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☆ Did dinosaur blood run hot or cold? Both, according to a new study
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Were dinosaurs warm-blooded like birds and mammals or cold-blooded like reptiles? Clues from dinosaur eggshells and bones have suggested that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not. These dinosaurs may have evolved endothermy, or the ability to internally generate body heat, according to the study. “Warm-blooded animals are generally more active, for example, cold-blooded animals usually don’t build nests,” said lead study author Dr. Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Royal Society Newton International Fellow at University College London’s department of Earth sciences. Her 2022 study suggested that ornithischians were more likely cold-blooded and sauropods were warm-blooded.

Persons: Big John, Sarah Meyssonnier, ornithischians, ”, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Brontosaurus, ” Chiarenza, “, Jasmina, ” Wiemann, Chiarenza, Anthony Fiorillo, ” Fiorillo, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Royal Society Newton International, University College London’s, Field, UCL, Universidade de, New, New Mexico Museum, Southern Methodist University Locations: Paris, Chicago, Spain, New Mexico, Dallas

☆ Ship sunk by Houthis threatens Red Sea environment, Yemen government and US military say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CARGO SHIP RUBYMAR, RED SEA -- MARCH 1, 2024: Maxar closeup view satellite imagery of the cargo ship Rubymar - just before sinking after being targeted by Houthi rebels last month. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control the north of Yemen and other large centres, say their campaign is a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The Rubymar went down in the southern Red Sea late on Friday or early on Saturday, according to statements from the Yemen government and CENTCOM. "An urgent plan should be adopted by countries of the Red Sea to establish monitoring agenda of the polluted areas in the Red Sea as well as adopt a cleanup strategy," he said. The ecosystem of the southern Red Sea features pristine coral reefs, coastal mangroves and diverse marine life.

Persons: Houthi, CENTCOM, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Ali Al, Al, Tony Wang Organizations: RED SEA, U.S . Central Command, U.S ., Marine, University of Jordan, Department of Earth, Environmental Sciences, Boston College, United Nations Locations: Iran, Yemen, Gaza, U.S, Belize, Africa, Red, United States, Britain, Suez, Aden, Saudi Arabia, United

☆ The world successfully tackled a dangerous pollutant. But did it accidentally warm the planet in the process?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

These ghost clouds look beautiful, but they are a visible sign of deadly air pollution. Of all of the theories, however, the impact of shipping regulations is swiftly becoming one of the most discussed. But this is not an argument against cutting air pollution, Diamond said, it’s an argument for tackling it alongside reducing carbon emissions. The cooling impact of air pollution is far outweighed by the heating impact of burning fossil fuels. It’s when air pollution is tackled without also reducing carbon emissions, that “we can get into trouble,” Diamond said.

Persons: ”, Michael Diamond, It’s, Olaf Morgenstern, ” Morgenstern, James Hansen, ” Hansen, ” Diamond, Piers Forster, Diamond, doesn’t, Jason Armond, Annica Ekman, it’s, ” Forster Organizations: CNN, International Maritime Organization, United Nations, Florida State University’s Department of, Atmospheric Science, National Institute of Water, Atmospheric Research, Atlantic, Leeds University, Shipping, Port, Los Angeles Times, Stockholm University Locations: New Zealand, El, Sahara, Tonga, Europe, North America, Asia, Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro , California, Sweden

☆ Apollo 17 samples reveal that the moon is 40 million years older than previously thought
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Lunar dust collected by Apollo 17 astronauts in the 1970s has revealed that the moon is 40 million years older than previously believed. After landing on the moon on December 11, 1972, NASA astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt collected rocks and dust from the lunar surface. A new analysis of that sample detected zircon crystals and dated them to 4.46 billion years old. “When the surface was molten like that, zircon crystals couldn’t form and survive. A lunar zircon grain is shown under a microscope.

Persons: Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, ”, Philipp Heck, Robert A, Heck, Bidong Zhang, Zhang, Audrey Bouvier, Jennika Greer, Greer, they’re, ” Heck, “, ” Greer, Dieter Isheim Organizations: CNN, Apollo, NASA, Polar Studies, Field, Research Center, University of Chicago, University of California, Bayreuth University, University of Glasgow, Northwestern University, Field Museum, Northwestern University Center, Atom Locations: Chicago, Los Angeles, Germany, Evanston , Illinois

☆ Why tornadoes are more destructive than ever in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Katie Koontz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

One hundred sixty-one people were killed in the Joplin tornado. The May 2011 Joplin tornado left behind almost $3 billion in damage, making it the costliest U.S. tornado on record. "Tornadoes are a big problem in the United States," said Anne Cope, chief engineer at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. Based on estimated wind speeds and damage, tornadoes can range on a scale from EF0 to EF5. "The reality is, is that all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, receive tornadoes."

Persons: Troy Bolander, Ann Leach, Ann, Troy, Anne Cope, Cope, Joplin, Leach, Victor Gensini, Gensini Organizations: Joplin, Insurance Institute for Business & Home, of Commerce, Resilience Victoria, Department of, Northern Illinois University Locations: Joplin , Missouri, Kansas, Joplin, Troy, United States, U.S, Plains, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Midwest, Mississippi, Memphis, Indianapolis, Nashville

☆ Fact Check-Sahara dust magnetism is not evidence of chemtrails
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The social media post for the clip, as well as another video posted to Twitter here, also claims that the dust’s magnetism is evidence of “chemtrails". However, experts say magnetism is typical of Saharan dust. Saharan dust’s characteristic red colour reflects the presence of small amounts of haematite, a weakly-magnetic mineral, she said. However, air pollution-derived metals are usually present in much lower quantities than the naturally-sourced metal-bearing dust particles, she said. Saharan dust contains naturally magnetic particles, including haematite, which gives the dust its characteristic red colour.

Persons: ”, Barbara Maher, Richard Harrison, Maher Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, Centre, Environmental Magnetism, Lancaster University, University of Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences, Aeolian Research Locations: United Kingdom, Europe

☆ Earth's deep blue oceans are fading and changing color — and scientists aren't sure why
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two decades of satellite images have revealed that more than 56% of the world's oceans have seen significant changes in color. Scientists fear these color changes could be harbingers of yet another global crisis in ocean food chains as the planet warms. Greener oceans mean more life — and that's not necessarily goodThe color of the oceans can tell us a lot about their health. The ocean's color depends on what's in the upper layer of the water column. In the latest study, scientists used imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite, which has been monitoring ocean color changes for more than two decades.

Persons: It's, it's, Cael, that's, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Dutkiewicz, I've, Michael J Behrenfeld Organizations: Service, Nature, National Oceanography Center, Guardian, MIT's Department of, Planetary Sciences, Center for Global Change Science, CNN, Oregon State University Locations: Southampton

ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI team/Handout via REUTERS File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Following quickly on the success of India's moon landing, the country's space agency launched a rocket on Saturday to study the sun in its first solar mission. The rocket left a trail of smoke and fire as scientists clapped, a live broadcast on the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) website showed. While Russia had a more powerful rocket, India's Chandrayaan-3 out-endured the Luna-25 to execute a textbook landing. Prime Minister Modi is pushing for India's space missions to play a larger role on a world stage dominated by the United States and China. Satellites in low earth orbit are the main focus of global private players, which makes the Aditya-L1 mission a very important project," he said.

Persons: clapped, Luna, Modi, Sankar Subramanian, Somak Raychaudhury, Rama Rao Nidamanuri, Nivedita, Jayshree, William Mallard Organizations: Solar Orbiter, ESA, NASA, Solar, Rights, Indian Space Research, Elon, SpaceX, Indian Institute of Space Science, Technology, ISRO, Thomson Locations: India, Russia, United States, China, Bengaluru

Climate change coverage has progressed leaps and bounds in recent years. Newsrooms have become far more cognizant about tying extreme weather events, like flash flooding and heat waves, to the larger trend. More alarmingly, perhaps, of the only eight segments that mentioned climate change during this particular window on television, all of them came from CNN and MSNBC. ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News did not tie the fires to climate change in any of the 35 segments that aired. “The best climate coverage pairs human stories with the stories in the data and science.

Persons: ”, Mark Hertsgaard, Hertsgaard isn’t, ” Hertsgaard, Michael Mann, Donald Trump, Max Boykoff, Boykoff, “, Peter Girard, ” Girard Organizations: CNN, Media, MSNBC, Media Matters, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Department of Earth, University of Pennsylvania, University of Colorado, Trump, Climate Locations: United States, Maui, University of Colorado Boulder

☆ Whale fossil may be the heaviest animal ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A colossal ancient whale discovered in Peru might be the heaviest animal on record, according to a new study. What’s more, Perucetus likely weighed two to three times more than the blue whale, which today weighs a maximum of 149.6 metric tons (330,000 pounds). Giovanni Bianucci“Discoveries of such extreme body forms are an opportunity to re-evaluate our understanding of animal evolution,” wrote J.G.M. “It seems that we are only dimly aware of how astonishing whale form and function can be,” they added. The lifestyle of a colossal whaleThe findings suggest that gigantism or peak body mass among cetaceans had been reached around 30 million years earlier than previously thought, according to the study.

Persons: Giovanni Bianucci, “, ” Bianucci, Perucetus, ”, ’, Bianucci, pacificus, Mystacodon selenesis, Mario Urbina Schmitt, Schmitt, Thewissen, David A, Waugh, weren’t, Ingalls, Brown, ” Thewissen Organizations: CNN, University of Pisa’s, sirenians, Peru “, National University of San, Ohio Medical University Locations: Peru, Italy, Ica, Peruvian, National University of San Marcos, Lima

☆ Humans have pumped so much groundwater from the Earth that it's actually caused the planet's axis to shift, a new study found
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Carla Delgado | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The reason is that we're moving all that water mass from under the continents to the oceans. How groundwater depletion affects Earth's rotational poleThe Earth's rotational pole normally changes and wanders by about several meters each year. To put it simply, groundwater depletion contributes to sea level rise because water is being transferred from the continents to the oceans. The recent study found that groundwater depletion caused a 6.24-millimeter rise in global sea level from 1993 to 2010. This is significant because each millimeter rise in sea level is said to make the shoreline retreat an average of 1.5 meters.

Persons: Weon Seo Organizations: Service, Northern, Research, Department of Earth Science, Seoul National University Locations: Northern Hemisphere

☆ Climate change is making our oceans change color, new research finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The color of the ocean has changed significantly over the last 20 years and human-caused climate change is likely responsible, according to a new study. They analyzed color variation data from 2002 to 2022 and then used climate change models to simulate what would happen to the oceans both with additional planet-heating pollution and without. The color changes matched almost exactly what Dutkiewicz predicted would happen if greenhouse gases were added to the atmosphere – that around 50% of our oceans would change color. Dutkiewicz, who has been running simulations that showed the oceans were going to change color for years, said she is not surprised at this finding. Dutkiewicz told CNN it was difficult to say whether color changes could become visible to humans if the process continues.

Persons: Artur Widak, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Dutkiewicz, ” Organizations: CNN, National Oceanography Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT’s Department of, Planetary Sciences, Center for Global, Aqua

☆ Humans pump so much groundwater that Earth’s axis has shifted, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Humans’ unquenchable thirst for groundwater has sucked so much liquid from subsurface reserves that it’s affecting Earth’s tilt, according to a new study. That shift is even observable on Earth’s surface, as it contributes to global sea level rise, researchers reported in the study published June 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Seo and his colleagues had questions about long-term changes to the axis — specifically, how groundwater contributed to that phenomenon. Revealing groundwater extraction’s impactShifts in Earth’s axis are measured indirectly through radio telescope observations of immobile objects in space — quasars — using them as fixed points of reference. The redistribution of groundwater tilted Earth’s rotational axis east by more than 31 inches (78.7 centimeters) in just under two decades, according to the models.

Persons: ”, Ki, Weon Seo, Surendra Adhikari, Adhikari, Seo, ” Adhikari, “, ” Seo Organizations: CNN, Research, Seoul National University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Locations: South Korea, North America, India

☆ Billion-year-old rocks reveal traces of ancient life
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

V. Diekamp/MARUM/University of BremenThe evidence of these ancient eukaryotes took the form of biological molecules that they produced. Advances in biochemical analyses have allowed scientists to identify ancient molecules preserved in the fossil record, particularly in old rocks that have been relatively undisturbed by geological processes. In the new Nature study, Nettersheim and his colleagues, including Brocks, a professor of geobiology at the Australian National University, examined rocks from Australia’s Barney Creek Formation. Previous studies established that the Barney Creek rocks, which are more than 1 billion years old, contain traces of ancient biomolecules. But “people never looked, really, for these primordial types of steroids in those kinds of rocks,” Nettersheim said.

Persons: Benjamin Nettersheim, ”, Nettersheim, “, Dr, ” Nettersheim, Jochen Brocks, Konrad Bloch, Bloch, Barney, Susannah Porter, Porter, Roger, ” “ Konrad Bloch, Brocks Organizations: CNN, MARUM Center, Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Australian National University, University of California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Locations: Australia, Nature, geobiology, Germany, MARUM, Santa Barbara

☆ Hazardous air quality leaves some workers gasping for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

William MedinaWhen wildfire smoke smothers US cities and communities, suddenly creating a hazardous air quality event, workers like Leichenger say they’re left gasping for help to keep doing their jobs. On Thursday, Teamsters Local 804 partnered with New York City Democratic Socialists of America to distribute donated KN95 masks to workers. That could include greater attention paid to improving indoor air quality as well as flexible work arrangements. Research is limited, however, as to how wildfire smoke ultimately affects job choices and to what extent people become disinclined to work in higher-exposure fields with greater exposure, he said. For now, workers like Leichenger remain on the front lines.

Persons: William Medina, Uber, Matt Leichenger, Leichenger, “, lightheaded, ” Leichenger, ”, ” Jim Mayer, ” Medina, Mark Borgschulte, “ There’s, Marshall Burke, Borgschulte, ” Borgschulte, “ It’s Organizations: Minneapolis CNN —, UPS, CNN, bodega, Teamsters, New York, New York City Democratic Socialists of America, Friday, Deliveristas, University of Illinois, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, University of Stanford’s Department of Earth System, Research Locations: Minneapolis, Queens , New York, Brooklyn, New York City, Medina, Queens, bodega, York, Canada, New York, Colorado, Texas, California, Oregon

☆ Testosterone surges preserved in 33,000-year-old mammoth tusk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In addition to cortisol, the mammoth tusk revealed annually recurring testosterone surges up to 10 times higher than baseline, according to the study. An African bull elephant tusk was used in the study to compare with mammoth tusks. Then we saw the same patterns in the mammoth — wow!”Both the elephant and male mammoth tusks contained evidence of musth-related testosterone surges. Meanwhile, the female mammoth tusk showed little variation and very low testosterone, as expected. Gleaning this type of information from mammoth tusks can reveal more insights into the lifetimes of the extinct creatures.

The tornado struck Pasadena, southeast of Houston, seriously damaging homes and other buildings and knocking out power to thousands in the city and its surrounding areas. More than a dozen other tornado sightings were reported as the storm moved across the Gulf Coast, although they have yet to be confirmed by the National Weather Service. The spate of reported tornadoes adds to changes that experts have been observing in recent years — specifically, that where and when tornadoes occur has begun to shift. Historically, tornadoes were most likely to strike within a column of the central U.S. that was nicknamed “Tornado Alley.” The area includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. In areas with tightly packed cities, lots of trees and less open space, for example, a tornado can cause more catastrophic damage.

☆ Fact Check-Statue of Liberty photos do not prove sea level rise is insignificant
▼ + stars: | 2021-11-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

However, sea level rise to date has already been shown to have contributed to catastrophic damage done by storms and flooding, and accelerating sea level rise projected over the next century is expected to worsen the problem. “No one is calling the sea level rise experienced so far catastrophic, but global sea level rise has accelerated since about 1970 and will continue to accelerate until global temperatures are stabilized. Sea level rise is computed using monthly or annual averages to avoid this confusion,” he said (here). The analyses forecast accelerating sea level rise in the region, with a possible rise of about 2 feet to as much as 9 feet by 2100. Two side-by-side images of the Statue of Liberty are not evidence of the degree of sea level rise, or that sea level rise to date has had no catastrophic impact.

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