The global ocean that covered the Earth 3.4 billion years ago was far cooler than has been thought, according to Stanford researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in rocks formed on that ancient ocean floor. Instead of a hot primordial soup, much more tepid temperatures prevailed. Cooler temperatures may have had effects on the evolution of the early atmosphere and could also have opened the door to an earlier spread of photosynthetic life forms across the planet.

Tagged: Environment & Sustainability, Humanities & Sciences

Four decades after publication of "The Population Bomb," professor of ecology Paul Ehrlich remains an influential player on the environmental scene. "Americans should go childless, or limit themselves to a single offspring, as an act of patriotism," he said before heading to Spain to receive the Margalef Prize.

Tagged: Environment & Sustainability, Humanities & Sciences

A tracking study of white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean shows they adhere to a rigid route of migration across the sea, returning to precisely the same spot along the California coast each time they come back. Over time, this behavior has made the population in the northeastern Pacific genetically distinct from other white shark populations.

Tagged: Environment & Sustainability, Humanities & Sciences

Preventing acute respiratory diseases in Bangladesh, creating biodegradable composite materials for the building industry, reducing the social and environmental impact of Chile’s salmon farming industry – these are the crucial interdisciplinary research projects funded by Stanford's Environmental Venture Projects program.

Tagged: Environmental Research, Environment & Sustainability, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences

Chile's once-fledgling salmon aquaculture industry is now the second largest in the world.  But that massive economic growth has had equally massive environmental and social effects, say researchers.

Tagged: Environmental Research, Environment & Sustainability, Humanities & Sciences

The wonder of Hawaii's coral reefs brings thousands of awed tourists to the islands every year.  But pollution from a variety of human activities is threatening to ruin this economic and ecological lifeblood of the Hawaiian Islands.

Tagged: Environmental Research, Hawaii, Environment & Sustainability, Engineering

Each year indoor air pollution, caused in part by cookstoves, is a key factor in the deaths of two million children from acute respiratory infections in developing countries. Since 2006, Stanford researchers have been working in Bangladesh to find practical, low-cost incentives that would encourage people to use cleaner, safer cookstoves.

Tagged: Environmental Research, pollution, Environment & Sustainability, International Issues, Engineering, Medicine

Aquaculture now accounts for half of the fish consumed globally, according to a recent Stanford study. The more than a decade-long trend toward fish farming is straining the resources of some wild fish species, which are harvested to feed the farmed varieties.

Tagged: Environmental Research, fishing, Environment & Sustainability

Half of California could be occupied by new bird communities by 2070, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford  and partner institutions

Tagged: California, climate change, Environmental Research, Environment & Sustainability, Humanities & Sciences

Scientists from Stanford University have teamed up with Israeli and Jordanian researchers to protect the Gulf of Aqaba, a strategic waterway whose fragile marine ecosystem is vital to both Israel and Jordan.

Tagged: Environmental Research, Environment & Sustainability, Humanities & Sciences