The ozone layer has been on track to recover thanks to the Montreal Protocol—but a loophole may be holding it back. Chemicals still permitted for industrial use are leaking into the atmosphere at higher rates than expected. Scientists now estimate this could delay ozone recovery by up to seven years....
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Fool’s gold isn’t so foolish: Scientists find hidden treasure in pyrite
Researchers have discovered lithium hidden in pyrite within ancient shale rocks—an unexpected find that could reshape how we source this critical battery material. It raises the possibility of extracting lithium from existing waste, reducing the need for new mining.
This Drone Reveals What Lies Beneath Snow and Soil
As industry, infrastructure and society move into increasingly inaccessible and weather-prone areas, the risk and the need for accurate knowledge increase.
High Levels of Forever Chemicals in Svalbard Reindeer
Researchers have long known that heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT concentrate in the Arctic, in top predator animals like polar bears.
Ocean Eddies are Amplifying Climate Extremes in Coastal Seas, Study Finds
Lisa Beal, a professor of ocean sciences at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, collaborated with South African researchers to study the Agulhas Current, a fast and narrow western boundary current flowing poleward along the southeast coast of Africa.
This 31-foot “terror croc” ate dinosaurs. Now it’s back
A massive, bus-sized “terror croc” that once preyed on dinosaurs has been brought back to life in stunning detail with the first scientifically accurate full skeleton of Deinosuchus schwimmeri. Stretching over 30 feet long, this ancient apex predator ruled the southeastern U.S. more than 75 million years ago—and now visitors...
A crushed fossil revealed a dinosaur that shouldn’t have existed
A badly mangled dinosaur skull, once forgotten in a drawer, turned out to be a rare and important discovery. Reconstructed by a Virginia Tech student, it revealed a new species of early carnivorous dinosaur with unusual features never seen before. The fossil suggests some dinosaur groups were wiped out during...
Scientists think alien life might be hiding in patterns
A new study proposes detecting life in space by spotting patterns across many planets instead of focusing on one at a time. If life spreads and changes planetary environments, it could leave behind statistical clues linking planets together. These patterns may reveal life even when traditional biosignatures are unclear or...
Scientists just solved a 160-million-year fossil mystery “I’ve never seen anything like it”
A rare fossil discovery is shedding light on the “missing years” of early sponge evolution. Scientists found a 550-million-year-old sponge that likely lacked hard skeletal parts, explaining why earlier fossils are so scarce. This supports the idea that the earliest sponges were soft-bodied and rarely preserved. The finding changes how...
Plants Growing Higher Across Himalaya as Climate Warms
Plants are growing higher up mountains across the Himalayan region, new research shows.