Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with life, from giant reptiles to rich invertebrate communities....
Earth may have been ravaged by “invisible” explosions from space
Cosmic “touchdown airbursts” — explosions of comets or asteroids above Earth’s surface — may be far more common and destructive than previously thought, according to new research. Unlike crater-forming impacts, these events unleash extreme heat and pressure without leaving obvious scars, making them harder to detect.
A Delicate Antarctic Balance Crucial to Global Climate
New findings about ocean processes in the Antarctic show melting ice shelves and changes to sea ice could have catastrophic implications for the global climate.
Residents in Hot, Humid Regions More Likely to Have Kidney Failure
Australians living in consistently hot and humid northern regions are at greater risk of kidney failure than their compatriots in more temperate and less remote locations, researchers have found.
Researchers Find Trees Could Spruce Up Future Water Conservation Efforts
Trees contain valuable information about Earth’s past, so much so that studying their rings may help fill in hidden gaps in Ohio’s environmental history.
Your body feels cold in two different ways
Researchers have uncovered that the body uses different molecular systems to sense cold in the skin versus internal organs. This explains why surface chills feel very different from cold experienced deep inside the body.
The western U.S. Tried to stop wildfires and it backfired
Much of the western U.S. is overdue for wildfire, with decades of suppression allowing fuel to build up across millions of hectares. Researchers estimate that 74% of the region is in a fire deficit, meaning far more land needs to burn to restore healthy forest conditions. Catching up would require...
Mystery of King Tut’s jars solved? Yale researchers find opium clues
Traces of opium found inside an ancient alabaster vase suggest drug use was common in ancient Egypt, not rare or accidental. The discovery raises the possibility that King Tut’s famous jars once held opiates valued enough to be buried with pharaohs—and stolen by tomb raiders.
A flesh-eating fly once eradicated is moving back toward the U.S.
California researchers are preparing for the possible return of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that feeds on living flesh and once devastated U.S. livestock. By monitoring traps and educating veterinarians and farmers, they hope to stop the pest before it gains a foothold.
Fiddler Crabs Found to Hoover Up and Break Down Microplastic Particles
New research has found that Fiddler crabs are playing an unheralded role when it comes to hoovering up microplastics found in the world’s mangrove forests and salt marshes.