Landmark polar sciences experiment announced for next decade

Cambridge University Press

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Humanity’s oldest and longest-running climate experiment, the International Polar Year (IPY), will run for the fifth time in history next decade, with IPY-5 planned for 2032-2033. IPY-5 could be the most consequential iteration of the experiment yet, writes researcher Paul Arthur Berkman in a new paper in Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures. The first IPY took place in 1882-1883. 

There is no time to lose in studying the Arctic and working towards climate solutions. Ice is diminishing rapidly in both polar zones, changing planetary albedo, and methane outgassing from the Arctic is increasing greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. The Arctic in particular is also a region of geopolitical complexities with superpowers, and Arctic research is incomplete without all nations. 

The International Polar Year research programme was created during a Solar Maximum – which is the time of greatest solar activity during the Sun’s 11-year cycle – and ran for the first time in 1882-1883 following the Little Ice Age in Europe, with the aim of coordinating an international scientific effort to research and document polar phenomena, such as geophysical measurements related to glaciers and freezing temperatures.  

The 5th International Polar Year is being described as a “crucial new phase in a 150-year-old process” by the International Arctic Science Committee and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. It is an experiment whose implications surrounding polar science and the role of polar regions in global climatic processes could be crucial for humanity.  
 

Professor Paul Arthur Berkman, of the Science Diplomacy Center, the International Science Council, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and the International Institute of Science Diplomacy and Sustainability at UCSI University, said:  

“Researching Arctic Phenomena isn’t purely a scientific endeavour: it’s also highly relevant to diplomacy and addressing the climate emergency as an international community. 

“Science diplomats can broker dialogues among allies and adversaries alike simply by introducing questions, rather than seeking answers or making recommendations.” There is triangulation with research, education and leadership empowered with questions to reveal patterns, trends and processes for decision-making about biogeophysical and socioeconomic systems. 

“Especially with climate science and polar research, natural sciences, social sciences and Indigenous knowledge have enormous potential for working together to help humanity create resilience and stability in response to our dynamic world continuously across, subnational, national, and international jurisdictions.” 

Polar experiments can trigger global change 

Berkman noted that IPY-5 has the potential to be transformational across the 21st century, just as the 3rd International Polar Year (IPY-3) was last century. IPY-3, which was renamed the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-1958, initiated the satellite era and awakened Earth system science with the first International Decade in 1961. Importantly, IGY lessons about international scientific cooperation provided a roadmap for superpowers to create the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, as the first nuclear arms agreement, and decades later to establish the Arctic Council as a “high level forum”, ultimately to ensure the North Pole be a pole of peace. Such science diplomacy is much needed today in both polar regions.   

With imagination and global considerations about the transdisciplinary research opportunities that will emerge with IPY-5, as with its IPY-3 predecessor, Berkman wonders: “Will IPY-5 awaken the first International Century among its legacies with science diplomacy to transform research-into-action for the benefit of all on Earth across generations?” 

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Journal

Cambridge Prisms Coastal Futures

DOI

10.1017/cft.2025.2 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Article Title

Science diplomacy and the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5): planetary considerations across centuries

 

New study reveals Neanderthals experienced population crash 110,000 years ago

Examination of semicircular canals of ear shows Neanderthals experienced ‘bottleneck’ event where physical and genetic variation was lost

Binghamton University

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image: 

Life appearance reconstruction of a Neanderthal male at the Natural History Museum of London.

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Credit: Allan Henderson, under CC BY 2.0

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A new study by an international team of scholars, including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that Neanderthals experienced a dramatic loss of genetic variation during the course of their evolution, foreshadowing their eventual extinction.

The study, co-authored by Binghamton University Professor of Anthropology Rolf Quam and graduate student Brian Keeling, measured the morphological diversity in the semicircular canals, structures of the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance, in two exceptional collections of human fossils from the sites of Atapuerca (Spain) and Krapina (Croatia), as well as from various European and Western Asian sites. 

“The development of the inner ear structures is known to be under very tight genetic control, since they are fully formed at the time of birth,” said Quam. “This makes variation in the semicircular canals an ideal proxy for studying evolutionary relationships between species in the past since any differences between fossil specimens reflect underlying genetic differences. The present study represents a novel approach to estimating genetic diversity within Neandertal populations.”

The Atapuerca fossils—referred to as "pre-Neanderthals"—date to about 400,000 years ago and represent the earliest fossils that anthropologists consider clear Neandertal ancestors. The Neanderthals emerged around 250,000 years ago from these populations which inhabited the Eurasian continent between 500,000 and 250,000 years ago. The Croatian site of Krapina represents the most complete collection of early Neanderthals and dates to approximately 130,000 years ago. The researchers calculated the amount of morphological diversity (i.e., disparity) of the semicircular canals of both samples, comparing them with each other and with a sample of “classic” Neanderthals of different ages and geographical origins.

“It is exciting to be included in this research project which relies on some of the latest cutting-edge methodologies in our field,” said Keeling. “As a student of human evolution, I am always amazed at research that pushes the boundaries of our knowledge.”

Recent research based on ancient DNA samples extracted from fossils revealed the existence of a drastic loss of genetic diversity between early Neanderthals and the later "classic" Neanderthals. Technically known as a "bottleneck", this genetic loss is frequently the consequence of a reduction in the number of individuals of a population. The ancient DNA data indicate that the decline in genetic variation took place approximately 110,000 years ago.

The new study's findings reveal that the morphological diversity of the semicircular canals of classic Neanderthals is clearly lower than that of pre-Neanderthals and early Neanderthals, which aligns with the ancient DNA results. 

The study was led by Alessandro Urciuoli (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and Mercedes Conde-Valverde (director of the Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva de HM Hospitales y la Universidad de Alcalá). Conde-Valverde, co-author of the study, emphasized the importance of the analyzed sample.

“By including fossils from a wide geographical and temporal range, we were able to capture a comprehensive picture of Neanderthal evolution,” said Conde-Valverde. “The reduction in diversity observed between the Krapina sample and classic Neanderthals is especially striking and clear, providing strong evidence of a bottleneck event.”

On the other hand, the results challenge the previously accepted idea that the origin of the Neanderthal lineage was associated with a significant loss of genetic diversity, prompting the need to propose new explanations for their origin. 

“We were surprised to find that the pre-Neanderthals from the Sima de los Huesos exhibited a level of morphological diversity similar to that of the early Neanderthals from Krapina,” said Alessandro Urciuoli, lead author of the study. “This challenges the common assumption of a bottleneck event at the origin of the Neanderthal lineage.”

The study, “Semicircular canals shed light on bottleneck events in the evolution of the Neanderthal clade,” was published in Nature Communications.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-56155-8 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Semicircular canals shed light on bottleneck events in the evolution of the Neanderthal clade

Article Publication Date

25-Feb-2025

 

From waste to wonder: Revolutionary green grout for sustainable construction practices

Scientists develop a novel soil-reenforcing material by recycling waste fluids from geothermal energy harvesting plants

Shibaura Institute of Technology

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image: 

This schematic diagram illustrates the typical components of a chemical grouting system, where gel-forming chemicals are applied to the soil to prevent erosion and liquefaction that could threaten the structural integrity. Researchers developed a new type of grout made from a byproduct of geothermal energy harvesting, minimizing carbon emissions linked to grouting.

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Credit: Shinya Inazumi from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

In modern construction projects, ground improvement through grouting is commonly used to ensure structural stability and safety. This technique, which involves injecting stabilizing materials into the soil, is essential for buildings in earthquake-prone regions and areas with adverse ground conditions. From securing foundations and preventing soil erosion to strengthening underground structures, grouting plays a vital role in creating a resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding environmental stresses and geological challenges.

However, traditional grouting methods have long posed significant environmental challenges. The construction industry’s heavy reliance on silica-based chemical grouts, produced through energy-intensive processes, contributes substantially to global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. With growing pressure to reduce its environmental impact, developing sustainable alternatives to conventional grouting materials has become a critical priority for scientists and engineers worldwide.

Against this backdrop, a research team from the Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, has developed an innovative solution that could revolutionize ground improvement through grouting. Led by Professor Shinya Inazumi of the College of Engineering, the research team developed a novel carbon-neutral grout called Colloidal Silica Recovered from Geothermal Fluids (CSRGF), that enhances soil stabilization while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact of construction and geothermal energy harvesting. Their study was made available online on January 22, 2025, and will be published in Volume 22 of Case Studies in Construction Materials in July 2025.

“Geothermal energy production generates large amounts of silica-rich waste fluids, which traditionally pose maintenance and disposal challenges,” explains Inazumi, “By repurposing this waste into a high-performance CSRGF grout, we aimed to establish a circular economy approach, transforming an industrial byproduct into a valuable construction material.” In doing so, the newly developed grout addresses two major issues—preventing high-silica-content waste fluids from damaging geothermal energy harvesting equipment and minimizing the carbon footprint of conventional grout production.

Extensive laboratory tests demonstrated the grout’s remarkable performance, showing a 50% increase in liquefaction resistance compared to existing materials. Its low viscosity and controlled gelling time allow deep soil penetration while meeting environmental safety standards. These properties make CSRGF grout particularly valuable in earthquake-prone regions, where soil stabilization is crucial for preventing structural damage during seismic events.

Notably, the applications for CSRGF grout extend beyond earthquake protection. Its superior water-sealing properties make it ideal for underground construction projects, including tunnels, subways, and basements, where water infiltration threatens structural integrity. Additionally, in coastal and flood-prone areas, CSRGF grout can reinforce soil to combat erosion and mitigate risks associated with rising sea levels.

The development of CSRGF grout marks a significant milestone in the construction industry’s journey toward carbon neutrality. By repurposing industrial byproducts and reducing waste, this innovation demonstrates how circular economy principles can drive more sustainable construction practices. Moreover, its cost-effective and scalable production reduces CO2 emissions in construction. Its adoption aligns with international sustainability initiatives, setting new industry standards for environmentally responsible soil stabilization. “By replacing traditional silica-based grouts with our sustainable alternative, the construction industry can advance toward a greener infrastructure development, supporting global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” says Inazumi.

The research team’s next steps include scaling up production and conducting field trials to further validate the material’s performance under real-world conditions. As the construction sector strives to balance sustainability with high performance, this innovation showcases the power of innovative thinking in solving engineering challenges sustainably.

 

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Reference

Title of original paper: Development and application of geothermally derived silica grout for carbon-neutral soil stabilization

Journal: Case Studies in Construction Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04297

 

About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, the Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and had received support from the ministry for 10 years, starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 9,500 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

About Professor Shinya Inazumi from SIT, Japan

Shinya Inazumi is a Professor at the College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT). He earned his degree in Civil Engineering from Kyoto University in 2003 and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Kyoto University and an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Technology, Akashi College, before joining SIT in 2017. His research focuses on geotechnical engineering, geo-disaster prevention, geological risk management, ground improvement, and environmental protection. He has authored over 140 scientific publications.

Funding Information

This study was conducted without financial support from any public, commercial, or non-profit funding agencies.

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Journal

Case Studies in Construction Materials

DOI

10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04297 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Development and application of geothermally derived silica grout for carbon-neutral soil stabilization

 

Novel bone marrow transplant can cure sickle cell disease

SHOULD BE FRONT PAGE NEWS

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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A bone marrow transplant process co-developed by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is safe and curative for adults with sickle cell disease, according to results of a trial completed at Johns Hopkins and about 20 additional cancer centers nationwide and in London. The treatment, available at multiple U.S. medical centers, is a viable and less costly alternative to recently approved gene therapy products for sickle cell disease, the authors say.

During this type of transplant, called reduced-intensity haploidentical bone marrow transplantation, bone marrow is given by a “half-matched” donor, such as a parent, sibling, child, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle or cousin of the patient. This means the proteins that help the body’s immune system function, and which are present on a donor’s marrow cells, must match at least half of those proteins on the recipient’s cells to be a good fit and to not attack the recipient’s body after the transplant.

Before the transplant, patients are treated with low doses of chemotherapy and given total body irradiation. Following the transplant, they are given cyclophosphamide (a drug to prevent graft-versus-host disease, in which immune cells in the donor marrow attack their new host) and other drugs for up to one year.

Of 42 people with severe sickle cell disease who had the procedure during the trial, 95% were alive two years after the transplant, and 88% are considered cured and are experiencing no disease-related events. These results will be published in the Feb. 25 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine Evidence. Early results were presented in December 2023 during the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

The trial shows very high engraftment of the donor cells and very high cure rates, the authors say.

“Our results with allogeneic transplant are every bit as good as or better than what you see with gene therapy,” says Richard Jones, M.D., professor of oncology, director of the bone marrow transplantation program and co-director of the hematologic malignancies program at the Kimmel Cancer Center. Most people with sickle cell disease are eligible for the transplant, which costs a fraction of the price of gene therapy, he says.

“Many people — and maybe most adults — aren’t eligible for gene therapy because of the requirement for high dose chemotherapy that people with end organ damage can’t receive,” Jones says. “The risk of long-term side effects likely also will be higher with gene therapy, both in terms of damage to organs and a risk of leukemia.”

A common misconception in the medical field is that transplantation for sickle cell disease requires a perfect matched donor and that it can result in severe graft-versus-host disease and high mortality, which this trial and other studies have shown aren’t true, says study co-author Robert Brodsky, M.D., the Johns Hopkins Family Professor of Medicine and Oncology and director of the Division of Hematology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Transplantation is a far less costly option for medical centers and patients, Brodsky says. With a transplant, patients are in the hospital for about eight days, as opposed to six to eight weeks for gene therapy. Also, “the median number of transfusions for a gene therapy patient is 50, while the median number of transfusions after a haploidentical bone marrow transplant is six. It’s done almost entirely outpatient,” he says.

A review paper comparing allogeneic bone marrow transplant and gene therapy, which Jones and Brodsky co-authored, was published in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Blood Advances. The paper demonstrates that the estimated cost of gene therapy is $2 million–$3 million, compared to about $467,747 for a transplant.

The median age of participants in the phase II trial, which took place from 2017–2021, was 22; 59% were male, 92% were Black and 4% were Hispanic. The average follow-up time was 37 months. Serious side effects were uncommon and included three graft failures, moderate to severe graft-versus-host disease (22%) and two deaths in the first year posttransplantation (one from COVID-19).

Sickle cell disease — a painful blood disorder in which red blood cells are shaped like crescents instead of discs and tend to clog up blood vessels — affects about 100,000 Americans (primarily Blacks), according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The clinical trial was supported and sponsored by the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network; the National Institutes of Health; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute (grants U10HL069294 and U24HL138660).

Other centers participating in the trial were the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee; the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine; Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee; Northside Hospital in Atlanta; Children’s Hospital Colorado; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida; the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York; Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina; University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; the University of Washington in Seattle; the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami; Methodist Hospital in San Antonio; the University of Alabama at Birmingham; the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Orlando Health Cancer Institute in Florida; Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.; St. Mary’s Hospital in London; the Cleveland Clinic; the Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut; the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina; and Washington University in St. Louis. Additional study authors were from the Emmes Co. in Rockville, Maryland, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

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Journal

Blood Advances

 

LA’s urban trees absorb more carbon than expected, USC Dornsife study finds

New research using a network of air-quality sensors finds that urban greenery plays a bigger role in offsetting fossil fuel emissions than expected — offering insights that could help cities fight climate change.

University of Southern California

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Los Angeles’ trees are working harder than we thought.

A new study from Public Exchange and USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences finds that some trees in central L.A. absorb significantly more carbon dioxide than expected — offsetting a surprising share of fossil fuel emissions during the warmer months when trees are most active.

The research, recently published in Environmental Science & Technology, provides one of the most detailed measurements to date of how urban trees impact air quality. Researchers found that vegetation in the study area absorbed up to 60% of daytime fossil fuel CO₂ emissions in spring and summer and about 30% annually — placing Los Angeles among cities with the highest recorded CO2 uptake rates.

To track CO₂ in real time, the research team launched what they call the Carbon Census array, deploying 12 high-resolution BEACO₂N sensors across a 15-by-6-mile section of L.A.’s Mid-City. The sensors mapped how CO2 concentrations changed as air moved through the urban landscape, enabling researchers to factor in wind speed and direction and urban density to determine to what extent local greenery was offsetting emissions.

“You can think of emissions like passengers on a train,” said Will Berelson, who led the research and is professor of Earth sciences, environmental studies and spatial sciences at USC Dornsife. “As the wind moves pollution through the city, some gets picked up and some gets dropped off. These sensors let us see that process in real time.”

Unlike some models that estimate CO₂ levels based on fuel sales and traffic data and other models that assess the CO2 that lands on a particular sensor, this study, which ran from July 2021 to December 2022, measured CO2 directly, yielding a more precise and localized estimation of emissions.

To differentiate CO₂ generate by fossil fuels from CO₂ emitted by living organisms, the researchers used CO (carbon monoxide). CO is co-emitted with CO₂ when fossil fuels burn, and it has a similar atmospheric behavior.

Although the study focused on a section of L.A., the findings provide valuable insights that could apply to other urban areas.

L.A. trees are helping — but they’re not enough

One of the study’s biggest surprises was that trees absorb the most CO₂ during summer, despite it being L.A.’s driest season. Satellite imagery shows L.A.’s urban greenery is remarkably verdant in summer, likely due to irrigation, groundwater access from leaky pipes and resilient tree species.

Still, trees can’t keep pace with emissions. As expected, CO₂ levels spiked during rush hour, reinforcing the fact that, while greenery helps, it can’t offset pollution from cars, buildings and industry on its own.

The study’s findings help inform the USC Urban Trees Initiative, a partnership between USC, the City of Los Angeles and community-based organizations focused on expanding urban greenery in communities that need it most. By identifying where trees absorb the most carbon, the research provides data-driven insights that could help guide future planting efforts.

“Nature is helping us,” Berelson said, “but we can’t rely on it to do all the work.” In fact, the study estimates that urban vegetation absorbs only about 30% of annual fossil fuel emissions in the study area, underscoring the urgent need for clean energy, improved public transit and broader emissions reductions.

Looking ahead to more carbon emissions tracking

Building on the study’s success, the USC team has expanded its sensor network, adding eight more of the BEACO₂N sensors to the east of the original study area and west into Santa Monica. These sensors, developed as part of the University of California, Berkeley’s BEACO₂N project, provide high-resolution emissions data rarely available in urban areas.

“Our goal is to monitor more areas of L.A. to define baseline values of CO2 emission and identify where vegetation is making the biggest impact and where more greenery is needed,” explained Berelson, who holds the Paxson H. Offield Professor in Coastal and Marine Systems.

He believes this real-time monitoring approach could serve as a blueprint for cities worldwide to track and reduce emissions more effectively.

Los Angeles has set a goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050, and while its urban greenery provides a natural boost, Berelson stresses that cutting fossil fuel use remains the most critical step in fighting climate change.

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Journal

Environmental Science & Technology

DOI

10.1021/acs.est.4c11392 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Observing Anthropogenic and Biogenic CO2 Emissions in Los Angeles Using a Dense Sensor Network

Article Publication Date

23-Feb-2025