Last week, two scientists announced evidence of a planet roughly the size of Neptune with a mass 10 times that of Earth‘s and a thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. The planet is so far away that its year would last 10,000 to 20,000 Earth-years. The planet has not actually been seen yet, though. Rather, two planetary scientists, Konstantin […]
The phrase “ice age” may bring to mind woolly mammoths, saber-toothed cats and perhaps Sid the sloth from the animated films. It certainly doesn’t suggest ideal conditions for us distinctly-not-woolly humans. New research suggests that the impact of humans on the planet is pushing back when the Earth might descend into its next ice age. While […]
Geologists are convinced that humans have left a mark upon the planet that will be detectable millions of years from now. Long after human civilization has perished, there could be a stratum of fossilized rock and a geological time zone that says: “We were here.” So there is a case for calling the present epoch “the […]
A study published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found large-scale evidence of intersex in smallmouth and largemouth bass in the Northeast U.S., an indicator of endocrine disruption. The study, published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, looks at 19 U.S. National Wildlife Refuges and is the first reconnaissance survey of […]
Recent social media posts by The Climate Reality Project are featuring the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) one-minute video animation that tracks the relative amount of ice of different ages from 1987 through early November 2014. According to NOAA, decades ago, the majority of the Arctic’s winter ice pack was made up of thick, perennial […]
Following the discovery in the UK of bacteria that resist the most common antibiotic of last resort, a leading British expert is warning it is “almost too late” to stop a global superbug crisis. News outlets reported Monday that UK government scientists have found a gene, known as mcr-1, that gives bacteria resistance to colistin, […]
In the wake of the COP 21 UN climate summit in Paris, a number of important questions still remain unanswered. Take for example the commitment reached by the 197 participating nations to limit warming below the “dangerous” level of 2C relative to pre-industrial time (neglecting for the time being the aspirational goal of a substantially […]
Rio de Janeiro’s newest attraction, Museu do Amanhã, or the Museum of Tomorrow, opened to the public Saturday. The $54 million museum focuses on the relationship between human activity and environmental health. Exhibits cover hot topics in science and technology, ranging from the cosmic origins of life on Earth to humanity’s role in climate change. Rio de Janeiro’s newest attraction, […]
Scientists may be about to resolve one of the trickiest—and least obvious—questions of climate change: its effect on the rotation of the planet and therefore on the length of the day. That doesn’t mean scientists have an answer, and if they get one, it is likely to be measured in units of time that are […]
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