The Science & Technology desk gathers a weekly digest of impactful and interesting research publications and developments at Stanford. Read the latest in this week’s Research Roundup.

Using AI and satellites to verify forest carbon storage

Researchers from Stanford University, Brown University and Planet Labs developed an AI-driven system that uses satellite and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data to accurately measure and map carbon stored in forests. The approach, tested against NASA and European Space Agency data, proved successful, representing a step toward more transparent and trustworthy carbon markets.

The system produces 30-meter-resolution maps of tree height, canopy cover and aboveground carbon, offering a scalable way to track changes across large regions.

The work aims to help countries and companies verify reductions in emissions from forest conservation, potentially unlocking new financing for sustainable land management. The accuracy and transparency of these measurements are especially crucial to help ensure that developing countries can receive economic compensation, known as carbon credits, for their emissions reductions. 

“We need to convince policymakers and organizations that these are trustworthy measurement capabilities,” Tara O’Shea, managing director of Stanford’s Natural Climate Solutions Initiative, said.

“Natural climate solutions have enormous potential — but without credibility, they stay on the sidelines,” Chris Field, director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, said. 

Finding the right dose of indoor nature

A new Stanford study published in Sustainable Cities and Society discovered that there can be too much of a good thing when it comes to indoor greenery. Using 3D modeling and a new “Nature View Potential” tool, researchers simulated offices with varying levels of plants, wood and window views of nature to test how changes in the work environment affected well-being.

Participants reported the greatest sense of emotional restoration and belonging when nature made up about 20% of their surroundings — roughly equivalent to seeing plants one-fifth of the time. But when greenery covered around 60% of the space, stress levels increased, suggesting that overly lush interiors can feel overwhelming.

“Any nature helps, but if you really want to see an improvement, you have to get up to around that value,” said civil engineering professor Sarah Billington, the senior author of the study. 

The findings can help designers optimize indoor environments to foster connection, calm and focus.

A simple way to see microscopic fiber

Stanford Medicine researchers have developed a low-cost imaging technique that makes microscopic tissue fibers visible in unprecedented detail, a breakthrough that could transform studies of disease and brain structure.

The new method, called computational scattered light imaging (ComSLI), uses a rotating LED light source and standard microscope camera to capture how light scatters through tissue. Software then reconstructs fiber orientations and densities at micrometer resolution, creating vivid, color-coded maps. This method can be used to view fibers from ordinary histology slides, regardless of age, staining or storage. 

“The information about tissue structures has always been there, hidden in plain sight,” said lead author and instructor of neuroimaging Mario Georgiadis, “ComSLI simply gives us a way to see that information and map it out.” 

The technique revealed striking deterioration in brain fiber networks in Alzheimer’s disease samples and successfully mapped tissues from as long ago as 1904. Beyond the brain, ComSLI also illuminated fiber structures in muscle, bone and arteries. Since the technique allows scientists to extract new data from archived slides, it may provide new opportunities for powerful biomedical insights and research.