Freshwater under the Ocean – in the 1960's scientists were quite surprised when they looked at their data: it clearly showed that there was fresh or freshened water under the ocean floor. How did it get there? How long has it been there? Scientists have been trying to find answers to these questions since their intriguing discovery. Starting in May, an international team of scientists has embarked on an expedition to take a closer look at, and take samples, of this freshened water stored beneath the ocean floor. Prof Karen Johannesson of University of Massachusetts Boston and Prof Brandon Dugan of Colorado School of Mines are the Co-Chief Scientists of this international expedition, which is also participated by Cnr-Igg Valentina Rossi

From May 5 to May 8, a delegation from the Civil Protection Department (DPC) and the Italian Consortium for Research on Risk Reduction-CI3R -participated by Cnr- traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia, to meet with AHA Centre, the intergovernmental organization for humanitarian assistance in disaster management founded by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

On the latest issue of "Horizon Magazine", an article by Michaela Nesvarova highlights the contribution of Cnr-Isafom researcher Alessio Collalti to "OptFor-EU", a four-year EU-funded project ensuring that forest management across Europe reflects forests' vital role in climate resilience

Analyzing the ways that different types of bias can intersect in people’s lives will not just advance equity, but it also improves research. In a Nature article, a global multidisciplinary group of co-authors, including Cnr-Ismar researcher Elena Gissi, propose guidelines for including intersectional analysis in natural science and technology research

Cnr-Ism has established the Istituto di Struttura della Materia Prize (PRISM) to recognize the significant contribution of a researcher in the field of the study of the Structure of Matter in the last five years. Nominations are open for the 2025 edition of the PRISM award. Submission deadline: June 30th, 2025

His Majesty King Charles III meets scientists from CBA and Italian scientific institutions with whom the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance - CBA is developing new collaborations, including the Cnr research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (Cnr-Iret) and the Cnr research Institute for Agricultural systems and Forestry of the Mediterranean (Cnr-Isafom): demonstration were shown of scientific approaches and tools for measurement, used in the CBA’s global network of Living Labs

Precipitation in the Mediterranean region has remained stable, despite variation across years and decades, an analysis of historical trends from 1871–2020 finds. The findings, published in Nature, are based on data from 23,000 stations across 27 countries and have important implications for social, economic and environmental policies in the region. Cnr-Isac participated in the study

"Microbes-4-Climate" (M4C) announces the launch of its Transnational Access (TNA) Call with opening on 31 March 2025 and will run until the 30 of June 2025. This programme offers researchers across Europe and beyond the opportunity to access state-of-the-art research infrastructures (RIs), to promote novel collaborations and further drive for scientific breakthroughs in microbial and environmental sciences

The ice cores extracted in Antarctica as part of the Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice project, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (Cnr), are currently en route to Europe aboard the research vessel Laura Bassi. These ice cores, extracted up to a depth of 2,800 meters, will be processed and analysed in the laboratories of the European research institutions involved in the project. They are expected to reveal crucial details about the Earth's climate and atmospheric history, dating back over 1.2 million years

A new study  published by an international team of African, American, and European researchers offers a fresh perspective on the Neolithic transition in North Africa, shedding light on the remarkable genetic and cultural continuity of forager populations in the eastern Maghreb (modern-day Tunisia and eastern Algeria). This research provides the most detailed glimpse yet into the genetic history of ancient populations in the region, revealing how local forager groups preserved their genetic identity despite the arrival of farming and associated populations from Europe and Southwest Asia