A new study in npj Urban Sustainability points to the practical levers that determine whether stormwater systems actually deliver long-term sustainability. As cities expand and rainfall extremes intensify, green and nature-based infrastructure has been promoted to capture runoff, reduce flooding, and protect water quality. But the research warns that success is not automatic: design decisions and operational realities can make or break performance.

The authors, Sun, Randrup, Blecken and colleagues, analyze what they call “decisive factors” governing sustainable stormwater management. Their central message is that the most visible features—such as bioswales, permeable surfaces, or detention basins—only work when supported by the right planning assumptions and measurable hydrological outcomes.

A key technical theme is how stormwater must be matched to system capacity under changing conditions. The study emphasizes that system sizing, soil or media properties, and infiltration or storage behavior strongly influence whether the infrastructure can handle typical storms and rare, high-intensity events. When these factors are misestimated, treatment efficiency can collapse during peak flows.

Equally important are maintenance and lifecycle considerations. Sustainable stormwater is sensitive to clogging, sediment accumulation, vegetation health, and changes in catchment behavior. The research highlights the need for maintenance regimes that reflect likely failure modes, rather than generic schedules that ignore local hydrology and traffic or land-use impacts.

The paper also stresses the value of monitoring and model-informed decision-making. Reliable data on rainfall patterns, runoff routing, and pollutant loads allow managers to validate performance and adjust operations. This feedback loop helps prevent long-term degradation that otherwise remains invisible until issues become costly.

For cities seeking viral, widely transferable “what works” guidance, the authors’ findings offer a shortlist of priorities: realistic capacity planning, robust material characterization, design for multi-storm performance, and maintenance strategies tied to specific mechanisms. Together, these elements translate sustainability goals into systems that function under real weather and real urban change.

The study’s DOI is 10.1038/s42949-026-00448-4.

Subject of Research: Sustainable stormwater management / urban sustainability
Article Title: Decisive factors in sustainable stormwater management
Article References: Sun, Z., Randrup, T.B., Blecken, GT. et al. Decisive factors in sustainable stormwater management. npj Urban Sustain 6, 104 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-026-00448-4
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-026-00448-4

During the Covid-19 pandemic, wastewater testing became a virus warning system. Now, scientists are using the approach to understand how communities eat.

From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challenge

In the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling clean energy project, stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.

The Gulf state has been steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create the largest battery scheme in the world.

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© Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

© Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Science word of the day: Neuroplasticity

Pronunciation: Nur-roh-pla-STISS'-ih-tee

What it means: Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to adapt to the environment or to injuries by forming new connections and modifying and strengthening existing connections. Neuroplasticity can happen after an injury, such as a stroke or trauma to the brain, but it also occurs during ordinary learning. Just by reading this definition, you may be making new, sustainable brain connections.

How to use it in a sentence: Scientists used to think neuroplasticity was an ability only the the young had, but researchers are increasingly learning that aging brains can adapt throughout the lifespan, much to everyone's relief.

Can you crack our science word of the day puzzle, Chain Word?

As the World Cup final approaches, take a moment to appreciate the beautiful symmetries of humanity’s favorite truncated icosahedron.

Attribution science is advancing quickly, researchers said. That could support lawsuits seeking damages for severe events worsened by global warming.

Human activity is draining oxygen from marine waters, and it's past time to take this crisis seriously.

Attribution science is advancing quickly, researchers said. That could support lawsuits seeking damages for severe events worsened by global warming.

© Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Scientists have identified a brain protein that may help Alzheimer’s spread, revealing a potential new target for slowing the disease’s progression. Alzheimer’s disease is closely linked to the accumulation of a toxic form of the protein Tau inside the brain. As Tau damage reaches additional brain regions, more neurons are harmed, symptoms intensify, and the [...]

Biological defenses make losing weight and keeping it off unusually difficult. Better treatments, healthier environments, and sustainable habits may support long-term health more effectively than willpower alone. For years, weight loss has been framed as a simple test of discipline: consume fewer calories and exercise more. Modern research, however, shows that body weight is regulated [...]

Cylinder seals were far more than ancient signatures. They fused art, power, and belief into objects that revealed exactly who their owners were. The earliest form of the signature came from ancient Iraq in the form of cylinder seals. Mesopotamians, the ancient inhabitants of the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, are credited for [...]

Tutankhamun’s 1925 examination left behind evidence that official accounts largely omitted. A closer look at the records reveals a troubling gap between scientific history and what actually happened. November 2025 marks 100 years since archaeologists first examined Tutankhamun’s mummified remains. What followed wasn’t scientific triumph—it was destruction. Using hot knives and brute force, Howard Carter’s [...]

In a research lab at the University of Tokyo, scientists have developed a new kind of glue. It's incredibly strong and highly stretchable, yet it washes away completely with a little alcohol.

An international research team led by Harvard scientists has announced the first-ever detection of an atmosphere on an Earth-like rocky exoplanet, LHS 1140 b, orbiting within its star’s habitable zone, only 48 light-years away.

The researchers behind the historic discovery, which they are calling “a major milestone in the search for life on other planets,” said the detection of an atmosphere on an Earth-like rocky exoplanet offers the strongest evidence to date that worlds with similar compositions and temperatures to Earth that are also capable of supporting life could exist beyond our solar system.

Models Predicted First Earth-like Rocky Habitable Zone Exoplanet Atmosphere

In a statement announcing the detection of an atmosphere around a habitable-zone rocky exoplanet, the discovery was motivated by theoretical predictions suggesting that LHS 1140 b may contain an atmosphere. The planet was even more tantalizing because its orbit around its host red dwarf star allows for liquid water on its surface, a key ingredient for life as we know it.

Although thousands of exoplanets have been confirmed since 1995, including habitable-zone rocky worlds similar in size and composition to Earth, the team notes that determining whether any of these potential Earth analogs maintain an atmosphere. Like water, an atmosphere is considered a likely necessity for life to emerge.

“An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it,” explained Collin Cherubim, the lead author of a study detailing the findings, who recently earned his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.

Robin Wordsworth, the Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard, said that as recently as twenty years ago, astronomers still didn’t know if other, terrestrial-type planets “even existed.” However, he explained, they quickly found that this type of planet was common, including some orbiting within their star’s habitable zone.

“The next question was whether any of them had managed to keep an atmosphere,” the professor added.

Infrared Observations Confirm Historic First  

Before performing any direct observations, the team used computer models to predict what they might find on LHS 1140 b. As noted, those models predicted an upper atmosphere rich in helium. The models also suggested that the atmospheric helium was slowly escaping into space.

To test the model’s predictions, Cherubim and colleagues gained access to the Warm Infrared Echelle (WINERED) Spectrograph on the Magellan Observatory in Chile. The team noted that this powerful telescope allowed them to observe an alignment of LHS 1140 b and another planet transiting its star “on the same night.”

When analyzing the data, the team found that one of the planets appeared to lack any measurable atmosphere. However, as their models had predicted, helium was actively escaping from LHS 1140 b. The finding confirmed that this rocky exoplanet orbiting within its star’s habitable zone was actively maintaining an atmosphere.

David Charbonneau, the head of the Harvard Department of Astronomy and an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and Cherubim’s co-advisor with Wordsworth, was initially skeptical because the entire concept was based on a mathematical prediction of a phenomenon astronomers had never witnessed directly. However, Professor Charbonneau ended up praising the student’s determination and follow-through, which led to the historic detection.

“Collin analyzed the planets we knew about and predicted that this one would have a helium atmosphere,” Charbonneau said. “Then he organized telescope time, got the data, and the detection was statistically rock solid.”

“Hopefully it’s just the First of Many More Observations to Come”

When discussing the implications of the findings, Cherubim noted that “this is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star.” Professor Wordsworth agreed, once again noting that until now, planets in these categories with atmospheres had been purely theoretical.

“Now we know at least one has,” the professor said.

The data also suggest that LHS 1140 b’s atmosphere has likely survived for more than three billion years, roughly three-quarters of Earth’s existence. This durability makes LHS 1140 b an excellent candidate for future exoplanet atmosphere studies.

More broadly, the team said that using ground-based observatories to search for escaping gases, such as the helium detected leaving LHS 1140 b, “may become an important tool for studying atmospheres on rocky exoplanets.” They also note the potential value of atmospheric detection for astrobiologists searching for signs of life in the cosmos.

As for Cherubim, he plans on following up his historic discovery with a more detailed analysis of the planet’s atmospheric composition. He also said he would like to investigate the possible presence of surface oceans or other planetary characteristics typically associated with habitability and life. The entire team also said they would like to use Cherubim’s model to search for similar Earth-like, habitable-zone rocky exoplanets.

“This has been a model validation, and hopefully it’s just the first of many more observations to come,” Cherubim said.

The study, “Helium escaping from the atmosphere of a nearby rocky exoplanet orbiting in a habitable zone,” was published in Science.

Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.

A key component of the Orion Nebula had escaped detection by astronomers until now, according to a new study in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

An international team led by Juan Diego Soler at the University of Vienna used two of the world’s most advanced radio telescopes to map neutral atomic hydrogen gas across the nebula’s outer shell at unprecedented resolution. The new maps provide a clearer view of the celestial feature, and reveal a previously uncatalogued second bubble—a shell with much less mass than earlier estimates—and a four-light-year filament of gas extending from the structure.

The Orion Nebula’s Miscalculated Bubble

Neutral hydrogen emits a faint radio signal at a wavelength of 21 centimeters, making it possible to trace otherwise invisible gas between the stars. Soler’s team solved this by combining data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico and the FAST telescope in China. The VLA provided high resolution, while FAST picked up faint, widespread signals. Together, they produced the first detailed hydrogen map of the extended Orion Nebula, at the same scale as earlier ionized carbon maps.

Earlier calculations based on ionized carbon estimated that the front half of the shell was about 1,100 times the mass of our Sun. The hydrogen observations paint a different picture, suggesting the shell actually weighs in at closer to 100 solar masses. “Measuring mass is fundamental,” Soler said, “because it tells us about the efficiency of these newly formed stars shaping their environment with wind and radiation.”

A shell with only a tenth of the previously assumed mass significantly alters calculations of how efficiently newly formed stars shape their environment. The researchers note that molecular hydrogen, which is not detected in either the hydrogen or carbon data, may account for some of the missing mass.

A Second Bubble

The hydrogen maps also revealed an uneven distribution of gas, indicating a second, smaller cavity within the main shell. The team searched catalogs of known stars and young stellar objects in the region but found no candidate at the bubble’s center. The source responsible for creating the cavity may not be the type of object included in current catalogs.

Daniel Seifried at the University of Cologne, a co-author on the study, pointed to what that means for the models astronomers build to explain regions like this one. “These stunning observations serve as a reference for many modern astrophysical simulations investigating the evolution of gas and stars in the Milky Way. These are the kind of images that challenge the theoretical models and numerical simulations that we use to understand how massive stars affect their immediate surroundings.”

Previous models generally treated Orion’s shell as the product of a single expanding bubble. The discovery of a second cavity, with no obvious source at its center, instead suggests the nebula was shaped by multiple episodes of stellar feedback.

An Unexpected Filament

The new maps also uncovered a filament of hydrogen extending about four light-years from the shell’s western edge. Previous carbon-based observations saw only the base of this structure. The filament contains about 80 solar masses of hydrogen and does not appear to be associated with any known group of young stars. Its origin is unclear; it could be gas leaking through a weak spot in the shell or a leftover from the original cloud that existed before the bubble formed.

Claire Murray of the Space Telescope Science Institute, another co-author, framed the discovery within the broader push behind the observations. “This study is an exciting demonstration of the power of the latest-generation radio telescopes to uncover new pieces to the star formation puzzle.” Despite being one of the galaxy’s most extensively studied star-forming regions, the Orion Nebula continues to reveal discoveries.

This survey is the first scientific result from the NeAtHood project, which aims to map atomic hydrogen across nearby star-forming regions accessible to the VLA and FAST telescopes. Soler and his colleagues now plan to apply the same approach to additional targets. “Orion is only the beginning. Our newly developed methods show how future interferometers will reveal the hidden structure and dynamics of the interstellar medium—even in regions that astronomers already believed they understood well,” Soler explained.

If one of the sky’s best-studied star-forming regions still contains hidden structures, other nearby nebulae may prove equally surprising as the NeAtHood survey expands.

Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a data analytics certification. His work focuses on breaking scientific developments, with an emphasis on emerging biology, cognitive neuroscience, and archaeological discoveries.

This year’s World Cup has faced sweltering heat and humidity. Now it may need to deal with wildfire smoke.

This year’s World Cup has faced sweltering heat and humidity. Now it may need to deal with wildfire smoke.

By analyzing nickel isotopes preserved in the 66-million-year-old debris left by the Chicxulub impact, researchers conclude that the asteroid responsible for Earth’s last mass extinction most likely belonged to an exceptionally rare class of primitive meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites of the Ornans type (CO chondrites).

The post Dinosaurs May Have Been Wiped Out by ‘Oddball’ Space Rock appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

The post NASA’s Viking Mission to Mars appeared first on NASA Science.

The US is home to some of the most polluted air on the planet as smoke from 120 out-of-control Canadian wildfires drifts across the border.