When stars explode, supernova-style, the explosion sets off streams of high energy particles across the universe, mainly protons and alpha particles, that after millions of years reach us here on Earth. Secondary cosmic rays pass through our bodies and almost everything around us, and they penetrate a few meters into the ground where they interact with atoms in soil and rock. This produces new isotopes called cosmogenic nuclides, in tiny but measurable quantities. These tiny particles paved the way for a new discovery concerning the earliest known evidence of human presence in Europe. Research ..read more

In July 2021, the Benelux area, Germany, and France experienced heavy rainfall followed by mass flooding, causing widespread damage. Along the vast quantities of plastic swept along the riverbanks, Rahel Hauk, a researcher from Wageningen University, conducted fieldwork to assess the impact of the flood event on plastic deposition. Amidst the debris, Hauk and her colleagues noticed a large volume of specific plastic butter tubs. She noted them separately and over the following two years asked citizen scientists from the Schone Rivieren project who contribute to plastic deposition monitoring to ..read more

Did you know that some of the scientists of each General Assembly get invited to a press conference to face a group of curious journalists? I did not – but as press assistant for the #EGU24, I had the unique chance to attend the press conference “Unveiling Antarctica’s secrets: new research brings us one step closer to predicting the future of the icy continent”. Prominent scientists (Fig.1) from the British Antarctic Survey and the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration first took us on a stroll through their recent work and findings during their presentations, followed by opening the f ..read more

The EGU General Assembly provides ground for formal presentations and sessions conveying a body of knowledge. However, science is so much more. It is a social process driven by shared values, such as openness and integrity, and established customs, like peer review. As such, working in science is inherently a collaborative effort, and the EGU supports that by giving participants plenty of opportunities to connect and interact with the diverse community. But how to make the most of it? Firstly, don’t be afraid to engage with others – everyone is in the same boat here. However, should it still f ..read more

Picture this: bacteria that can slime their way around the soil, finding their prey, circling it, closing in on it and lysing it (or making their cell pop), just to feed on their prey. It sounds like a far stretch from a wolf to a bacteria, but even other soil predators, the comparably huge nematode worms ( up to 100 times bigger!), are afraid of these bacterial “wolves”. I went to the Soil System Science Poster session and had a chat with Marc Piecha presenting his work on this mysterious bunch of microorganisms. Soil Life 101 You might have heard before that the microbial life in soil is div ..read more

Tenerife, the largest active volcanic island in the Canarian archipelago, encompasses a diverse landscape shaped by volcanic activity. This picturesque island of the Mediterranean not only boasts stunning vistas but also harbours a dynamic volcanic system that requires diligent monitoring. In recent years, an international team of researchers from Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn, Birkbeck University and Queens University of Belfast monitors the volcanic activity on Tenerife b ..read more

Every year EGU tries to provide more ways for people to interact with us and in 2021 we were delighted when one of our Artists in Residence Kelly Stanford, working together with members of our EDI Committee created a free colouring book! It was so popular that we decided to make two more, one with simpler drawings based on common Earth, planetary and space related concepts, nominally targeted at younger children (suggested around 8 and under), though actually it can be used by people of any age, and one that is more complicated based on photos from EGU’s open access science image database: ima ..read more

Science is a bit like posting a letter – once you’ve written the letter it needs to be delivered to the right people and in the right way. At EGU24 attendees are invited to participate in the numerous and diverse selection of sessions which aim to improve how you deliver your research, how you understand the needs of different audiences – from policy-makers to school students – and which showcase the many innovative ways science can be communicated. The EGU General Assembly is also the opportune time to discover how the Union invests in science education and outreach throughout the year and ho ..read more

The countdown to EGU24 continues and we are now only DAYS away from the much anticipated conference week. With an event of such magnitude, it’s no surprise that some people, particularly first time attendees, may find it intimidating to navigate the conference. Don’t you worry… I’ve got you covered! So whether you’re attending the EGU General Assembly for the first or 24th time, I’m here to share some last minute tips on how to make the most of the EGU24 experience. To start things off, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Jane Roussak, EGU’s Events Manager. I’ve been part of the EGU Executive Of ..read more

Every year at the General Assembly hundreds of students present their research with a lot of time and effort going into preparing these presentations. With the aim to further improve the overall quality of poster presentations and more importantly, to encourage Early Career Scientists to present their work in the form of a poster, the OSP Awards (as they were formerly known), were born. Since the 2016 General Assembly, PICO presentations have been included in the awards, which have been renamed to Outstanding Student and PhD-candidate Presentation (OSPP) Awards. “There are a thousand posters ..read more