Environmental stability on Earth allowed marine biodiversity to flourish
Modern ocean biodiversity, which is at its highest level ever, was achieved through long-term stability of the location of so-called biodiversity hotspots, regions of especially high numbers of species, scientists have found......»»
Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
The US Supreme Court declined on Friday to block environmental regulations aimed at reducing harmful emissions of mercury from power plants and methane from oil and gas facilities......»»
New Kuiper Belt objects lurk farther away than we ever thought
Earth's Kuiper Belt appears to be substantially larger than we thought. In the outer reaches of the Solar System, beyond the ice giant Neptune, lies a ring of comets and dwarf pla.....»»
Capturing finer-scale topographic differences improves Earth system model capability to reproduce observations
Earth system models (ESMs), used in climate simulations and projections, typically use grids of 50–200 km resolution. These are considered relatively coarse with limited ability to resolve land surface variability......»»
The sun unleashes its strongest flare this cycle
Yesterday the sun released a huge solar flare, and it's heading toward Earth. It's nothing to worry about since it's nowhere near as large as the Carrington Event of 1859, but it is large enough to give us some amazing aurora......»»
Low stream diatom biodiversity potentially decreases stream oxygen production in remote islands
Benthic diatoms are the most important and biodiverse primary producers in streams and comprise the basis for the food webs, fueling animals such as insects and stream fishes including trout......»»
So You Can 3D Print a Steak Now—but Why on Earth Would You?
WIRED tried 3D-printed steaks that you can’t buy anywhere yet. But reducing food to a technological problem leaves a bitter taste, and delivers all the joy of licking a catering catalog......»»
How future heat waves at sea could devastate UK marine ecosystems and fisheries
The oceans are warming at an alarming rate. 2023 shattered records across the world's oceans, and was the first time that ocean temperatures exceeded 1°C over pre-industrial levels. This led to the emergence of a series of marine heat wave events ac.....»»
Earth Defense Force 6 just removed its controversial requirement
Sci-fi shooter Earth Defense Force 6 just removed an account requirement on Steam that led players to review-bomb it at launch......»»
Research reveals how media coverage helped successfully mitigate forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon
A new study from the University of California San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy reveals that public outcry can lead to significant environmental action, even when public administrations are openly hostile to environmental priorities......»»
X-rays advance understanding of Earth"s core-mantle boundary and super-Earth magma oceans
Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have revealed new details about Earth's core-mantle boundary and similar regions found in exoplanets......»»
Sentinel-2 data reveal significant seasonal variations in intertidal seagrass
With data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, researchers have revealed seasonal variations in intertidal seagrass across Western Europe and North Africa. As a key indicator of biodiversity, these new findings offer valuable insights for the cons.....»»
NASA is working on a plan to replace its space station, but time is running out
"Initially, Congress almost treated the program as a joke." The next year is crucial for the future of NASA and its plans to extend human activity in low-Earth orbit. For the firs.....»»
NASA"s laser comms demo makes deep space record, completes first phase
The Deep Space Optical Communications tech demo has completed several key milestones, culminating in sending a signal to Mars' farthest distance from Earth......»»
Scientists offer a detailed look at the skeleton of an ancient predator that thrived in extreme conditions
Imagine a world on the brink of collapse: volcanic eruptions spewing toxic gases, oceans turning acidic, and up to 90% of Earth's species vanishing in the blink of an eye. This was the reality at the end of the Permian Period, around 252 million year.....»»
2-billion-year-old rock could help understand very early life on Earth and the hunt for evidence of life on Mars
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in a 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is the oldest example of living.....»»
Unique IDs for individual (digital) specimens from natural history museums streamline and future-proof science
The wealth of data hosted in natural history collections can contribute to finding a response to global challenges ranging from climate change to biodiversity loss to pandemics. However, today's practices of working with collected bio- and geodiversi.....»»
Outdoor businesses and venues could benefit from boosting birdsong sound biodiversity
Visitors to vineyards enjoyed their tours more when they heard enhanced sounds of diverse birdsong, new research has found. The findings from the University of East Anglia suggest that outdoor businesses could improve their customer experience by inv.....»»
More consumption, more demand for resources, more waste: Why urban mining"s time has come
Pollution and waste, climate change and biodiversity loss are creating a triple planetary crisis. In response, UN Environment Program executive director Inger Andersen has called for waste to be redefined as a valuable resource instead of a problem......»»
Ancient protein structure may have enabled early molecular evolution and diversification
In a finding that offers fresh insights into the early evolution of life on Earth, two RIKEN biologists have conducted lab experiments that have revealed a previously unknown protein fold, which is completely absent in modern proteins......»»
Wastewater bacteria can break down plastic for food, yielding new possibilities for cleaning up plastic waste
Researchers have long observed that a common family of environmental bacteria, Comamonadacae, grow on plastics littered throughout urban rivers and wastewater systems. But exactly what these Comamonas bacteria are doing has remained a mystery......»»