Researchers studying Classic Maya cities discovered that urban growth was driven by a blend of climate downturns, conflict, and powerful economies of scale in agriculture. These forces made crowded, costly city life worthwhile for rural farmers. But when conditions improved in the countryside, people abandoned cities for more autonomy and...
Blog
Archaeologists uncover a 2,000-year-old crop in the Canary Islands
Scientists decoded DNA from millennia-old lentils preserved in volcanic rock silos on Gran Canaria. The findings show that today’s Canary Island lentils largely descend from varieties brought from North Africa around the 200s. These crops survived cultural upheavals because they were so well-suited to the islands’ harsh climate. Their long-standing...
Scientists discover a hidden deep sea hotspot bursting with life
Beneath the waters off Papua New Guinea lies an extraordinary deep-sea environment where scorching hydrothermal vents and cool methane seeps coexist side by side — a pairing never before seen. This unusual chemistry fuels a vibrant oasis teeming with mussels, tube worms, shrimp, and even purple sea cucumbers, many of...
Scientists Uncover Why Europe May Face 42 Extra Days of Summer by 2100
New research reveals for the first time why Europe could gain more than an extra month of summer days by 2100 using climate data from the last millennia.
World’s Mountains Warming Faster Than Lowlands
Around the world, mountains are warming faster than surrounding lowlands, scientists warn.
Tracking Deep-sea Coral Health After Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Fifteen years after the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill poured an estimated 134 million gallons of oil into the marine environment, vital long-term monitoring work involving University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa oceanographers continues to chart the slow path to recovery for the region’s deep-sea coral communities, providing critical information to...
Scientists Warn Mountain Climate Change is Accelerating Faster Than Predicted, Putting Billions of People at Risk
Mountains worldwide are experiencing climate change more intensely than lowland areas, with potentially devastating consequences for billions of people who live in and/or depend on these regions, according to a major global review.
Cornell Ash Trees Aim to Beat Back Borer Insects
Ash saplings newly planted on Cornell land are potentially resistant to devastating emerald ash borer insects, making the university the first propagation center in New York state.
Rainforests Under Threat: Report Calls for Protection and Restoration to Help the South West’s Temperate Rainforests Thrive
Temperate rainforests are among the rarest habitats on Earth, supporting unique biodiversity and providing vital benefits from climate regulation and natural flood management to supporting human wellbeing.
Giant hidden heat blob slowly travels beneath the U. S.
An immense pocket of hot rock deep beneath the Appalachians may be a wandering relic of the breakup between Greenland and North America 80 million years ago. Researchers suggest this slow-moving “mantle wave” drifted over 1,800 km to reach its current position, gradually reshaping the continent from below and even...