Supershear earthquakes, moving faster than seismic waves, could cause catastrophic shaking across California. USC researchers warn that many faults capable of magnitude 7 quakes might produce these explosive ruptures. Current construction standards don’t account for their directional force. Stronger monitoring and building codes are urgently needed.
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Ancient humans in Italy butchered elephants and made tools from their bones
Researchers in Italy discovered 400,000-year-old evidence that ancient humans butchered elephants for food and tools. At the Casal Lumbroso site near Rome, they found hundreds of bones and stone implements, many showing impact marks from butchery. The findings reveal a consistent prehistoric strategy for resource use during warmer Middle Pleistocene...
Closest alien civilization could be 33,000 light years away
Complex, intelligent life in the galaxy appears vanishingly rare, with the nearest possible civilization perhaps 33,000 light-years distant. Yet despite the odds, scientists insist that continuing the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is essential — for either outcome reshapes our understanding of life itself.
Scientists unearth a 112-million-year-old time capsule filled with ancient insects
Researchers have unearthed South America’s first amber deposits containing ancient insects in an Ecuadorian quarry, offering a rare 112-million-year-old glimpse into life on the supercontinent Gondwana. The amber, found in the Hollín Formation, preserved a diverse range of insect species and plant material, revealing a humid, resin-rich forest teeming with...
12,000-year-old rock art found in Arabia reveals a lost civilization
Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia discovered over 170 ancient rock engravings that may be among the earliest monumental artworks in the region. Created between 12,800 and 11,400 years ago, the massive figures were carved when water and life returned to the desert. The art likely marked territories and migration routes, revealing...
Climate Change May Increase the Spread of Neurotoxin in the Oceans
Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury.
Parched Soils Can Spark Hot Drought a Nation Away
A new study found compound drought-heatwave events are rippling farther and lasting through the night, raising risks for southwestern North America.
To Prevent Rapid Sea-Level Rise, Reduce Emissions Now
The timing of emissions reductions, even more so than the rate of reduction, will be key to avoiding catastrophic thresholds for ice-melt and sea-level rise, according to a new Cornell study.
They’re smaller than dust, but crucial for Earth’s climate
Coccolithophores, tiny planktonic architects of Earth’s climate, capture carbon, produce oxygen, and leave behind geological records that chronicle our planet’s history. European scientists are uniting to honor them with International Coccolithophore Day on October 10. Their global collaboration highlights groundbreaking research into how these microscopic organisms link ocean chemistry, climate...
Thousands fall ill as mosquito fever explodes across southern China
China’s Guangdong Province is battling its worst-ever chikungunya outbreak, with thousands of infections spreading across major cities and nearby regions. Transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the disease underscores how climate change, urbanization, and global travel are fueling mosquito-borne threats.