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  • Schreibersite is found in meteorites and thought to dwell in planetary cores. Tingting Gu explains how it may also have supported life on the early Earth.

    • Tingting Gu
    All Minerals Considered
  • Understanding the ecosystem response to global environmental change requires consideration of geological processes, highlighting the interconnected nature of our Earth system.

    Editorial
  • Nephrite jade is a semi-precious gemstone composed of tiny crystals and needles of amphibole. Here, Matthew Tarling and Steven Smith describe how its origins lead to inner toughness and beauty.

    • Matthew S. Tarling
    • Steven A. F. Smith
    All Minerals Considered
  • Urgent efforts are needed to collect and preserve ice cores from mountain glaciers before these archives are lost.

    Editorial
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science will play a crucial role in improving environmental sustainability, but the energy requirements of these methods will have an increasingly negative effect on the environment without sustainable design and use.

    • Caroline Jay
    • Yurong Yu
    • David Topping
    Comment
  • A picture is worth a thousand words, as is a Nature Geoscience cover image.

    Editorial
  • Magnetite is found throughout the Earth system and has many uses, explains Barbara Maher. It is a tracer of plate tectonic movements, a sub-cellular navigation aid and an economic resource, but also a pollutant.

    • Barbara Maher
    All Minerals Considered
  • Human exploration of the Solar System began on the Moon during the space race of the mid-twentieth century. To facilitate documentation and study of the human influence on the Moon, we argue it is time to designate a ‘Lunar Anthropocene’.

    • Justin Allen Holcomb
    • Rolfe David Mandel
    • Karl William Wegmann
    Comment
  • While it may feel cold to the touch, Sheng Fan and David Prior explain that ice on Earth is relatively hot. Understanding ‘hot’ ice physics during deformation is critical in determining future sea-level rise.

    • Sheng Fan
    • David J. Prior
    All Minerals Considered
  • China has made progress in improving air quality, but current levels of air pollution still have great health impacts. Dr Qiang Zhang, an atmospheric chemist at Tsinghua University, speaks to Nature Geoscience about air pollution control in China, and the challenges and opportunities faced under global environmental change.

    • Xujia Jiang
    Q&A
  • India is currently one of the most polluted regions in the world. Dr Chandra Venkataraman, an expert in climate change and air pollution at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, speaks to Nature Geoscience about challenges and opportunities facing air pollution control in India.

    • Xujia Jiang
    Q&A
  • Carbonates are key minerals for understanding fluids and their interactions with near-surface environments. Ashley King explores their significance on Earth, and beyond.

    • Ashley J. King
    All Minerals Considered
  • Africa’s worsening air pollution has received too little attention. We argue that actions are needed in energy transition management, transport emission regulation and waste management to protect Africa’s air quality.

    • Mohammed Iqbal Mead
    • Gabriel Okello
    • Francis David Pope
    Comment
  • The United States currently has modest levels of air pollution after decades of clean air actions. Dr Colette Heald, an atmospheric chemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, speaks to Nature Geoscience about air pollution control in the US, and the challenges and opportunities faced under global environmental change.

    • Xujia Jiang
    Q&A
  • Air pollution is a leading cause of death globally. Efforts to clean the air will not only save lives but contribute to addressing broader environmental and socioeconomic challenges.

    Editorial
  • The rapid spread of solar power plants onto cropland is having increasingly detrimental impacts. Targeted policy and technological solutions are urgently needed to resolve the tension between renewable energy and food production.

    • Ning Zhang
    • Huabo Duan
    • Xuemei Bai
    Comment
  • Recording 4.3 billion years of Earth’s history, Jesse Reimink explores the many ways that zircon allows geologists to keep track of the past.

    • Jesse Reimink
    All Minerals Considered
  • From pressure indicator to paint brightener, Alicia Cruz-Uribe examines the many uses of rutile.

    • Alicia M. Cruz-Uribe
    All Minerals Considered