Beth Mole

All Stories by Beth Mole

  1. Climate

    Forest fires may speed demise of Greenland’s ice sheet

    Black carbon released by burning woodland darkens Greenland’s ice sheet, quickening its melt.

  2. Materials Science

    Recyclable superplastics made with old chemistry

    A new durable plastic and a self-healing gel are the first high-performance polymers that are easily recycled.

  3. Climate

    Antarctic glacier melt is unstoppable

    The inevitable collapse of Antarctic’s western glaciers could raise global sea level by more than 4 meters in coming centuries.

  4. Genetics

    Organism with artificial DNA alphabet makes its debut

    Using DNA molecules other than A, C, G and T, scientists have created the first living organism with an expanded genetic alphabet.

  5. Climate

    Crop nutrients may drop as carbon dioxide rises

    Many staple grains and legumes pack 5 to 10 percent less iron, zinc and protein when grown at carbon dioxide levels expected midcentury.

  6. Microbes

    Viruses buoy life at hydrothermal vents

    Using hijacked genes, deep-sea viruses help sulfur-eating bacteria generate power in the plumes of hydrothermal vents.

  7. Climate

    Glacial microbes gobble methane

    While some bacteria produce methane in Greenland’s melting ice sheet, others may consume the greenhouse gas as it escapes.

  8. Materials Science

    Blender whips up graphene

    Easy recipe makes large quantities of graphene using kitchen blender.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Unsolved drugs

    Long thought to launch precision attacks against bacteria, antibiotics may also cause lethal collateral damage, according to a controversial theory. Exploring how these compounds kill may reveal new ways to fight antibiotic resistance.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Triclosan aids nasal invasions by staph

    The antimicrobial compound triclosan, commonly found in soaps and toothpaste, may help Staphylococcus aureus stick around.

  11. Climate

    IPCC calls for swift switch to alternative power

    Rapid adoption of green power production will be necessary to avert a climate crisis, latest IPCC report says.

  12. Life

    Common lung infection suffocates with single protein

    A Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, protein creates clumps of dead, bloblike lung cells.