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Scenarios to stabilize global climate and meet international climate agreements require rapid reductions in human carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, often augmented by substantial carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere. While some ocean-based removal techniques show potential promise as part of a broader CDR and decarbonization portfolio, no marine approach is ready yet for deployment at scale because of gaps in both scientific and engineering knowledge. Marine CDR spans a wide range of biotic and abiotic methods, with both common and technique-specific limitations. Further targeted research is needed on CDR efficacy, permanence, and additionality as well as on robust validation methods—measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification—that are essential to demonstrate the safe removal and long-term storage of CO2. Engineering studies are needed on constraints including scalability, costs, resource inputs, energy demands, and technical readiness. Research on possible co-benefits, ocean acidification effects, environmental and social impacts, and governance is also required.

Oyster reef loss represents one of the most dramatic declines of a foundation species worldwide. Oysters provide valuable ecosystem services (ES), including habitat provisioning, water filtration, and shoreline protection. Since the 1990s, a global community of science and practice has organized around oyster restoration with the goal of restoring these valuable services. We highlight ES-based approaches throughout the restoration process, consider applications of emerging technologies, and review knowledge gaps about the life histories and ES provisioning of underrepresented species. Climate change will increasingly affect oyster populations, and we assess how restoration practices can adapt to these changes. Considering ES throughout the restoration process supports adaptive management. For a rapidly growing restoration practice, we highlight the importance of early community engagement, long-term monitoring, and adapting actions to local conditions to achieve desired outcomes.

Adding an infrared transparent spacer to far-field thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices boosts power density. This scalable zero-gap design surpasses vacuum blackbody limit and achieves performance comparable to near-field TPV with nanoscale gaps.

Fast pyrolysis of woody materials is a technology pathway for producing renewable fuels and chemicals.

Gypsum use in agriculture has a longstanding history, yet there remains a critical need for research to understand better its impact on plant development and plant nutrient availability. This study evaluated the impact of flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) amendments on the physical and chemical properties of pine bark substrates and the growth and nutrient uptake of chrysanthemum ‘Wanda Red’. Pine bark was incorporated with controlled-release fertilizer, micronutrient fertilizer, dolomitic limestone, and varying FGDG rates (0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 10% v:v). Plant growth metrics, including dry weight, canopy volume, and foliar nutrient concentrations, were recorded at bud initiation and peak bloom. Flue gas desulfurization gypsum amendments did not significantly affect plant dry weight at bud initiation, although plants without FGDG had greater canopy volumes. By peak bloom, plants without FGDG exhibited greater dry weights, but no difference in growth indices was observed (P = 0.8648). Although the 0% gypsum plants recorded a larger size at bud initiation, there were no differences by full bloom. Foliar nutrient analyses revealed that FGDG amendments influenced nutrient uptake, with notable reductions in nitrogen (P = 0.0035) and potassium (P < 0.0001) at bud initiation but no significant differences at peak bloom. Conversely, phosphorus and calcium concentrations increased with FGDG amendments, suggesting improved retention and availability. Overall, although FGDG amendments led to reduced uptake of some nutrients and minor delays in bloom, all treatments produced marketable chrysanthemums, indicating that FGDG can be integrated into production practices without compromising plant quality. Further studies are recommended to explore lower gypsum rates and their interactions with nutrient retention and crop demand.

Abstract How areas of land are allocated for different uses, such as forests, urban areas, and agriculture, has a large effect on the terrestrial carbon balance and, therefore, climate change. Based on available historical data on land-use changes and a simulation of the associated carbon emissions and removals, a surrogate model can be learned that makes it possible to evaluate the different options available to decision-makers efficiently. An evolutionary search process can then be used to discover effective land-use policies for specific locations. Such a system was built on the Project Resilience platform and evaluated with the Land-Use Harmonization dataset LUH2 and the bookkeeping model BLUE. It generates Pareto fronts that trade off carbon impact and amount of land-use change customized to different locations, thus providing a proof-of-concept tool that is potentially useful for land-use planning.

ABSTRACTThe study explored the efficacy of Salvia chudaei ethanolic extract in managing hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and oxidative stress induced by Triton X‐100 in Wistar rats. Twenty‐four rats were divided into four groups: Control, S. chudaei‐treated, Triton‐induced hyperlipidemic, and a combination of Triton + S. chudaei treatment. Triton X‐100 raised serum levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) while lowering high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, leading to oxidative stress marked by increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced antioxidant activity in liver and kidney tissues. Administration of S. chudaei extract effectively reversed these adverse effects, significantly lowering cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and LDL levels, and improving HDL cholesterol. It also enhanced antioxidant defenses and reduced oxidative stress markers, demonstrating its protective role against metabolic dysfunction. High‐performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds in the extract that contribute to these benefits. The findings suggest that S. chudaei ethanolic extract possesses strong antihyperlipidemic, antihyperglycemic, and antioxidant properties, making it a promising natural agent for preventing and treating hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. This positions S. chudaei as a potential new therapeutic approach in the management of metabolic disorders.

Tropical floodplain lakes are increasingly impacted by human activities, yet their pathways of spatial and temporal degradation, particularly under varying hydrological connectivity regimes and climate change, remain poorly understood. This study examines surface-sediment samples and 210Pb-dated sediment cores from six floodplain lakes, representing a gradient in hydrological connectivity in the lower Magdalena River Basin, Colombia. We analysed temporal and spatial variations in several sediment biogeochemical indicators: the concentration and flux of nutrients, heavy metals, and organic matter (OM), and redox conditions, flooding and erosion. Multiple factor analysis (MFA) of surface-sediments identified redox conditions, OM, flooding, heavy metals and lake connectivity as the main contributors to spatial variability within- and between-lakes sediments, accounting for 48 % of the total variation. Additionally, no clear distinction was found between littoral and open-water sediment characteristics. Isolated lakes sediments exhibited reductive conditions rich in OM and nutrients, whereas connected lakes sediments showed greater heavy metal enrichment and higher concentrations of coarse river-fed material. Generalised additive models identified significant changes in the biogeochemical indicators since the late 1800s, that accelerated post-1980s. Shifts in OM, erosion, flooding, redox conditions, land-cover change, heavy metals and climate were identified by MFA as the main drivers of change, explaining 60 %-71 % of the variation in the connected lakes and 53 %-72 % in the isolated lakes. Post-1980s, connected lakes transitioned from conditions of higher accumulation of OM and little erosion to higher accumulation of heavy metals and river-fed material. Conversely, isolated lakes, shifted from detrital-heavy metal-rich sediments to OM-, and nutrient-rich, reductive sediments. Sedimentation rates also surged post-1980s, particularly in highly connected lakes, from 0.14 ± 0.07 g cm² yr⁻¹ to 0.5 ± 0.5 g cm² yr⁻¹, with elevated fluxes of metals, OM and nutrients. These changes in sediment biogeochemistry align with deforestation, river regulation and prolonged dry periods, highlighting the complexities behind establishing reliable reference conditions for pollution assessments in large, human-impacted tropical river systems.

The relationship between climate and human evolution is complex, and the causal mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we review and synthesize what is currently known about climate forcings on African landscapes, focusing mainly on the last 4 million years. We use information derived from marine sediment archives and data-numerical climate model comparisons and integration. There exists a heterogeneity in pan-African hydroclimate changes, forced by a combination of orbitally paced, low-latitude fluctuations in insolation; polar ice volume changes; tropical sea surface temperature gradients linked to the Walker circulation; and possibly greenhouse gases. Pan-African vegetation changes do not follow the same pattern, which is suggestive of additional influences, such as CO2 and temperature. We caution against reliance on temporal correlations between global or regional climate, environmental changes, and human evolution and briefly proffer some ideas on how pan-African climate trends could help create novel conceptual frameworks to determine the causal mechanisms of associations between climate/habitat change and hominin evolution.