Two of the most dangerous fault systems on the U.S. West Coast may be more connected than scientists once thought. New research suggests the Cascadia subduction zone and the San Andreas fault can “sync up,” triggering earthquakes within minutes or hours of each other. This rare “synchronization” could dramatically increase...
18th-century mechanical volcano roars to life 250 years later
A centuries-old vision of a mechanical volcano has finally erupted into reality, as two University of Melbourne engineering students recreated a design first imagined in 1775 by volcanology enthusiast Sir William Hamilton. Drawing from an 18th-century watercolor and a preserved sketch, they used modern tools like LED lighting and electronic...
How the Next El Niño Could Lock in a Hotter Climate
The Pacific Ocean is a giant climate cauldron, with a powerful heat engine that affects storms, fisheries and rainfall patterns half a world away, and scientists are watching closely to see if it’s about to boil over.
Earth’s Crust Is Tearing Apart off the Pacific Northwest—and That’s Not Necessarily Bad News
With unprecedented clarity, scientists have directly observed a subduction zone—the collision point where one tectonic plate dives beneath another—actively breaking apart.
Integrated Land Planning Is Necessary to Meet Climate, Food and Biodiversity Goals
While the world is a big place, humans are making greater and greater demands on the same areas of land.
This “Pink Floyd” spider hunts prey 6x its size and lives in walls
Scientists have uncovered a tiny wall-dwelling spider named Pikelinia floydmuraria, inspired by Pink Floyd. Despite its size, it’s a fierce predator that hunts ants much larger than itself and helps reduce common urban pests like mosquitoes and flies. Its clever strategy of building webs near lights makes it especially effective....
This 275-million-year-old animal had a twisted jaw like nothing alive today
Deep in a dried-up riverbed in Brazil, scientists uncovered a bizarre prehistoric mystery—twisted jawbones from a strange, long-lost animal unlike anything seen before. Dating back 275 million years, this creature, named Tanyka amnicola, belonged to an ancient lineage that should have already faded away, making it a kind of “living...
Don’t toss cannabis leaves: Scientists found rare compounds with medical potential
Scientists have uncovered a surprising new layer of complexity in Cannabis, identifying dozens of previously unknown compounds—including the first-ever evidence of rare molecules called flavoalkaloids in its leaves. These compounds, prized for their potential health benefits, were hidden among a rich mix of plant chemicals that vary dramatically even between...
Snow Cover on Greek Mountains has More Than Halved in Four Decades, Study Finds
Snow cover in the mountains of Greece – an important water source for communities, agriculture and natural ecosystems during the dry summer months – has more than halved over the past four decades, a study has found.
A Faster way to Estimate AI Power Consumption
Due to the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, it is estimated that data centers will consume up to 12 percent of total U.S. electricity by 2028, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.