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The preservation of at least some glacier ice in the Tyrolean Alps depends largely on whether the global temperature limit of +1.5 °C is maintained. If the global average temperature rises above this, all glaciers in the region can be expected to disappear completely - many of them within the next few years.

This effect even occurs with virtual nature - such as nature videos In a new study, an international team of neuroscientists led by the University of Vienna has shown that experiencing nature can alleviate acute physical pain. Surprisingly, simply watching nature videos was enough to relieve pain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers found that acute pain was rated as less intense and unpleasant when watching nature videos - along with a reduction in brain activity associated with pain.

Rain and floods occur on different time scales - hours or days. Now, for the first time, it is possible to explain how climate change affects phenomena on both time scales. Climate change may lead to more precipitation and more intense floods. A new study shows that to understand the details of this relationship, it is important to distinguish between different types of rainfall and flood events - namely, between short-term events that occur on a time scale of hours, and longer-term events that last several days.

Until now, old clothes have mainly been incinerated. Using adapted processes from paper production, it is possible to recover the cellulose fibres from used clothing and use them to produce cardboard and other packaging materials.

Our sun and its planets crossed the Radcliffe Wave in the well-known Orion complex An international research team led by the University of Vienna has discovered that the Solar System traversed the Orion star-forming complex, a component of the Radcliffe Wave galactic structure, approximately 14 million years ago.

International researchers with the participation of TU Graz present a global assessment of ice loss since the beginning of the millennium.

Painted lady butterflies are world travelers. The ones we encounter in Europe fly from Africa to Sweden, ultimately returning to areas north and south of the Sahara. But what determines whether some butterflies travel long distances while others travel short distances? A group of scientists, including from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), shows that the different migration strategies are shaped by environmental conditions rather than being encoded in the butterfly's DNA.

Even positive effects do not compensate for the complex dangers of climate change doi.org/10.3390/biology14020142 Sharks and rays have populated the world's oceans for around 450 million years, but more than a third of the species living today are severely threatened by overfishing and the loss of their habitat.

How will the future of our soils - and thus also water availability - be shaped by the effects of impending climate change? An international study led by Jesse Radolinski and Michael Bahn from the Department of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck shows how drought, warming and increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations are changing existing hydrological processes in soils and challenging the resilience of ecosystems.

First comprehensive pan-Arctic study of social impacts of thawing permafrost soils In an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study, an international team led by the University of Vienna and the Danish Technical University/Umea University examined the social risks for Arctic regions associated with thawing permafrost.

The transition to low-emission technologies such as electric vehicles and photovoltaic systems is central to climate protection and also brings major benefits for public health, e.g. through less air pollution. However, these technological solutions use materials such as so-called technologically critical elements (TCEs), some of which are potentially harmful to the environment and human health.

Non-native animals are a threat to biodiversity, yet many are themselves threatened with extinction in their areas of origin Non-native species introduced by humans are among the main causes of global species decline - they were partly responsible for 60 percent of the species that have become extinct worldwide in recent decades.

CLOUD project at CERN investigates particle formation of isoprene in the troposphere Aerosol particles in the atmosphere play a central role in cloud formation and consequently influence solar radiation on its way to Earth. An international team of scientists from the Universities of Vienna and Innsbruck is researching their formation and growth mechanisms.

ISTA scientists predict-and witness-evolution in a 30-year marine snail experiment Snails on a tiny rocky islet evolved before scientists' eyes. The marine snails were reintroduced after a toxic algal bloom wiped them out from the skerry. While the researchers intentionally brought in a distinct population of the same snail species, these evolved to strikingly resemble the population lost over 30 years prior.

International researchers involving Graz University of Technology have used radar data to determine which glaciers in High Mountain Asia are growing or shrinking in which season. For parts of Central Asia and the Himalayas, the findings contradict previous assumptions. Glaciers are dynamic entities: over the course of the year, phases of mass growth, particularly due to snowfall, alternate with periods in which glaciers lose mass.

Palaeontologists trace the influence of humans using predatory snail boreholes Predatory snails drill holes in the shells of their prey. Using these boreholes, a research team led by palaeontologist Martin Zuschin from the University of Vienna was able to create a time series of predator-prey relationships in the northern Adriatic over the past millennia.

Science has provided more than enough evidence to develop a collective and global approach to tackle the proliferation of plastic pollution. This is the conclusion of an international research team including environmental psychologist Sabine Pahl from the University of Vienna. The current Science publication particularly emphasises the urgency of a global agreement to curb plastic pollution.

Mammals with distant evolutionary ties but similar ecological roles evolved comparable inner ear shapes A new study reveals the surprisingly convergent evolution in the inner ear of mammals. An international research team led by Nicole Grunstra from the University of Vienna and Anne Le Maître from the Konrad Lorenz Institute (KLI) for Evolution and Cognition Research (Klosterneuburg) showed that a group of highly divergent mammals known as Afrotheria and distantly related, but ecologically very similar mammals independently evolved similar inner ear shapes.

In contrast to annual plants, perennial wheat offers a more diverse microbiome and has a significantly lower impact on soil and environment - as has just been proven by researchers at TU Graz's Institute of Environmental Biotechnology. From an ecological point of view, the cultivation of annual cereal crops is a burden on nature.

First quantification of a major ecological crisis and recovery A new study paves the way to understanding biotic recovery after an ecological crisis in the Mediterranean Sea about 5.5 million years ago. An international team led by Konstantina Agiadi from the University of Vienna has now been able to quantify how marine biota was impacted by the salinization of the Mediterranean: Only 11 percent of the endemic species survived the crisis, and the biodiversity did not recover for at least another 1.7 million years.