For the first time, researchers have detected a significant drop in atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, harmful gases that deplete the ozone layer and warm the planet. Almost 30 years after nations first decided to phase out these chemicals, which are widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration, scientists say global concentrations have peaked in 2021.… Read More »
A missing piece of Earth’s evolutionary timeline may have been found. Using computational modelling, a team of scientists explored how working backwards from modern biochemistry could help map how simple, non-living chemicals were present in early history. Soil It gave rise to complex molecules that gave rise to life as we know it. Researchers believe… Read More »
What’s in a name? Humans use unique names to address each other, but we are one of only a handful of animal species known to do so, including bottlenose dolphins. Finding more animals with names and studying how they use them could improve scientists’ understanding of both other animals and ourselves. As elephant researchers who… Read More »
The solar storms that produced the stunning auroras seen around the world on May 10 also gave Mars whiplash, sparking auroras over the Red Planet and doused the surface with harmful radiation. The main source of solar storms was an active region. AR3664It was a dense knot of magnetic flux on the sun, inhabited by… Read More »
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is quite the cosmic detective when it comes to hunting down the explosive deaths of massive stars in the early universe. This celestial Sherlock Holmes found evidence of 80 new early supernovae in a swath of the sky as wide as a grain of rice held at arm’s length.… Read More »
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — An extreme weather event known as Dzud has killed more than 7.1 million animals in Mongolia this year; This accounts for more than a tenth of all livestock in the country and jeopardizes the livelihoods and lifestyles of herders. Dzuds are a combination of long droughts and severe, snowy winters and… Read More »
Scientists believe Earth may have briefly lost its protection from the sun about two million years ago, left to endure the extreme environment of interstellar space, as the solar system passed through a dense cloud of gas and dust between stars. At that time, early human ancestors shared our planet with prehistoric animals such as… Read More »
The role of food in climate change has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our age. The journey of a steak, fruit or salad from the vast agricultural lands to the plates on our table leaves a significant footprint on the environment. At the heart of this challenge is the extraordinary use of… Read More »
The equatorial region of Mars is home to the solar system’s tallest volcanoes; These volcanoes, which in some cases extend up to three heights of Mount Everest, are also likely hiding an unexpected frost event, according to a new study. The largest – Olympus Mons – is 16 miles (26 kilometers) high and 374 miles… Read More »
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.com. How do they build things like tunnels and bridges underwater? –Helen, age 10, Somerville, Massachusetts When I was a kid, I discovered a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that posed… Read More »