Sustainability as a research area investigates the biophysical, technological, and socio-economic conditions under which human and ecological systems can persist within planetary boundaries over the long term. It integrates methods from environmental science, systems ecology, industrial ecology, economics, and social sciences to analyze resource flows, environmental impacts, resilience, and equity. Core topics include sustainable resource management, climate and energy transitions, circular economy strategies, life cycle assessment, and governance mechanisms that align development with ecological limits. Research emphasizes quantitative indicators, scenario modeling, and policy-relevant frameworks to evaluate pathways that minimize degradation of natural systems while maintaining human well-being.
Dining on the moon or Mars might seem like a fantasy reserved for science fiction, but researchers are investigating how it could become a reality. Their efforts to recycle plant and human waste into a fertilizer material—turning ...
Astrobiology
Feb 25, 2026
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45
If you were one of the many amateur bakers who learned to bake sourdough bread during lockdown, you'll know how complex a single loaf can be. The rise of the bread, moisture, firmness and even crumb structure can make or ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 25, 2026
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173
As the global population climbs toward 10 billion and climate change strains farmland, scientists are searching for new ways to feed the world. A group of Cornell food science researchers say one answer may lie not in fields ...
Ecology
Feb 25, 2026
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73
While air conditioning protects people from dangerous heat, it also significantly worsens global warming—by 2050, potentially producing more carbon dioxide than the current annual emissions of the United States, a new study ...
Environment
Feb 25, 2026
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36
Solutions to the plastic waste crisis are often pitched using words that can skew value judgments, new research argues. The paper, authored by the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub at The University of Manchester, explores ...
Environment
Feb 25, 2026
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366
Countries with stricter and better-targeted climate policies cut carbon emissions faster, according to a major new study by researchers in the UK and EU. The study draws on the most comprehensive climate policy dataset ever ...
Environment
Feb 24, 2026
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26
Asteroid mining companies are finally getting off the ground, and that is raising some concerns about the impact those activities will have on the space environment. A new paper published in Acta Astronautica by Anna Marie ...
Space Exploration
Feb 24, 2026
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40
Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are helping poultry farmers protect their flocks and their employees, while improving poultry production. ARS researchers recently developed an indoor air scrubber ...
Biotechnology
Feb 24, 2026
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13
A new study from The University of Manchester has shed light on an unexpected consequence of plastic bag bans in East Africa, and why well-intentioned environmental laws may actually be making life harder for the people they ...
Environment
Feb 24, 2026
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12
Much has been written about how government agencies struggle with community engagement in climate resilience planning. For example, a 2024 study by the Resilient Coastal Communities Project (RCCP) described the enormous frustration ...
Environment
Feb 24, 2026
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12
