The vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough ice to raise global sea level by 4 to 5 meters if it melts completely.
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The Alps to Lose a Record Number of Glaciers in the Next Decade
How much longer will glaciers survive?
Pacific Moisture Drenches the U.S. Northwest
Waves of heavy rainfall in early December 2025 spurred landslides and flooding in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
Why consciousness exists at all
Consciousness evolved in stages, starting with basic survival responses like pain and alarm, then expanding into focused awareness and self-reflection. These layers help organisms avoid danger, learn from the environment, and coordinate socially. Surprisingly, birds show many of these same traits, from subjective perception to basic self-awareness. This suggests consciousness...
Male bonobos use hidden clues to boost mating success
Male bonobos have an impressive ability to detect when females are most fertile, even though the usual visual cues are unreliable. Researchers tracking wild bonobos in the Congo discovered that males skillfully interpret a mix of swelling timing and a female’s reproductive history to pinpoint the optimal moment for mating....
Scientists finally uncovered why the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed
A series of century-scale droughts may have quietly reshaped one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations. New climate reconstructions show that the Indus Valley Civilization endured repeated long dry periods that gradually pushed its people toward the Indus River as rainfall diminished. These environmental stresses coincided with shrinking cities, shifting...
A grad student’s wild idea triggers a major aging breakthrough
Senescent “zombie” cells are linked to aging and multiple diseases, but spotting them in living tissue has been notoriously difficult. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have now taken an inventive leap by using aptamers—tiny, shape-shifting DNA molecules—to selectively tag these elusive cells. The project began as an offbeat conversation between two...
New ghost marsupial related to the kangaroo found in Australia
Researchers analyzing ancient fossils from caves across Western Australia have uncovered a completely new species of bettong along with two new woylie subspecies—remarkable finds made bittersweet by signs that some may already be extinct.
A long-nosed chameleon hid its true identity for 150 years
Scientists have discovered that Madagascar’s iconic Pinocchio chameleon is actually a distinct species now named Calumma pinocchio. DNA from both modern samples and centuries-old museum specimens also exposed another hidden species, Calumma hofreiteri. The study shows that the chameleons’ elongated snouts evolve surprisingly quickly, likely influenced by female mate choice....
Smallholder Farms Maintain Strong Pollinator Diversity – Even When Far From Forests
Pollinator and fruit diversity on the globe’s smallholder farms – which account for up to 80% of all farms – remains strong, despite ecological fragmentation.