The article “Melting Memories: The Human Cost of Glacier Loss” highlights the societal consequences of global glacier loss, as examined by Rice University anthropologists Cymene Howe and Dominic Boyer in their commentary published in Science. While new research projects that more than three-quarters of the world’s glacier mass could disappear by the end of the century under current climate policies, the authors emphasize the social impacts and human stories behind the statistics.

“Glaciers have literally shaped the ground we walk on,” said Howe, professor of anthropology and co-director of Rice’s Program in Science and Technology Studies. “For people who have lived near glaciers, their cultural meanings are often profound, representing the fundamental relationship between social and natural worlds.”

The commentary draws from the authors’ ongoing work on the Global Glacier Casualty List, a digital platform that documents glaciers that have melted or are critically endangered. This project blends climate science, social science, and community narratives to memorialize a rapidly disappearing part of Earth’s cryosphere.

“We’re now losing 273 billion tons of ice globally each year,” said Boyer, professor of anthropology and co-director of the Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience. “There’s a feeling that even these staggering losses aren’t enough to motivate needed climate action.”

Their publication marks an uncommon appearance by social scientists in Science, which primarily features research in the natural and physical sciences. The authors argue that addressing the impacts of climate change requires not only scientific measurement but also cultural understanding, public memory, and collective action.

As glacial loss accelerates, so do the social and emotional responses to environmental change,” they write.

The United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Howe and Boyer emphasize that global climate goals, such as limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, could still preserve a significant portion of the world’s glaciers and prevent the erosion of ecosystems, economies, and cultural lifeways connected to them.

“We have lost a lot, but there is still so much that can be saved for us and the generations that will come after us: They deserve to know the magnificence and meaning of these great bodies of ice,” said Howe.

The commentary was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs.

The ancient civilization of Arabia was once home to a rich and diverse culture that valued knowledge, trade, and innovation. New research has shed light on one of the most fascinating aspects of their history: the deliberate use of psychoactive and medicinal plants for therapeutic and sensorial practices nearly 2,700 years ago.

Led by Dr. Barbara Huber and Professor Marta Luciani, a team of researchers analyzed organic residues preserved inside Iron Age fumigation devices excavated at the oasis settlement of Qurayyah in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Using advanced metabolic profiling techniques, they detected characteristic harmala alkaloids from the plant Peganum harmala, also known as Syrian rue or harmal.

“This discovery represents chemical evidence for the earliest known burning of harmal not just in Arabia but globally,” says Dr. Huber, lead author of the study. “Our findings shed light on how ancient communities drew upon traditional plant knowledge and their local pharmacopeia to care for their health, purify spaces, and potentially trigger psychoactive effects.”

The integration of biomolecular analysis with archaeology has allowed researchers to identify not just what kind of plants people were using but also where, how, and why. This breakthrough has significant implications for fields such as ethnobotany, medical anthropology, heritage studies, and pharmacognosy – all concerned with the long-term relationship between humans, medicinal plants, and natural resources.

In traditional medicine and household fumigation practices today in the region, Peganum harmala is known for its antibacterial, psychoactive, and therapeutic properties. The new findings underscore its long-standing cultural and medicinal significance.

“This discovery shows the deep historical roots of traditional healing and fumigation practices in Arabia,” adds Ahmed M. Abualhassan, Heritage Commission co-director of the Qurayyah project. “We’re preserving not only objects but also the intangible cultural heritage of ancient knowledge that still holds relevance in local communities today.”

The Earth is home to vast reserves of gold and other precious metals, but they are not stored in a safe or vault. Instead, these treasures lie hidden deep within the planet’s metallic core, surrounded by 3,000 kilometers of solid rock. Recently, researchers from the University of Göttingen made a groundbreaking discovery that sheds new light on the origin of these precious resources.

The scientists found traces of Ruthenium (Ru), a rare metal, in volcanic rocks on the islands of Hawaii. Their analysis revealed that this Ru must have originated from the Earth’s core, rather than the rocky mantle above it. This finding is significant because it suggests that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into the Earth’s mantle.

Dr. Nils Messling, a researcher at Göttingen University, exclaimed, “When we first saw the results, we knew we had struck gold!” The team’s data confirmed that material from the core is rising to the surface, forming ocean islands like Hawaii. Professor Matthias Willbold added, “Our findings not only show that the Earth’s core is not as isolated as previously thought but also prove that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material originate at the core-mantle boundary.”

This discovery has implications for our understanding of the Earth’s evolution and the origin of precious metals. Messling noted, “Whether these processes have been operating in the past remains to be proven.” However, their findings open up a new perspective on the inner dynamics of our home planet.

The revelation that gold and other precious metals may come from the Earth’s core challenges our previous understanding of the planet’s metallic core. It also raises questions about the long-term sustainability of these resources and their value in various sectors, such as renewable energy.