Vast phytoplankton blooms may be lurking beneath Antarctic ice
Until now, it's been a common belief that the packed sea ice of the Southern Ocean blocked all light from reaching the sea beneath, preventing phytoplankton—tiny algae that are the base of aquatic food webs—from growing there. The less light avai.....»»
How mantle hydration changes over the lifetime of a subduction zone
Because of interactions with Earth's hot mantle, water-logged oceanic plates release water as they slide beneath less dense overriding plates in subduction zones. This water rises and hydrates the mantle above it, contributing to the formation of vol.....»»
Global chaos erupts as Windows security update goes bad
The vast majority of corporate IT worldwide is struggling on Friday morning, with things as mundane as point-of-purchase, and as complex as flight management not working because of a bad Windows security patch by security firm CrowdStrike.An unknown.....»»
Signatures of life could survive near surfaces of the moons Enceladus and Europa, NASA experiment suggests
Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, have evidence of oceans beneath their ice crusts. A NASA experiment suggests that if these oceans support life, signatures of that life in the form of organic molecules (e.g. amino acids, nu.....»»
Microbial structures in Antarctic lake could reveal more about how life evolved
In the depths of remote Antarctic lakes, communities of microorganisms are thriving where few life forms can survive. Scientists are studying structures formed by these communities to understand more about microscopic life in these extreme environmen.....»»
Mega-iceberg melt affects important marine ecosystem
Scientists have for the first time taken in-situ ocean measurements during the collapse of a giant iceberg in the sub-Antarctic. These new observations reveal how ocean ecosystems may be affected if more icebergs calve due to warmer ocean temperature.....»»
Not just space rocks: Six things we"ve learned about Earth from meteorites and comets
Apart from the sun, its planets and their moons, our solar system has vast amounts of space rocks—fragments left over from the formation of the inner planets......»»
Irish peat soils are far more vast than previously known, suggests study
New figures suggest peat soils cover 13% more area than previous peat soil maps, which are useful in land use planning—with peat soils critical in absorbing greenhouse gases (GHG) and helping to meet some of Ireland's most pressing environmental ch.....»»
World"s rarest whale may have washed up on New Zealand beach, possibly shedding clues on species
Spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have.....»»
Studies unravel climate pattern impacts on the Antarctic Ice Sheet
New Monash research has untangled the influence of regional climate drivers, including the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (El Niño), on the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Snow accumulation and surface melting are two importa.....»»
In the heart of Mauritania"s desert, a green oasis cultivates equality
For the residents of Maaden, a green oasis nestled in the depths of the vast Mauritanian desert, communal living, spirituality and sustainable agriculture are the keys to a harmonious existence......»»
Pest predictor identifies ingredients for ecological recipe for destruction
If you've felt the familiar itch of browntail moth rash, seen the grayish-green needles of an infested hemlock or watched as woodpeckers bore into ash trees for a meal hidden beneath the surface, you've experienced the devastating effects of non-nati.....»»
Light Is How Astronomers Read the Story of the Universe
Almost everything we know about the cosmos is conveyed by photons traveling across vast distances.....»»
Everything you should know about ChatGPT’s Siri integration in iOS 18
This fall, Apple is baking ChatGPT into Siri in iOS 18. While the vast majority of Apple Intelligence features were built by Apple in-house, including most new Siri capabilities, the company has nonetheless partnered with OpenAI to add ChatGPT’s po.....»»
Team pioneers a "one-pot platform" to promptly produce mRNA delivery particles
Imagine a scenario where a skilled hacker must upload critical software to update a central server and thwart a potentially lethal virus from wreaking havoc across a vast computer network. The programmer, armed with the lifesaving code, must navigate.....»»
We need to consider alternatives to dark matter that better explain cosmological observations
Do constants of nature—the numbers that determine how things behave, like the speed of light—change over time as the universe expands? Does light get a little tired traveling vast cosmic distances? It was believed that dark matter and dark energy.....»»
Scientists track sea level rise from glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica
As climate change advances, the vast bodies of ice on Antarctica and Greenland contribute significantly to sea level rise. To project their future effect on sea level rise, additional research is required to improve scientists' understanding of these.....»»
Researchers use 1,000 historical photos to reconstruct Antarctic glaciers before a dramatic collapse
In March 2002, the Larsen B Ice Shelf collapsed catastrophically, breaking up an area about one-sixth the size of Tasmania......»»
To boost ocean research, some scientists are turning to superyachts
For almost two years, Robert Brewin collected data from the bow of a superyacht as it sailed pristine waters from the Caribbean Sea to the Antarctic Ocean......»»
Recovery of unique geological samples sheds light on formation of today"s Antarctic ice sheet
In recent years, global warming has left its mark on the Antarctic ice sheets. The "eternal" ice in Antarctica is melting faster than previously assumed, particularly in West Antarctica more than East Antarctica. The root for this could lie in its fo.....»»
How studying bat viruses can help prevent zoonotic disease
Bats have become the poster child of emerging zoonotic disease. The creatures harbor a vast array of viruses—some of which cause deadly diseases in humans—yet they rarely get sick themselves......»»