Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Earth systems could be “tipped” into unstable states if warming overshoots the 1.5°C target, but impacts could be minimized if warming is swiftly reversed. The Paris Agreement target to keep global warming below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels was set to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Studies have shown that … Read more
After more than two decades, a giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) has been rediscovered and photographed in Niokolo-Koba National Park. Credit: Panthera NGO–Senegal National Parks, Author provided In March 2023, temperatures in eastern Senegal soared to 40°C, with the cooling rains still months away. Yet, for the dedicated field team from the NGO Panthera—committed to global … Read more
The ancient crocodile was mummified, probably as an offering to Sobek. Credit: Lidija McKnight, Author provided What do you think of when you think about ancient Egyptian mummies? Perhaps your mind takes you back to a school trip to the museum, when you came face to face with a mummified person inside a glass case. … Read more
AI impression of a warp bubble collapse. Credit: Katy Clough with AI tool pixlr.com This week, researchers reported on the implications of a warp drive containment breach in case you’re interested in theoretical space-borne disasters. Scientists in the U.K. report the cardiovascular benefits of COVID-19 vaccination in an extremely thorough analysis of basically the entire … Read more
Both surfer and scientist, author Ana Manero volunteers for Surfing Mums. Credit: Ana Manero Ever since Polynesian pioneers took to the ocean on wooden rafts, people have been hooked on riding waves. Today, surfing is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and one of the latest additions to the Olympic games. Surfing is especially valuable … Read more
Seana Walsh from the National Botanical Garden in Kauaʻi collects leaf litter at Kokeʻe State Park in Kauaʻi. Credit: Nina Ronsted U.S. Forest Service researchers and partners published new findings on how leaf-eating insects affect forest ecosystems worldwide. “The findings of this study provide an improved understanding of the intricate relationship between herbivorous insects and … Read more
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a compound that is effective against common bacteria that can lead to rare, dangerous illnesses. This image shows untreated Streptococcus pyogenes bacterial culture full of healthy microbes, labeled green (left). After treatment by GmPcide, the dish is full of dead bacteria (red; right). … Read more
Credit: CC0 Public Domain A study published in Science Advances reveals that uncertainties are currently too large to accurately predict exact tipping times for critical Earth system components like the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), polar ice sheets, or tropical rainforests. These tipping events, which might unfold in response to human-caused global warming, are characterized … Read more
Super-resolution microscopy allows recovery of the fine details of the subcellular nano-cosmos—making the molecular world accessible to direct observation. Credit: University of Tennessee at Knoxville It’s about to get easier to catch and analyze a high-quality image of fast-moving molecules. Assistant Professor Ioannis Sgouralis, Department of Mathematics, and colleagues have developed an algorithm that adds … Read more
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New crime laws, police funding and similar efforts may have some effect on homicide rates in the United States—but the biggest impact will come from the actions of our political and economic elites. That’s the conclusion of historian Randolph Roth, author of the 2009 book American Homicide, in a new report … Read more
