EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science - News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-Apr-2026 22:15 ET (8-Apr-2026 02:15 GMT/UTC)

Applied Microbiology International launches new report on improving soil health in the UK

Applied Microbiology International
Reports and Proceedings

Scientists have warned that the world’s tiniest organisms need to be taken into account in efforts to improve soil health. AMI has launched a new policy report setting out key recommendations to support the long-term protection, restoration and sustainable management of soils across the UK’s four nations.

Vertebrate paleontology has a numbers problem. Computer vision can help

Florida Museum of Natural History
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How many fossils does it take to accurately train an image-based AI algorithm? According to a new study, the answer is much smaller than previously thought, with big implications for the field of paleontology.

Journal: Paleobiology
Funder: Florida Museum of Natural History

‘Tiny’ dinosaur, big impact: 90-million-year-old fossil rewrites history

University of Minnesota
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team co-led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researcher Peter Makovicky and Argentinean colleague Sebastian Apesteguía has identified a 90-million-year-old fossil that provides the “missing link” for a mysterious group of prehistoric animals.

Journal: Nature

Code for Earth launches 2026 climate and weather data challenges

ECMWF
Business Announcement

ECMWF has launched a new round of Code for Earth data challenges, inviting innovators to develop open-source solutions to real-world weather and climate problems. This year’s challenges are related to wildfires, floods, machine learning reliability, and for the first time, a dedicated stream focused on joint challenges with African partners.

Chapman University researcher warns of structural risks at Grand Renaissance Dam putting property and lives in danger

Chapman University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new peer-reviewed study led Dr. Hesham El-Askary, Ph.D., professor of computational and data science at Chapman University, concludes that the saddle dam of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam shows significant vulnerabilities that if breached could threaten downstream communities, property, and infrastructure if urgent monitoring and mitigation steps are not taken.

Journal: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Funder: Department of Education

Blaming beavers for flood damage is bad policy and bad science, Concordia research shows

Concordia University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Concordia researchers show blaming beaver dams for flooding in Quebec’s Charlevoix region (2005, 2011) is unfounded. Advanced modelling found failed dams had minimal impact on flood levels. Fast runoff and log jams from intense rainfall were more likely causes, and beaver structures support river health rather than worsen flooding.

Journal: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Magdalen Islands’ peatlands hold vital clues about ancient Atlantic hurricanes, Concordia research finds

Concordia University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Concordia researchers used peatland cores from the Magdalen Islands to reconstruct 4,000 years of Atlantic storm activity, revealing ancient periods of heightened hurricane impact. The study links storm frequency to climate conditions, improving understanding of long-term patterns and future risks as warming accelerates storm impacts in Atlantic Canada.

Journal: Climate of the Past
Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec

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