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Frontier research

Light-activated catalysts that can neutralise airborne pollutants are being embedded in paint with a view to cleaning up city air. Image credit - AM Technology
environment | industry | frontier research
16 January 2020

The paints that eat pollutants and heat homes

Applying a coat of paint on the walls of a house may soon help to heat it, saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions. It could also clean the air that we breathe, breaking down chemicals and pollutants, and eliminating harmful pathogens.

There could be a genetic explanation for why some people are more susceptible to ill health following traumatic life events such as a natural disaster. Image credit - Pfc. Nicholas T. Howes, USMC
health | frontier research
14 January 2020

Genetics could explain how traumatic events affect people's health

Facing the death of a loved one, being given a life-threatening diagnosis, or living through a natural disaster is difficult enough. But those who get through these traumatic life events often face further ill effects.

The region of High Mountain Asia, which includes the Karakoram mountain range, is known as the third pole of the Earth because of the scale of its ice fields. Image credit - Tahakhan021, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
environment | frontier research
13 January 2020

Studying Asian glaciers provides glimpse into future of extremes

Scientists may have solved a 25-year-old puzzle about the mysterious behaviour of certain glaciers in High Mountain Asia. In most of this region, they are shrinking; but in the northwest, they are growing.

One in five European adults suffer from chronic pain, which affects their social and working lives. Image credit - Piqsels, licensed under CC0
health | frontier research
09 January 2020

Why do people develop chronic pain?

Mood disorders and the discovery of a pain signalling organ in the skin could explain why chronic pain occurs – and how to treat it.

Monitoring the larvae of doodlebugs could tell scientists how their activities fit with methane flux measurements. Image credit - Carolyn-Monika Görres
environment | frontier research
07 January 2020

Trees and doodlebugs emit methane – the question is, how?

Trees and insects may play a significant role in the emission of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – and improving our understanding of exactly how this happens could help in targeting more effective ways to fight global warming.

Even if we change our emissions now, we are committed to a lot of ice melt, says Prof. Kääb. Image credit - Sharada Prasad CS, licensed under CC BY 2.0
interview | environment | frontier research
06 January 2020

'Most ice on Earth is very close to melting conditions'

We need to understand how glaciers are shrinking in order to better adapt to climate change impacts such as changes to water supply, landslides and avalanches, says Professor Andreas Kääb, a glacier expert from the University of Oslo in Norway. 

The 2020s should be a turning point where the world averts impending disaster, according to Sandrine Dixon-Declève. Image credit - Pxfuel, licensed under CC0
environment | health | social sciences | frontier research
02 January 2020

What’s the most urgent action we need to take in 2020?

Declaring a global planetary emergency, improving sub-volcanic imaging to predict eruptions and developing artificial intelligence that works for humans are some of the urgent actions and research that experts in different fields want to see in 2020.

Image credits - PlanetMallika/ Pixabay; Pablo Trincado, licensed under CC BY 2.0; Image credit - Pixnio/ Janice Haney Carr, Jeff Hageman, M.H.S, USCDCP, licensed under CC0; Virpi Lummaa
science in society | frontier research | health | environment
19 December 2019

Our top 12 science facts from 2019

From bacterial invisibility cloaks to unexpected dinosaur colors, Horizon uncovered some fascinating facts in 2019. Here are our 12 favourites.

Placing heat tolerant corals in reefs won’t save them indefinitely but only buy us more time, says Dr James Guest. Image credit - Dr James Guest
interview | frontier research | environment
16 December 2019

Matchmaking corals from different colonies could reduce bleaching events

Breeding together corals that have naturally high heat tolerance and planting them on coral reefs could increase the reefs’ resilience to climate change and reduce the impact of bleaching events, according to Dr James Guest, a coral reef ecologist from Newcastle University, UK. He is studying this ‘assisted evolution’ approach to coral conservation and examining the risks associated with it.

Unlike regular earthquakes, which can cause visible damage, slow earthquakes cannot be felt at the Earth's surface. Image credit - Pixabay/ marcellomigliosi1956, licensed under pixabay license
environment | frontier research
10 December 2019

The ‘slow earthquakes’ that we cannot feel may help protect against the devastating ones

Earthquakes are sudden and their shaking can be devastating. But about 20 years ago, a new type of earthquake was discovered. We cannot feel them, and geologists still know very little about them, such as how often they occur.

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