The findings come from an international study published in Scientific Reports, led by scientists from the National Centre for Earth Observation at the Universities of Leicester, Sheffield and Edinburgh. The research shows that forests across the continent, long known for pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, have reversed course and are now contributing to emissions.

This shift began after 2010 and highlights the growing urgency for stronger global efforts to protect forests. It also comes at a time when forest conservation was a key topic at the COP30 Climate Summit held last week in Brazil.

Satellite Data Reveals Decade of Forest Loss

To understand what changed, researchers used advanced satellite observations and machine learning to analyze more than ten years of forest data. They focused on aboveground forest biomass, which reflects how much carbon is stored in trees and other vegetation.

The results show a clear turning point. Between 2007 and 2010, Africa’s forests were gaining carbon. After that, however, widespread deforestation and degradation in tropical rainforests pushed the system into decline.

From 2010 to 2017, Africa lost about 106 billion kilograms of forest biomass each year. That is roughly equal to the weight of 106 million cars. The biggest losses occurred in tropical moist broadleaf forests, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and parts of West Africa. Although some savanna areas saw increases due to shrub growth, these gains were far too small to balance the losses.

A Wake Up Call for Global Climate Policy

Professor Heiko Balzter, senior author and Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester, emphasized the global implications. He said: “This is a critical wake-up call for global climate policy. If Africa’s forests are no longer absorbing carbon, it means other regions and the world as a whole will need to cut greenhouse gas emissions even more deeply to stay within the 2°C goal of the Paris Agreement and avoid catastrophic climate change. Climate finance for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility must be scaled up quickly to put an end to global deforestation for good.”

Advanced Mapping of Forest Carbon Changes

The study combines data from NASA’s GEDI laser instrument and Japan’s ALOS radar satellites with machine learning techniques and thousands of ground-based forest measurements. This approach allowed researchers to produce the most detailed map yet of biomass changes across Africa, capturing patterns of deforestation at a local level over a full decade.

The findings arrive alongside the launch of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility by the COP30 Presidency. This initiative aims to raise billions of Pounds to support climate finance, offering payments to countries that preserve their tropical forests.

However, the study makes clear that without immediate action to stop forest loss, the world could lose one of its most important natural systems for storing carbon.

Solutions to Reverse Forest Loss

Dr. Nezha Acil, a co-author from the National Centre for Earth Observation at the University of Leicester’s Institute for Environmental Futures, pointed to steps that could help turn the trend around. She said: “Stronger forest governance, enforcement against illegal logging, and large-scale restoration programs such as AFR100, which aims to restore 100 million hectares of African landscapes by 2030, can make a huge difference in reversing the damage done.”

Global Implications for Climate Goals

Dr. Pedro Rodríguez-Veiga, who led much of the analysis at NCEO and the University of Leicester and now works at Sylvera Ltd., highlighted the broader impact. He said: “This study provides critical risk data for Sylvera and the wider voluntary carbon market (VCM), and shows that deforestation isn’t just a local or regional issue — it’s changing the global carbon balance. If Africa’s forests turn into a lasting carbon source, global climate goals will become much harder to achieve. Governments, the private sector, and NGOs must collaborate to fund and support initiatives that protect and enhance our forests.”

The project was supported by public funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the European Space Agency (ESA), and a network of partner institutions across Europe and Africa.

The human mouth contains more than 700 types of bacteria, but only a small number are linked to periodontitis. These harmful microbes collect in dental plaque, especially along the gum line, where they can trigger inflammation (gingivitis). If left untreated, this inflammation can progress into chronic periodontitis, leading to gum recession and tooth loss.

The risks extend beyond the mouth. When disease-causing bacteria enter the bloodstream, they may play a role in serious conditions such as diabetes, rheumatic disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Why Conventional Treatments Fall Short

Traditional oral care products like alcohol-based mouthwashes and chlorhexidine solutions kill harmful bacteria, but they also wipe out beneficial microbes. After treatment, the oral microbiome has to rebuild itself from scratch. In this process, harmful bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis often regain dominance quickly because they thrive in inflamed gum tissue. Beneficial bacteria grow more slowly, which can lead to an imbalance known as dysbiosis and allow the disease to return.

A New Way to Block Harmful Bacteria

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Halle identified a substance that targets harmful pathogens without affecting the rest of the microbial community. This compound, called guanidinoethylbenzylamino imidazopyridine acetate, works by preventing the growth of bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis rather than killing them outright.

Stephan Schilling, Head of the Fraunhofer IZI branch Molecular Drug Biochemistry and Therapy Development, explains: “Rather than simply killing gingivitis pathogens, it inhibits their growth. They are unable to exert their toxic effects, so beneficial bacteria can occupy niches that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. In this way, the substance works in harmony with healthy bacteria to gently rebuild and stabilize the microbial balance in the mouth,” says Schilling.

From Research Project to Toothpaste

The underlying technology was first developed through an EU-funded research project involving international partners. In 2018, Periotrap Pharmaceuticals GmbH was established in Halle to turn this discovery into practical oral care solutions. Working closely with Fraunhofer IZI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, the team created a toothpaste designed to support the oral microbiome.

“The product is designed to prevent periodontitis. Like conventional toothpaste, it also contains abrasives and fluoride to prevent tooth decay,” explains Mirko Buchholz, one of the company’s founders.

Overcoming Development Challenges

Transforming the compound into a usable ingredient required extensive testing. The final product needed to block harmful bacteria effectively while remaining safe for everyday use. It could not be toxic, enter the bloodstream, or cause discoloration of teeth.

To achieve this, Fraunhofer IZI researchers carried out biochemical and structural studies to better understand how the substance works and to fine-tune the formulation. “This allows us to gain a better understanding of how the substances work and determine the optimum composition of the toothpaste’s active ingredients,” Schilling explains.

Testing Toothpaste Safety and Effectiveness

Fraunhofer IMWS contributed by evaluating how different formulations interact with teeth and gums. Using advanced tools such as scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis, researchers examined compatibility and performance in detail.

As Andreas Kiesow, Group Manager Characterization of Medical and Cosmetic Care Products, explains: “Scanning electron microscopy, chemical characterization and quantitative measurements enable us to draw detailed conclusions about a substance’s compatibility and function. To put it simply: We ultimately find out whether the toothpaste works or not.”

Quality Standards and Future Products

All testing followed Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards, ensuring that results meet strict national and international requirements. “Compliance with GLP guidelines was a key element of the project. We didn’t just develop a good toothpaste with a new ingredient: we developed a high-quality oral care product of medical-grade standard,” says Schilling.

Work on the technology is continuing. In addition to toothpaste, researchers and the PerioTrap team have developed a gel used after professional dental cleanings to block harmful bacteria, support a healthy microbiome, and maintain gum health.

More products are in development, including a mouthwash and other oral care solutions. There is also potential for use in veterinary care, since gum disease in dogs and cats has similar underlying causes.

Quantum computers are expected to transform fields like drug discovery and encryption by solving problems that are far beyond the reach of conventional machines. However, progress has been limited by a major challenge known as decoherence. This occurs when quantum bits, or qubits, lose their information due to interactions with their surroundings. Even small amounts of electromagnetic noise can disrupt the fragile quantum states needed for computation.

“Quantum systems are extraordinarily powerful but also extremely fragile. The key to making them useful is learning how to control their interaction with the surrounding environment,” says Lei Du, postdoctoral researcher in applied quantum technology at Chalmers.

Lei Du is the lead author of a study that outlines this new type of quantum system. The design is built around giant superatoms, which combine several important features. These systems reduce decoherence, remain stable, and consist of multiple interconnected “atoms” that function together as a single unit.

What Are Giant Superatoms

Giant superatoms bring together two previously separate ideas in quantum physics: giant atoms and superatoms. While each has been studied on its own, this is the first time they have been merged into a single system. These structures behave like atoms but are not found in nature. Instead, they are engineered by scientists (see fact box below).

Giant Atoms and Their “Quantum Echo”

The idea of giant atoms was first introduced by researchers at Chalmers over a decade ago and is now widely used in the field. A giant atom is typically designed as a qubit (which is the smallest unit of quantum information). Unlike ordinary atoms, it connects to light or sound waves at multiple, physically separated points. This allows it to interact with its environment in several places at once, helping it preserve quantum information.

“Waves that leave one connection point can travel through the environment and return to affect the atom at another point — similar to hearing an echo of your own voice before you’ve finished speaking. This self-interaction leads to highly beneficial quantum effects, reduces decoherence and gives the system a form of memory of past interactions,” explains Anton Frisk Kockum, Associate Professor of Applied Quantum Physics at Chalmers and co-author of the study.

Extending Entanglement Across Distances

Although giant atoms have improved understanding of quantum behavior, they have had limitations when it comes to entanglement. Entanglement allows multiple qubits to share a single quantum state and act as one coordinated system, which is essential for powerful quantum computers.

To overcome this limitation, the research team combined giant atoms with the concept of superatoms. A superatom consists of several natural atoms that share the same quantum state and behave collectively as one larger atom.

This combination is expected to make it easier to create complex quantum states needed for quantum communication, networks, and highly sensitive measurement systems.

“A giant superatom may be envisaged as multiple giant atoms working together as a single entity, exhibiting a non-local interaction between light and matter. This enables quantum information from multiple qubits to be stored and controlled within one unit, without the need for increasingly complex surrounding circuitry,” explains Lei Du.

“Giant superatoms open the door to entirely new capabilities, giving us a powerful new toolbox. They allow us to control quantum information and create entanglement in ways that were previously extremely difficult, or even impossible,” says Janine Splettstoesser, Professor of Applied Quantum Physics at Chalmers and co-author of the study.

Toward Scalable and Practical Quantum Systems

This work creates new possibilities for building quantum systems that are both scalable and reliable. The researchers plan to move from theory toward actually constructing these systems. Their design could also be integrated with other quantum technologies, serving as a building block for connecting different types of quantum platforms.

“There is currently strong interest in hybrid approaches, in which different quantum systems work together, because each has its own strengths,” says Anton Frisk Kockum. “Our research shows that smart design can reduce the need for increasingly complex hardware and giant superatoms are bringing us one step closer to practically applicable quantum technology.”

Controlling Quantum Information Flow

More on: Methods for protecting, controlling and distributing quantum information

The study shows that the way giant superatoms interact with light depends on their internal quantum states. This discovery gives researchers greater control over how quantum information moves through a system. They describe two different ways of connecting these structures to achieve useful outcomes.

In one setup, several giant superatoms are closely linked in a specific arrangement. This allows them to pass quantum states between each other without decoherence, meaning no information is lost.

In another setup, the atoms are spaced farther apart but connected in a carefully tuned way so that waves remain synchronized. This makes it possible to direct quantum signals and distribute entanglement over long distances.

Understanding Giant Atoms and Superatoms

Superatoms and giant atoms are engineered systems that behave like atoms rather than naturally occurring ones.

A superatom is a quantum system made up of multiple natural atoms that share a single quantum state and respond to light as one entity.

A giant atom, on the other hand, connects to light or sound waves at several separate points in space. It is called “giant” because it is larger than the wavelength of the light it interacts with.

Giant atoms have defined energy levels and follow the rules of quantum mechanics, yet they can reach sizes of up to millimeters, making them visible to the naked eye. Through electromagnetic or acoustic waves, they can interact with their surroundings at multiple locations at the same time. One way to picture this is as a single atom linked to a wave at several distant points. This unusual setup allows the atom to be influenced by the waves it produces.