From the Arctic to Zombies

Nitrate gets removed from seawater when vast shallow regions of the ocean that were previously covered by ice are exposed to sunlight. The researchers analyzed 20 years’ worth of data that showed nitrate levels falling steadily in the Arctic starting in 2009. This drop began at the same time as a drastic reduction in sea ice. The result caused nitrate to change into nitrogen gas in shallow regions of the Arctic continental shelf.

Nitrate is a compound of nitrogen and oxygen and is found naturally in water, air, and soil. Plant and animal life require nitrates to survive, and according to the scientists, the loss of sea ice in the Arctic had been expected to increase plankton growth, but that is not what they observed. Plankton are the foundation of the entire marine food web. Importantly, they sequester carbon by capturing it through photosynthesis. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean, making Earth’s largest carbon sink.

The study was published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

There are efforts under way to increase lithium mining in Texas and Nevada. Last month, the United States Geological Survey published a study concluding that the Appalachians from the Carolinas north to Maine contain enough of the mineral to meet the nation’s growing needs.

Mining lithium is water intensive. One extraction method pumps up brine from thousands of feet underground and then evaporates it, leaving the mineral. Another method is to crush hard rocks and extract the mineral. Both can disturb ecosystems.

A study from Northwestern University published last week showed that most lithium mines proposed in the U.S. could face significant water shortages both from climate change as well as increased demand from farms, cities, industry, and power generation. Researchers found that the most severe shortages could be in southern California and across Nevada—areas already parched.

In more news about lithium, a separate group of researchers from MIT have developed a process to get the mineral out of rock that does not use the usual method of baking rock at over 1,000 degrees C and then using a chemical process. The new method uses water and a chemical that dissolves the rock into useful forms of lithium, alumina, and silica. The researchers say the water solvent can be recovered and used again making it a closed loop. They add that this process costs half of the current hard rock extraction method and would be competitive with brine water methods.

The MIT study was published in the journal Science.

In their 2026 Severe Convective Storm Risk Report they found that last year the U.S. recorded 142 days with damaging hail—seven more than in 2024 and well above the 20-year average of 122 days. During those events, hailstones two inches or larger struck more than 600,000 homes, representing reconstruction costs comparable to a Category 4 hurricane.

Now, a study out last week says things could get worse as the planet warms. A team of researchers from China and the U.S. found that climate change will create larger and more damaging hailstones. That’s because as we heat up the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, the air can hold more water vapor and be capable of producing hail. The team found that hail larger than a marble will increase by up to 47 percent by the end of the century.

To reach their conclusion, the researchers built a computer simulation evaluating 14,000 hailstorms between 2014 to 2021 and how atmospheric conditions affected hail production. They then used their model to predict how future storms might behave in a warmer world.

The study co-author, John Allen, of Central Michigan University told the Associated Press that Argentina, Europe, Canada, and the Northern Plains in the U.S. will likely see the biggest increase in hail size, while areas near the equator could see fewer hailstones because the ice inside them will likely melt before they reach the ground.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

Scientists at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador had sea cucumbers (Psolus fabricii)—a species native to the North Atlantic Ocean—living in a tank at their lab. Several years ago, one was removed for research, but its tentacles were strongly attached to the glass and broke off. That’s not unusual, as echinoderms like sea cucumbers, which are related to starfish and sea urchins, can lose body parts and regrow them. What was unusual was that the fragments left on the glass did not die. 

Startled by this, the researchers took off a few samples from the sea cucumber’s feet, body, and tentacles and placed them in seawater. They found that fragments grew and continued to produce cells—despite not having a mouth or gut to take in nutrients. They also showed signs of an immune system and responded to stimuli, earning them the “zombie” nickname by the team. 

Although over three years the fragments did not evolve into new sea cucumbers, research lead Rachel Sipler, PhD said in a press release, “We know some lizards can grow new tails; we’re talking about whether the tail can grow a new lizard.”

This case of “tissue immortality” could be useful not only in biomedical research but also in helping us to better understand ocean health. It’s a reminder, Sipler says, of how much is yet to be discovered in the marine environment and how important it is to protect these vital ecosystems.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.