news 2025

Professor Lluís Gibert, from the University of Barcelona, is the only expert from a European institution participating in an international study based on the analysis of the bones of a fossilized foot and teeth that has revealed how Australopithecus deyiremeda , a human ancestor that coexisted more than three million years ago with Australopithecus afarensis - the famous Lucy - on the plains of East Africa, moved and fed.

An international collaboration between the University of Valencia and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has achieved an important advance in the study of seasonal and multi-annual sea level changes. By applying artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, the teams have significantly extended the forecasting timescales of these variations, strengthening coastal planning capabilities and scientific cooperation in ocean research.

A scientific team has discovered the first Mesozoic amber deposit with preserved insects in South America in the province of Napo (Ecuador). The discovery, published in the journal reveals that 112 million years ago there was a tropical rainforest with ferns, cycads and angiosperm plants, and describes a unique scenario for understanding the rich biodiversity and Cretaceous ecosystems in the southern hemisphere, little studied so far in the fossil amber record.

A study involving the University of Seville reveals the first Neanderthal footprints of adults, children and birds in southern Portugal, a discovery that suggests route planning, possible hunting behavior and coexistence with other species An international study, published in the journal Scientific Reports of Nature, has revealed a new Neanderthal site in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Algarvian coast of Portugal.

Most of the plastic bottles and caps that pollute the Pacific coasts of Latin American countries are of local origin, and are mainly produced by the multinational companies The Coca-Cola Company, Aje Group and PepsiCo. The countries most affected by these pollutants are those in Central America, probably due to high consumption of beverages in plastic containers, poor waste management and transport by ocean currents.

Submarine canyons are among the most spectacular and fascinating geological formations to be found on our ocean floors, but at an international level scientists have yet to uncover many of their secrets, especially of those located in remote regions of the Earth like the North and South Poles. Now, an article published in the journal Marine Geology has brought together the most detailed catalogue to date of Antarctic submarine canyons, identifying a total of 332 canyon networks that in some cases reach depths of over 4,000 metres.

In just over 20 years, the northward shift of the subtropical jet stream - a high-altitude airflow - caused by climate change has reduced primary production in the northwestern Mediterranean by about 40%. This marked reduction - the highest ever described - affects the base of the marine food web and could significantly impact living resources, ecosystem health and marine dynamics in this region of the Mediterranean.

Over the last decade, glaciers in Spain have experienced an accelerated retreat, with a significant loss of extension and thickness.