expedition sailed from Hafnarfjörður, Iceland on Sunday 4 August. The international team are collecting detailed measurements of the seafloor near Iceland to better understand processes operating deep within the ‘Icelandic Mantle Plume’ — a giant fountain of slowly-creeping hot rock that rises from Earth’s core-mantle boundary.…

Pollutants preserved in Antarctic ice document historic fires in the Southern Hemisphere, offering a glimpse at how humans have impacted the landscape and providing data that could help scientists understand future climate change.Researchers from the University of Cambridge and British Antarctic Survey tracked fire activity over the past 150 years …

Climate scientists from University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey will be at the 2024 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, showcasing how they are using Antarctic ice cores to unlock the past and uncover clues to our planet’s future.The exhibit is one of 14 flagship exhibits at this year’s Summer Science Exhibition. This annual e…

Colossal undersea mountains, towering up to thousands of metres high, stir up deep sea currents: impacting how our ocean stores heat and carbon.An international team, led by the University of Cambridge, used numerical modelling to quantify how underwater turbulence around these mountains, called seamounts, influences ocean circulation; finding it i…

Writing in The Conversation, Cambridge Earth Sciences' Professor Ali Mashayek, PhD candidate Sophie Meyjes and Tyler Rohr from the University of Tasmania discuss how tiny marine animals might decide the fate of attempts to capture and store CO2 in the oceans.As the world struggles to decarbonise, it’s becoming increasingly clear we’ll need to both …