Dense snow fall and wind reduce visibility on January 5, 2025 in Shawnee, Kansas. Credit: DepositphotosA powerful winter storm struck the United States on Sunday, with meteorologists alerting millions in the East to blizzard conditions and forecasting the heaviest snowfall in a decade for some areas.Over 60 million people are in the path of...
An artist's impression of a planetary crust. (The University of Michigan/Midjourney)The movement of gold from deep within Earth's mantle to its surface relies heavily on sulfur bubbling beneath active volcanoes. This process, driven by intense geological activity, enables gold to bond with sulfur molecules, allowing it to ascend rather than remain trapped in the mantle.Recent...
NASA visualization of global temperature anomalies. (NASA Earth Observatory)The world has been steadily warming for decades, but a sudden, extraordinary surge in global heat has pushed the climate into uncharted territory, leaving scientists grappling for answers.Over the past two years, temperature records have been shattered repeatedly, defying even the most advanced climate models. While it’s...
Confocal laser scanning microscopy (merged image) of the photosynthetic surface of a microbial mat. (Smedile et al., Communications Earth & Environment, 2024)Beneath Antarctica's Lake Enigma, a hidden freshwater ecosystem has been sealed under 30 feet (9 meters) of ice for up to 14 million years. Led by Italian scientists, researchers used radar and advanced, contamination-free...
When the Swiss and Italian governments met to redraw their alpine border in response to retreating glaciers, it highlighted a growing challenge for nations relying on natural landmarks to demarcate territories.
Credit: DepositphotosGenCast, an AI-driven weather prediction tool, generates highly accurate 15-day forecasts within minutes, offering both convenience for daily planning and life-saving warnings for extreme weather events.Despite modern meteorology's progress, predicting weather accurately remains difficult due to the complexity of analyzing numerous data points, especially for extended timeframes.Developed by Google DeepMind, GenCast leverages four...
Credit: PixabayWhen the Swiss and Italian governments collaborated last year to redraw their shared alpine borders, the retreat of glaciers brought a growing global challenge into sharp focus: how to manage shifting borders defined by natural landmarks. This issue is expected to affect many nations as environmental changes continue to reshape the landscape.Fortunately, the...
Shake map of the earthquake. (Esri/DigitalGlobe/GeoEye/Earthstar Geographics/CNES/Airbus DS/USDA/USGS/AeroGRID/IGN/GIS User Community)7.0 Earthquake Hits California Coast, Spurring Aftershocks and Tsunami Warnings.A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near California’s coast at 10:44 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, with its epicenter located 62 miles west-southwest of Ferndale, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake triggered over 35 aftershocks...
Each "sentinel mollusk" used in a molluSCAN-eye setup provides water quality readings 24 hours a day, 365 days a yearmolluSCANScientists have developed a commercial water-quality monitoring system, molluSCAN-eye, which uses live, electronically enhanced mollusks to detect pollution. Filter-feeding mollusks like oysters and mussels naturally respond to pollutants by altering how they open their shells,...
Credit: DepositphotosIt’s well-known that enjoying a tasty fish fillet or a seafood platter provides essential nutrients like omega-3s and vitamin D. However, these meals often come with an unwelcome side: numerous micro- and nano-plastics.Plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters find their way into oceans through human waste, infiltrating the food chain. An Ifremer study...
