Josep peñuelas @es

For millions of years, nature has basically been getting by with just a few elements from the periodic table. Carbon, calcium, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, magnesium and potassium are the building blocks of almost all life on our planet (tree trunks, leaves, hairs, teeth, etc.). However, to build the world of humans — cities, healthcare products, railways, aeroplanes and their engines, computers, smartphones — we need many more chemical elements.

The journal Science publishes on Friday 21th a perspective article by CREAF researchers Josep Peñuelas and Jordi Sardans on the imbalance of nutrients on Earth, its effects on life and possible solutions.

CREAF-based CSIC researcher Josep Peñuelas has contributed to an article published in Nature which proposes three key indicators for gauging how well a terrestrial ecosystem is functioning and assessing its state of health or wellbeing.

A model based on machine learning techniques and satellite data can predict whether reducing economic activity reduces pandemic infections. The aim is to better fine-tune the timing and degree of containment measures.

Rock dust could remove 2.5 gigatonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere, of which almost 50% would be thanks to the response of the biosphere, according to an international study published in Nature Geoscience in which we have been involved.

An international team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and CREAF has suggested measures for reducing the risk of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens and bacteria spreading via wastewater.