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Earth
New research reveals deep-sea clues that solve the mysteries of the ice age 1 million years ago
Researchers analyzed sediment core samples collected by D/V JOIDES Resolution near Cape Town, South Africa. Their discoveries reveal details about changes in temperature and salinity in the deep ocean, as well as the history of mixing of water originating from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Credit: Sophie Hines, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution A study recently published in the journal…
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Biology
Ancient mud reveals 130,000 years of Australia’s fire history and future solutions to the current fire crisis
The Conversation by Michela Mariani, Anna Florin, Heidi Cudd, Matthew Adley and Simon Connor Flowchart describing the approach used in this study to quantify historical changes in fuels within the shrub layer (ladder fuels). Credit: Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adn8668 Intensified land management by Aboriginal people in southeastern Australia about 6,000 years ago cut forest shrub cover in half, according to…
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Space & Cosmos
Ion engines could take us to the Sun’s gravitational lens within 13 years, paper suggests
ion thruster. Credit: NASA Sending objects to other stars is still science fiction. But with some specific missions, you might be able to get at least halfway there. These “interstellar precursor missions” involve trips to the Sun’s gravitational lensing point, which is 550 astronomical units from the Sun. This is further away than any previous man-made object, including Voyager. Getting…
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Other Sciences
This year’s Nobel Prize reveals problems in colonialism and economics
According to this year’s winners, Europeans settled in the poorest and least populated places and introduced institutions that contributed to long-term prosperity. Credit: Johan Jarnestad / Nobel Prize Support Activities Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for their seminal work on how institutions shape economic development. Some might say…
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Biology
This beautiful peacock spider was only discovered two years ago, but it may just be doing its last dance.
Maratus tasmanicus. Credit: Shane Walker/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY If you notice that the small, strikingly colored spiders perform elaborate courtship dances, you may have just seen a peacock spider for the first time. New species of peacock spiders are discovered every year. There are currently 113 species. One of the newly discovered species, Maratus yanchep, is only known to occur…
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Environment
Heavy rains hit Brazil after years of drought, killing 8 people
Brazil has experienced its worst drought in recent months since records began, which experts say is linked to climate change. At least eight people have been killed in Brazil due to heavy rains, authorities said Saturday, as storms hit parts of the country following a severe drought that caused a record wave of wildfires. Since Friday, central and southeastern Brazil…
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Science
US finalizes rules to remove lead pipes within 10 years
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday finalized a rule requiring the nation’s remaining lead pipes to be removed within 10 years. This is a measure aimed at preventing millions of people from being exposed to toxic metals linked to childhood developmental delays. The policy is a cornerstone of the White House’s environmental justice efforts, as traditional…
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Environment
Limestone and iron reveal Western Australia’s mysterious extreme rains 100,000 years ago
The Conversation by Milo Barham, Andrei Schmutz, John Alan Webb, Kenneth McNamara, Martin Danisik, and Matej Riper Credit: CC0 Public Domain Almost one-sixth of the Earth’s surface is covered in otherworldly landscapes with an unfamiliar name: karst. These landscapes are like natural sculpture parks, with dramatic formations dotted with caves and rock towers slowly carved by water over thousands of…
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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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Earth
Earth’s biggest mass extinction event 250 million years ago shows what can happen when El Niño gets out of control
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain About 252 million years ago, the Earth suddenly warmed. Over a geologically short period of a few tens of thousands of years, 90% of species became extinct. Even insects, which are rarely affected by such events, suffered devastating losses. The Permian-Triassic mass extinction was the largest of the “Big Five” mass extinctions in Earth’s history. Scientists…
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