From gold to radioactive crystals, Poland is home to rare and exotic minerals
Poland is home to dozens of rare and remarkable minerals, from shimmering sapphires and gold to radioactive autunite and toxic arsenopyrite. According to Bartłomiej Kajdas of the Jagiellonian University’s Natural Education Centre, many of these unique geological specimens are found in only a few places in the country - and some are known mainly from century-old reports.
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Scientists investigate how climate change affects Arctic water cycle
Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising, especially in the summer; the amount of precipitation is also increasing. Polish scientists working in Svalbard have investigated how warming and the behaviour of permafrost affect the water cycle.
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Hydrologist: Heavy rains do not solve drought problem, they actually make it worse
Poland is not threatened with desertification in the coming decades, but we to have the problem of drought. Droughts are more frequent, cover larger areas of the country and are more intense. Heavy rains do not solve the problem; they bring the risk of flooding, they do not end droughts, emphasises ecohydrologist Sebastian Szklarek, PhD.
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Warsaw physicists' study: Dripping water hollows out a stone and records the climate history
Through slow but constant erosion, water shapes the surface of the earth, carving in soluble rocks. An international team with the participation of Polish researchers found that a record of climate history is preserved in the shapes of vertical channels in limestone rocks, called karstic solution pipes.
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2024 was the warmest year in Europe's history
2024 was the warmest year in Europe's history. Fires affected 42,000 people, and storms and floods affected 413,000, also in Poland, and caused 335 deaths - according to the recently published report on the state of climate in Europe in 2024.
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Lublin/ Scientists from UMCS developed new method for recovering rare earth elements
Scientists from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin have developed a new method for recovering rare earth elements from nickel-metal hydride batteries. These elements, used in the production of electric cars and laptops, among other things, are crucial for the development of modern industry.
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Study: When ice disappears, new coastlines emerge
The rapid retreat of glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere is freeing new coast sections from under the ice. In the years 2000-2020 alone, this process led to the creation of almost 2,500 km of coastline there. Greenland is 'getting' most of the new coastline, report scientists from an international team, including Polish researchers.
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Precipitation to glass: It takes water days to thousands of years to make this 'journey'
From several days to even hundreds and thousands of years - this is how long it takes for water precipitation that fell on the Earth's surface to reach the groundwater level, where over 70 percent of drinking water in Poland comes from, says hydrogeologist Małgorzata Woźnicka, PhD.
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Norway/ Experts: Polish scientists have special role in Arctic research
Experts in Svalbard have no doubt that climate changes in the Arctic are drastic. This is confirmed by the results from dozens of scientific stations. The Polish contribution to Svalbard research is considered invaluable.
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Climate scientist: 2024 was record-breakingly warm, but this record will probably be broken soon
2024 was a record-breakingly warm year, but everything indicates that this record will be broken soon, says Bogdan Chojnicki, PhD, a professor and climate scientist from the Poznań University of Life Sciences. In his opinion, the increase in average temperatures will cause a serious drought in Poland within a few years.
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From gold to radioactive crystals, Poland is home to rare and exotic minerals
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Stripped subgiant stars may emit gravitational waves for millions of years, Polish astrophysicist says
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Sustained neural activity is needed to keep thoughts in working memory, study finds
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Epigenetics is often used as sales tool for pseudoscientific products, scientist warns
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Polish scientists study ‘yeast from space’ sent by Polish astronaut
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Polish astronaut is ‘strong candidate’ for European Astronaut Corps, says ESA chief
Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski is an “exceptionally strong candidate” for active membership in the European Astronaut Corps, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher has told the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
