University of Zaragoza

In 2022, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide, a figure 82% higher than the 34 million tonnes recorded in 2010, according to a United Nations report. The 2022 figure represents an average of 7.8 kilograms per capita per year worldwide, compared to 19.6 kg in Spain. Only 22.3% of this amount of global e-waste was documented as properly collected and recycled, says the Global E-waste Monitor 2024. 

In 2010, nearly 1,000 sub-basins around the world were facing water shortages. But when considering not only water quantity, but also water quality, this figure rises to more than 2,500, according to a study published in Nature Communications. By 2050, the authors estimate that up to a third of sub-basins will face severe shortages of clean water, which could affect 3 billion people. Southern China, Europe, North America and Africa will be the most affected regions.

Las lluvias torrenciales caídas en Libia hace dos semanas fueron 50 veces más probables por el calentamiento global provocado por la acción humana. Algo similar ocurría con las lluvias caídas en Grecia, Bulgaria y Turquía, que fueron 10 veces más probables por el cambio climático, según concluye un estudio de atribución rápido de la Word Weather Attribution (WWA). La investigación apunta a que la tragedia en Libia se agravó por otros factores humanos, como construcciones en llanuras inundables y presas en mal estado. Los autores también analizaron las inundaciones registradas en España a principios de septiembre y concluyeron que precipitaciones tan intensas se esperan una vez cada 40 años. 

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is suspending Russia's participation in the New START treaty, a bilateral agreement signed with the United States that has been in force since 2011 and that limits and controls the nuclear armament of both powers.

Procrastination in a sample of more than 3,500 students was associated with the development of both mental and physical health problems nine months later, according to a study conducted at several universities in Sweden. The results are published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 has been awarded to Barry Sharpless and Morten Meldal for laying the foundations of click chemistry, which quickly and efficiently joins molecular building blocks; and to Carolyn Bertozzi, who pioneered bioorthogonal reactions, which use this technique inside living organisms without altering the chemistry of the cell.

Although gold is chemically inert, i.e. it resists discolouration and corrosion, its alloys are less resistant. This type of metal in the form of gold leaf is present in the Alhambra in Granada. Two researchers from the University of Granada analyse in the journal Science Advances what causes this corrosion and why purple-coloured nanospheres have appeared.  

This summer's monsoon rains in Pakistan are ten times heavier than usual and have already affected more than 33 million people. Some six and a half million are in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 400,000 refugees. Pakistan's prime minister has called them "the worst in the country's history".

A study published today in the journal Nature shows that a brief online intervention can reduce stress in adolescents.

A study published today in the journal Nature concludes that people who interact face-to-face in face-to-face meetings are better able to generate creative ideas than those who interact online