Man's COVID Infection Lasted 2 Years, Setting a New Record

An immunocompromised man endured ongoing acute COVID-19 for more than 750 days. During this time, he experienced persistent respiratory symptoms and was hospitalized five times.
In spite of its duration, the man's condition differs from long COVID as it wasn't a case of symptoms lingering once the virus had cleared out, but the viral phase of SARS-CoV-2 that continued for over two years.

While this record may be easy to dismiss as something that occurs only to vulnerable people, persistent infections have implications for us all, researchers warn in their new study.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(25)00050-3/fulltext

A new explanation for Siberia's giant exploding craters

Scientists may be a step closer to solving the mystery of Siberia's giant exploding craters. First spotted in the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas of Western Siberia in 2012, these massive holes, known as giant gas emission craters (GECs) can be up to 164 feet deep. They seem to appear randomly in the permafrost and are formed when powerful explosions blast soil and ice hundreds of feet into the air.

For more than a decade, researchers have been coming up with theories about the origin of these craters, ranging from meteor impacts to gas explosions. However, none of these have been able to explain why the craters are only found in this specific area and not in the permafrost elsewhere in the Arctic.

Now, research published in the journal Science of the Total Environment proposes a new and more complete explanation that links the craters to specific factors unique to the two peninsulas, the vast gas reserves in this region and the effects of climate change.

"We propose that the formation of GECs is linked to the specific conditions in the area, including abundant natural gas generation and seepage and the overall limited thickness of the continuous permafrost," wrote the researchers in their paper.

According to their model, GECs form when gas and heat rise from deep underground. The heat melts the permafrost seal (a layer of permanently frozen ground that acts as a lid), making it thinner. Meanwhile, the gas builds up underneath it, and with nowhere to go, the pressure rises. As the climate warms, the permafrost thaws even more, making the lid thinner. Eventually, pressure becomes too great and causes an explosive collapse that creates a large crater.

 Helge Hellevang et al, Formation of giant Siberian gas emission craters (GECs), Science of The Total Environment (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180042

Exploding Siberian Craters

Study provides first evidence that plastic nanoparticles can accumulate in the edible parts of vegetables

Plastic pollution represents a global environmental challenge, and once in the environment, plastic can fragment into smaller and smaller pieces.

A new study shows for the first time that some of the tiniest particles found in the environment can be absorbed into the edible sections of crops during the growing process.

The research used radishes to demonstrate, for the first time, that nanoplastics—some measuring as little as one millionth of a centimeter in diameter—can enter the roots, before spreading and accumulating into the edible parts of the plant.

The researchers say the findings reveal another potential pathway for humans and animals to unintentionally consume nanoplastics and other particles and fibers that are increasingly present in the environment.

It also underscores the need for further research to investigate what is an emerging food safety issue, and the precise impacts it could have on environmental and human health.

This study provides clear evidence that particles in the environment can accumulate not only in seafood but also in vegetables. This work forms part of our growing understanding on accumulation, and the potentially harmful effects of micro- and nanoparticles on human health.

Nathaniel J. Clark et al, Determining the accumulation potential of nanoplastics in crops: An investigation of 14C-labelled polystyrene nanoplastic into radishes, Environmental Research (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122687