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Earth
Volcanic ash as a nutrient source: the impact of the Hunga Tonga eruption on the South Pacific ecosystem
GEOTRACES GP21 cruise track and Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption scattering volcanic ash. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52904-3 The January 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) released approximately 2.9 billion tons of volcanic material into the atmosphere and across the South Pacific. In early 2022, a scientific expedition (GEOTRACES GP21) investigated the impact of this…
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Other Sciences
Study reveals complex impact of state-led urban transformation on South Korean housing communities
(Left) Aerial view of Sangwangsimni. (Right) Chanshin Seungin. Credits: (Left) Križnik/Fakulteta za družbene vede; (Right) Kim et al. doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105433 In East Asia, a quiet change is occurring: gentrification. Urban neighborhoods are undergoing a major transformation, with once-affordable areas now becoming hot spots for upscale living. The process, aimed at making neighborhoods more attractive to wealthy residents, is forcing longtime residents…
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Environment
Why is South America burning?
A helicopter sprays water on a forest fire in the hills of Quito on September 25, 2024. A record wave of wildfires, driven by severe drought linked to climate change and deforestation, is wreaking havoc across South America. The fire killed at least 30 people, blanketed the city in toxic smoke and caused millions of dollars in economic losses. This…
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Earth
Ocean dust identifies oldest ice near South America dating back 1.5 million years
Benthic foraminiferal oxygen isotopes and marine and ice dust records from ODP site 1090, IODP site U1537, Dome Fuji (DF), and Epica Dome C (EDC). Dating back up to 2 million years. Climate cycles are indicated by dominant patterns of 40,000-year, 100,000-year, and irregular mid-Pleistocene transitions (MPTs). Credit: Past Climate (2024). DOI: 10.5194/cp-20-1437-2024 Earth’s climate has experienced significant changes over…
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Environment
Studies have shown that South America is facing an increased risk of heat waves, droughts and fires.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain In parts of South America, the number of extremely hot, dry and fire-prone days per year has tripled since 1970. South America is warming at a similar rate to the global average. However, some parts of the subcontinent are at increased risk of multiple simultaneous extreme weather events. These compound extreme weather events could have amplified…
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Science
Researchers sequence oldest human DNA ever from South Africa
DNA double helix. Credit: Public Domain Researchers have reconstructed the genomes of two humans found in South Africa that lived about 10,000 years ago, providing a better understanding of the conditions in which people in the region lived, the study authors announced Sunday. Victoria Gibbon, professor of biological anthropology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), said the genetic sequence…
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Biology
Genetic tracing at South China Seafood Market further supports animal origin of COVID-19
Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new international collaborative study has published a list of wild animal species available in markets where SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, likely emerged in late 2019. The study is based on a new analysis of metatranscriptomics data published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data came from…
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