The high and mighty Himalayas: A biodiversity hotbed facing significant challenges
The Himalayas are home to a vast diversity of species, consisting of 10,000 vascular plants, 979 birds and 300 mammals, including the snow leopard, the red panda, the Himalayan tahr and the Himalayan monal......»»
Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history: Geologist excavates the Himalayas with a microscope
The Himalayas stand as Earth's highest mountain range, possibly the highest ever. How did it form? Why is it so tall?.....»»
Gorgeous images show Axiom-3 crew over Himalayas on ISS approach
Astronauts aboard the ISS have shared dramatic imagery of the Axiom-3 Crew Dragon as it approached the station on Saturday......»»
Air pollution reductions during pandemic lockdown open up a way to preserve the Himalayan glaciers, says study
Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the coronavirus pandemic could protect the glaciers in the Himalayas and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century. This is the conclusion reached by an international research te.....»»
Researchers study the risk of glacial lake outbursts in the Third Pole
The Third Pole, which spans the Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and Tianshan Mountain ranges, is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Warming temperatures and altered rainfall patterns have caused more tha.....»»
Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology and ancient DNA
The high-altitude hero of the Himalayas, yak are among the few large animals that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. In the mountainous regions of Asia, yak and yak–cattle hybrids serve as vital.....»»
Himalayan communities are under siege from landslides—and climate change is worsening the crisis
Three-quarters of annual rain in the Himalayas arrives in the monsoon season from June to September. Within this rainy period are sudden and extremely intense cloudbursts, which often "pop" over a relatively small area (akin to a cloud bursting open.....»»
Glacial lake outburst floods in Alaska and the Himalayas show evolving hazards in a warming world
In August 2023, residents of Juneau, Alaska, watched as the Mendenhall River swelled to historic levels in a matter of hours. The rushing water undercut the riverbank and swallowed whole stands of trees and multiple buildings......»»
The secret world of rhododendrons: A plant more ancient than the Himalayas
If you have a rhododendron in your garden or pass one by on an afternoon walk perhaps you think of it as just a colorful and pretty shrub. You may have heard that they come from the Himalayas, and that they are invasive plants that destroy ecosystems.....»»
Half of Earth"s glaciers could vanish with 1.5 degrees of warming, study warns
In the Himalayas, not far from the base of Mount Everest, lies the Imja-Lhotse Shar Glacier, where David Rounce conducted his doctoral research. From 2013 to 2017, Rounce and his team visited Nepal to measure the glacier as it rapidly receded—and a.....»»
Threat from climate change to some of India"s sacred pilgrimage sites is reshaping religious beliefs
The famous pilgrimage site of Kedarnath, located in the central Himalayas of India, is believed to be a sacred land. It has been referred to as "deva bhumi," or the "land of the gods," for centuries......»»
New paleoaltimetry research questions assumptions about the formation of the Himalayas
Mountain ranges play a key role in global climate, altering weather and shaping the flora and fauna that inhabit their slopes and the valleys below. As warm air rises windward grades and cools, moisture condenses into rain and snow. On the leeward si.....»»
Ice stupas have become a popular water management tool in the Himalayas, but can they work in Chile?
Every winter across the Himalayas for decades, human-made reservoirs have been capturing glacial meltwater from streams and preserving it in the form of ice. By slowing meltwater down or spraying it into the air, people cause it to refreeze, often in.....»»
Evidence found of giant rock slide in Himalayas during medieval times
A team of geologists affiliated with multiple institutions in France, working with a colleague in Nepal, has found evidence of a massive rockslide occurring in a part of the Himalayas in the medieval era. In their study, reported in the journal Natur.....»»
Massive peak collapses may reshape Himalayas
23 cubic kilometers of mountain plunged into the valley below. Enlarge / Annapurna IV, at left here, might have once been half a kilometer taller. (credit: Richard I'Anson) The Earth's mountains are engaged in a constant.....»»
Opinion: Landslides are a global injustice, and they"re rarely caused by the people worst affected
In northern India, a tragedy is playing out in slow-motion. Located at about 2,000 meters elevation in Chamoli District in the Himalayas, Joshimath is an ancient, sacred town of about 17,000 people. Popular with pilgrims and visitors wanting to ski o.....»»
Opinion: Matrilineal societies exist around the world—it"s time to look beyond the patriarchy
Thirty years ago, I traveled to Lijiang, an ancient city in the northwest of China's Yunnan province in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. Lijiang's old town is a tangle of intersecting waterways, arched stone bridges, and cobbled streets. Just.....»»
I tried replacing my $4,000 camera with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro
I spent a few weeks in the foothills of the Himalayas. Instead of carrying a DSLR to preserve my memories, I took the Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 Pro Max......»»
How Atlantic air alters India"s food and water supply
A study led by the University of Reading found that the amount of winter rain and snow in the western Himalayas could vary by almost 50% depending on the air pressure gradient over the Atlantic Ocean between the Azores and Iceland......»»
How your culture informs the emotions you feel when listening to music
I open my eyes to the sound of a voice as the twin-engine Pakistan Airlines propeller aircraft flies through the Hindu Kush mountain range, west of the mighty Himalayas. We are cruising at 27,000 feet, but the mountains around us appear worryingly cl.....»»