Fire damage, as a research topic, refers to the physical, chemical, and structural alterations in materials, ecosystems, or built environments resulting from exposure to high temperatures and combustion processes. It encompasses thermal degradation of polymers and composites, charring and strength loss in wood, phase transformations and spalling in concrete, microstructural changes and residual stress development in metals, and alterations in soil and vegetation properties in ecological systems. Studies of fire damage quantify heat flux, temperature-time histories, material property evolution, and post-fire residual capacity, often using experimental fire testing, thermogravimetric and spectroscopic analyses, and computational fire and heat-transfer modeling to assess performance, safety, and resilience.
The end-Triassic mass extinction, 201 million years ago, is linked to volcanism that resulted from the break-up of Pangea and which pumped out vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, causing extreme global warming of 5 to ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 21, 2026
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25
Tropical moist forests account for 70% of global living biomass. Deforestation and degradation—that is, the partial damage to tree stands—as well as the subsequent regeneration of forests therefore play a pivotal role in ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 3, 2026
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41
A chemical analysis of residential soils and ash around California homes burned by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires in early 2025 revealed wide variation in contamination by potentially harmful elements, including lead, ...
Environment
Jun 27, 2026
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21
With the North American fire season underway, and a record number of acres already burned nationwide, NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite's three instruments are observing vegetation precursors ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2026
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9
Fire-smart risk assessment is needed to tackle the scale of wildfire destruction, which is a growing reality across the globe. Hazardous fires are more intense and more frequent, fueled both by climate change and by the no ...
Environment
Jun 22, 2026
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3
A new analysis of global wildfire activity in 2025 reveals the world experienced some of the most destructive and deadly fire events in recent history, despite the second lowest area burned since 2002. It highlights a continued ...
Earth Sciences
May 31, 2026
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23
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is assessing damage to its launch pad after a rocket exploded during a test firing, creating a giant orange fireball seen and felt for miles around.
Space Exploration
May 29, 2026
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21
When the Dome Fire tore through the Mojave Desert in 2020, it reduced 1 million Eastern Joshua trees to blackened skeletons. Scientists expected the underground ecosystem to be equally devastated. Instead, they found it thriving.
Ecology
May 29, 2026
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14
According to two recently published studies led by scientists from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the Brazilian Amazon is already beginning to experience scenarios previously projected for the coming ...
Environment
May 28, 2026
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18
In the far north regions of Earth, where forests stretch across Alaska and Canada, climate change is unfolding at an accelerated pace. Arctic and boreal regions are warming two to four times faster than the global average, ...
Environment
May 28, 2026
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14
