Odd Creatures: Earth & Climate

August 20, 2016

Big Fish, and Their Urine: Key to Coral Reefs

Greenland Sharks Live for Hundreds of Years

Our Solar System: Eons in Supernova Remnants

Why the Rapid Decline in Male Dog Fertility?

Latest Headlines

updated 11:31am EDT

Luna Moth's Long Tail Could Confuse Bat Sonar Through Its Twist

Aug. 15, 2016 — A detailed look at how sound waves bounce off a flying moth’s body offers new clues for how its long, twisted tail might help it evade ... read more

Sewage Sludge Could Make Great Sustainable Fertilizer

Aug. 15, 2016 — Ever thought of putting sewage on your plants? Scientists say thermally conditioned sewage sludge serves as an excellent fertilizer to improve soil properties. The major advantage over commercial ... read more

'Chemtrails' Not Real, Say Atmospheric Science Experts

Aug. 12, 2016 — Well-understood physical and chemical processes can easily explain the alleged evidence of a secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program, commonly referred to as ... read more

1967 Solar Storm Nearly Took US to Brink of War

Aug. 9, 2016 — A solar storm that jammed radar and radio communications at the height of the Cold War could have led to a disastrous military conflict if not for the US Air Force's budding ... read more

Quick-Destructing Battery to Power 'Transient' Devices

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called 'transient electronics.' The battery project presented many ... read more

Newly Discovered 'Blue Whirl' Fire Tornado Burns Cleaner for Reduced Emissions

Aug. 5, 2016 — Researchers say their discovery of a type of fire tornado they call a 'blue whirl' could lead to beneficial new approaches ... read more

Smiling Baby Monkeys and the Roots of Laughter

Aug. 4, 2016 — When human and chimp infants are dozing, they sometimes show facial movements that resemble smiles. These facial expressions, called spontaneous smiles, are considered the ... read more

Lab-Reared Maggots May Save Darwin's Famous Finches

Aug. 4, 2016 — Researchers reveal how they used chicken blood to rear larvae of the fly Philornis downsi, an invasive species that parasitizes birds in the Galapagos Islands. The new method ... read more

Recycling Carbon Dioxide

Aug. 3, 2016 — Turning carbon dioxide into stored energy sounds like science fiction: researchers have long tried to find simple ways to convert this greenhouse gas into fuels and other ... read more

Restoring Prairie and Fighting Wildfire With (Drone Launched) Fire(balls)

Aug. 1, 2016 — One ecologist wants to change the way we think about prescribed burns. The professor says he can harness extreme fire to restore grasslands on the Great Plains -- and he has ... read more

Firenadoes Rage in California as Blaze Menaces 82,000

The Thai Village Using Cow Dung to Power Homes

Artist Turns Cow Dung Into Eco-Friendly Fashion

A Reindeer Might Have Caused Siberia's Sudden Anthrax Outbreak

Japanese Tadpoles Relax in Hot Springs

July 26, 2016 — Japanese tadpoles can live and grow in natural hots springs, or onsen, with water temperatures as high as 46.1oC (115oF). Living in onsen may benefit the tadpoles’ immune systems, speed their ... read more

We're Lucky Climate Change Didn't Happen Sooner

July 21, 2016 — There is some consolation in how the fossil fuel-induced climatic changes we increasingly experience through droughts and storm surges are playing out. It could have happened sooner, and therefore ... read more

Medieval Water Power Initiated Collapse of Salmon Stocks

July 20, 2016 — Salmon largely disappeared from our waters due to the construction of water mills, ecologists now conclude. The construction of water mills caused the destruction of the gravel beds in streams, ... read more

Ridiculously Cute Mouse Lemurs Hold Key to Madagascar's Past

July 18, 2016 — Scientists studied mouse lemur DNA to determine how Madagascar's landscape changed over time -- since the lemurs are forest-dependent, changes in their DNA show how Madagascar's forests ... read more

Real Reason Turtles Have Shells: Burrowing Tool

July 15, 2016 — Scientists have discovered the real reason turtles have shells. While many thought turtle shells were for protection, new findings show that the shells were actually for digging underground to escape ... read more

Cougars Could Save Lives by Lowering Vehicle Collisions With Deer

July 14, 2016 — A team of researchers has for the first time begun to quantify the economic and social impact of bringing back large carnivores. Using cougars and their value in reducing deer-vehicle collisions as a ... read more

If Life Can Make It Here, It Can Make It Anywhere

July 11, 2016 — If the origin of life is common on other worlds, the universe should be a cosmic zoo full of complex multicellular organisms. Scientists use the evolution of Earth life as a model to predict what ... read more

Lush Venus? Searing Earth? It Could Have Happened

July 5, 2016 — It may not have taken much in the early solar system to set Earth and Venus on very different paths, according to researchers. A new paper points the way toward what scientists should consider as ... read more

Ostrich Relative Lived in North America About 50 Million Years Ago

July 5, 2016 — The new species is named Calciavis grandei -- with "calci" meaning "hard/stone," and "avis" from the Latin for bird, and "grandei" in honor of famed ... read more

In Times of Great Famine, Microalgae Digest Themselves

June 30, 2016 — The molecular mechanisms which microalgae apply in order to switch from rapid cell division to growth-arrest during times of acute nutrient deficiency, researchers have ... read more

Humans Artificially Drive Evolution of New Species

June 28, 2016 — Species across the world are rapidly going extinct due to human activities, but humans are also causing rapid evolution and the emergence of new species. A new study summarizes the causes of ... read more

Whistling Wormholes Discovered in the Caribbean

June 27, 2016 — Scientists have discovered the Caribbean Sea works like a whistle. This finding will enable scientists to predict some sea level changes many months in advance, and may be an important factor in ... read more

Opal Discovered in Antarctic Meteorite

June 27, 2016 — Planetary scientists have discovered pieces of opal in a meteorite found in Antarctica, a result that demonstrates that meteorites delivered water ice to asteroids early in the history of the solar ... read more

Giant Blobs of Rock, Deep Inside the Earth, Hold Important Clues About Our Planet

June 24, 2016 — Two massive blob-like structures lie deep within the Earth, roughly on opposite sides of the planet. The two structures, each the size of a continent and 100 times taller than Mount Everest, sit on ... read more

The World's Oldest Farmers Were Insects

June 22, 2016 — An international team of researchers has discovered the oldest fossil evidence of agriculture, not by humans, but by ... read more

Wild Boars and Wart Hogs May Have an Internal Compass

June 22, 2016 — New research suggests for the first time that wild boars and wart hogs have an internal magnetic compass that helps them orient themselves as they forage for food and inhabit new ... read more

Caribbean Sea Acts Like a Whistle and Can Be 'Heard' from Space

June 21, 2016 — A study of the Caribbean Sea has revealed that, in the midst of all the noise of the ocean, this region behaves like a whistle, which blows so loudly that it can be 'heard' from space in ... read more

Understanding Rogue Ocean Waves May Be Simple After All

June 21, 2016 — An international team of scientists has developed a relatively simple mathematical explanation for the rogue ocean waves that can develop seemingly out of nowhere to sink ships and overwhelm oil ... read more

Rush Hour on Palmyra Atoll

June 15, 2016 — Halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa lies a group of small islands and inlets. Among them is Palmyra Atoll, an almost 5-square-mile ring of ... read more

Sea Snakes Have Extra Sense for Water Living

June 8, 2016 — The move from life on land to life in the sea has led to the evolution of a new sense for sea snakes, an Australian study ... read more

Tuesday, July 26, 2016