Did Venus ever have oceans?
The planet Venus can be seen as the Earth's evil twin. At first sight, it is of comparable mass and size as our home planet, similarly consists mostly of rocky material, holds some water and has an atmosphere. Yet, a closer look reveals striking diff.....»»
Presence of atomic oxygen confirmed on both day and night sides of Venus
A multi-institutional team of astrophysicists from Germany has made the first direct observation of oxygen atoms in the day side atmosphere of Venus. In their project, reported in the journal Nature Communications, the group studied data from the Str.....»»
New microfossils suggest earlier rise in complex life
Microfossils from Western Australia may capture a jump in the complexity of life that coincided with the rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere and oceans, according to an international team of scientists......»»
How global warming shakes the Earth: Seismic data show ocean waves gaining strength as the planet warms
As oceans waves rise and fall, they apply forces to the sea floor below and generate seismic waves. These seismic waves are so powerful and widespread that they show up as a steady thrum on seismographs, the same instruments used to monitor and study.....»»
Arctic Ocean soundscapes reveal changes in mammal populations in response to climate change
While the sounds of our oceans may be familiar to us through the lens of nature documentaries, from the haunting calls of whales to the barks of some fish, this acoustic environment can provide a wealth of knowledge to scientists regarding the comple.....»»
Can we eat our way through an exploding sea urchin problem?
Longspined sea urchins are native to temperate waters around New South Wales. But as oceans heat up, their range has expanded more than 650km, through eastern Victoria and south to Tasmania. Their numbers are exploding in the process, clear-felling k.....»»
Researchers report mass bleaching of coral reefs in warming Florida oceans: "Like a forest without trees"
Peering over the edge of research vessel Coral Reef II as it sailed through the Florida Keys, Shedd Aquarium postdoctoral fellow Shayle Matsuda saw white......»»
Discovery of three novel Minorisa species, the smallest predatory marine picoplankton
Minorisa, a group of unicellular eukaryotes (protists), is renowned as one of the smallest predators in the world. These microorganisms are widely distributed in oceans, with a particular abundance in coastal regions, where they are believed to play.....»»
Venus had Earth-like plate tectonics billions of years ago, study suggests
Venus, a scorching wasteland of a planet according to scientists, may have once had tectonic plate movements similar to those believed to have occurred on early Earth, a new study found. The finding sets up tantalizing scenarios regarding the possibi.....»»
Toxic diets: Canadian orcas face high risks of pollution-related health effects
Killer whales, also called orcas, are known for their intelligence and striking presence. They are also enduring a silent but persistent threat beneath the surface of our oceans......»»
Bizarre new fossils shed light on ancient plankton
A scientist from the University of Leicester has discovered a new type of fossil that reveals life in the oceans half a billion years ago. The tiny organisms, detailed in a new study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Scien.....»»
Doing laundry by hand sheds just as many microfibers as machine washing—new research
Between 6,500 and 87,000 tons of microfibers are shed during domestic laundering every year in the UK. Many of these minuscule fibers end up in rivers and oceans, with devastating consequences for aquatic animals and environments......»»
Genomic stability: A double-edged sword for sharks
Sharks have been populating the oceans for about 400 to 500 million years. While our planet and many of its inhabitants have undergone massive changes several times during this period, this basal group of vertebrates has remained somewhat constant. T.....»»
Decline of rare right whale appears to be slowing, but scientists say big threats remain
The decline of one of the rarest whales in the world appears to be slowing, but scientists warn the giant mammals still face existential threats from warming oceans, ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear......»»
Hurricanes are now twice as likely to zip from minor to whopper than decades ago, study says
With warmer oceans serving as fuel, Atlantic hurricanes are now more than twice as likely as before to rapidly intensify from wimpy minor hurricanes to powerful and catastrophic, a study said Thursday......»»
India sets sights on a Moon landing in 2040, but is it realistic?
Also on tap for India: A space station and a Venus orbiter. Enlarge / A view of the Moon from Chandrayaan 3 before landing. (credit: ISRO) In recent years the nation of India has embraced spaceflight as a means of estab.....»»
We landed a camera on Venus before seeing parts of our own oceans—time to ramp up observations closer to home
Viewed from the Voyager 1 space probe as it passed beyond the edge of the solar system, Earth and Venus might not look too different—same diameter, similar mass and distance from the sun......»»
The changing climate creates more noise in the oceans
Due to the changing climate, the underwater world is getting ever noisier. That is the main conclusion of a study that was published today in the journal PeerJ. "In some places, by the end of this century, the sound of ships, for example, will be fiv.....»»
Study shows live plant pathogens can travel on dust across oceans
Plant pathogens can hitch rides on dust and remain viable, with the potential for traveling across the planet to infect areas far afield, a finding with important implications for global food security and for predicting future outbreaks......»»
New fish species found in the Great Barrier Reef
At a time when marine life is disappearing from the world's oceans, researchers are celebrating the discovery of a new species of coral reef fish in the southern waters of the Great Barrier Reef......»»
Atmospheric microplastic transport predominantly derived from oceans, study finds
Microplastics in our natural environments are of increasing concern as these tiny particles (.....»»