While scientists have known that pollutants from human activities like agriculture, plastic production and coastal development threaten corals, a new study is the first to find pollutants tied to burning fossil fuels embedded in corals. Researchers from the Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal collected samples from the coral species Cladocora caespitosa of […]
Ocean currents are Earth’s climate regulators, distributing solar radiation and preventing regional temperatures from being more extreme. A new study has found that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) — an important climate-regulating system of ocean currents — is headed toward a tipping point, though scientists aren’t sure how soon it will occur. “The Atlantic […]
News of plastic-eating enzymes and insects has been making headlines in recent years. Take, for example, fungi that digests plastic in coastal salt marshes, or the greater wax moth caterpillar that can live on polyethylene in its larval stage. However, to utilize these plastic-eating organisms, scientists would need to be able to breed them in […]
Climate scientist Michael Mann was awarded more than $1 million on Thursday in a defamation lawsuit against two conservative bloggers — Mark Steyn, a National Review contributor, and Rand Simberg, a former adjunct scholar — over comments about his work. The case goes back 12 years, during a time when global warming’s existence was hotly […]
A new study has revealed that the chemicals in air pollution may be disrupting plant reproduction, as the pollutants mask the scent of flowering plants and make them more difficult for pollinators to find. The study, published in the journal Science, showed how nitrate radicals (NO3), which can form from combustion in gas-fueled vehicles and […]
For the first time on record, the average global temperature has exceeded 1.5 degree Celsius over a 12-month period, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Last month was also the hottest January worldwide since C3S records began in 1950, with an average air surface temperature that was 0.70 degrees Celsius […]
The estimated number of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico for winter has reached its second-lowest level ever for the 2023 to 2024 overwintering season. The estimate, based on the size of the butterflies’ hibernating forest area, has dropped by about 59% from the previous year, according to officials. Experts are pointing to extensive heat and […]
A large-scale study in the United States has found that one out of 10 premature births is linked with pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates — chemicals commonly found in consumer plastic goods. Frequently used to soften plastic, phthalates are found in items from plastic wrapping and containers to toys and personal care products, reported AFP. […]
For the first time, India has completed a survey of snow leopards, finding an estimated 718 cats living in the country. Snow leopards live in a harsh environment, high in the Himalayas. That has long made it difficult for scientists to study these animals, let alone complete a thorough survey. The first-ever Snow Leopard Population […]