News
Nature’s kitchen – how chemistry used by cooks helped create life on Earth
A chemical process used in the browning of food to give it its distinct smell and taste is probably happening in the oceans, where it helped create the conditions necessary for life.
Fossil study reveals origins of biodiversity gradient
Researchers have used nearly half a million fossils to solve a scientific mystery - why the number of different species is greatest near the equator and decreases towards polar regions.
Carboxyl groups enhance organic carbon preservation with iron minerals in soils and sediments
New paper in the journal Communications Earth & Environment - “Carboxyl-richness controls organic carbon preservation during coprecipitation with iron (oxyhydr)oxides in the natural environment"
Royal Society Fellowship honours
Two prominent Leeds figures have been elected as Fellows of the prestigious Royal Society.
Ocean changes almost starved life of oxygen
Chemical changes in the oceans more than 800 million years ago almost destroyed the oxygen-rich atmosphere that paved the way for complex life on Earth, new research suggests.