Producing ammonia—a key ingredient in fertilizer and a promising hydrogen energy carrier—traditionally requires lots of energy and fossil fuels. But a new study offers a more efficient, greener method for making ammonia using only nitrogen from the air and water, with help from electricity. Huixin He, associate professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, […]
Research
RUCOOL Researchers Find Decades of Warming and Salinity Changes in the Caribbean Sea
A new study led by Rutgers researchers reports long-term warming and shifts in salinity in the Caribbean Through‑Flow (CTF), a major ocean current that connects the tropics to the North Atlantic. The findings, published in Nature Scientific Reports, suggest that ongoing changes in this region may play a role in influencing broader ocean and climate […]
Clams Grew Slower in Warmer Ancient Seas, Study Finds
A new study reveals that warmer oceans thousands of years ago slowed the growth of an important clam species in the Adriatic Sea—giving us a glimpse into how marine life might react to future climate change. Fiorella Prada, assistant professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and affiliate of the Rutgers Climate and Energy […]
Rising Seas, Salty Rivers: A Growing Threat to Our Water Supplies
As the planet warms, salt is sneaking into the places we least expect it—our rivers. A new study warns that salt contamination of drinking water in tidal rivers is becoming a serious and global problem. Robert Chant, professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and affiliate of the Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute, […]
A Global Microbiome Preservation Effort Enters Its Growth Phase
A global effort to create a “microbial Noah’s Ark” to preserve the world’s diverse collection of healthy microbes before they disappear is now entering an active growth phase. In a perspective article published in Nature Communications, a team of 25 scientists involved in the formation of the Microbiota Vault Initiative reported their successes and also laid out an ethical framework […]
Announcement: Janice McDonnell Appointed SEBS/NJAES Associate Dean of Research Impact
Announcement by Josh Kohut, SEBS Dean of Research and NJAES Director of Research Dear SEBS/NJAES community, I am very excited to announce that Janice McDonnell will serve as the SEBS/NJAES Associate Dean of Research Impact, effective July 1, 2025. The Associate Dean of Research Impact is a new position in the SEBS Office of Research […]
Researchers Find Climate Change Threatens Global Food Supply
Climate change is putting the global food system at risk, even as farmers try to adapt, according to a study conducted by a Rutgers-New Brunswick professor and other researchers in a national collaboration. Publishing their findings in Nature, the researchers found that every 1-degree Celsius increase in global mean surface temperature (about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) could reduce […]
Scientists Find a New Way to Help Plants Fight Diseases
A breakthrough by a collaboration between Rutgers and Brookhaven National Laboratory could improve crop resilience In a discovery three decades in the making, scientists at Rutgers and Brookhaven National Laboratory have acquired detailed knowledge about the internal structures and mode of regulation for a specialized protein and are proceeding to develop tools that can capitalize […]
Plant Breeders Stage a Dogwood Revolution, Creating Hardy Varieties That Sparkle
With the advent of Memorial Day, the treescape in the Northeast has turned mostly green again, the ornamentals’ early spring flowers long dried and scattered. But there’s an exception. The vivid pink Scarlet Fire® dogwood tree, produced through decades of research by Rutgers University-New Brunswick plant breeders, is just starting to bloom. Introduced to consumers […]
Mapping Mercury Contamination in Penguins of the Southern Ocean
Rutgers research sheds light on the prevalence of mercury pollution in the world’s polar regions In 1962, when environmentalist and author Rachel Carson penned Silent Spring, alerting the world to the dangers of the pesticide DDT, it was the reproductive threat to birds – the bald eagle in particular – that spurred people to action. Six […]
