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☆ Scientists map long-lost arm of the Nile that flowed past 31 pyramids
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The inhospitable location has long puzzled archaeologists, some of whom had found evidence that the Nile River once flowed near these pyramids in some capacity, facilitating the landmarks’ construction starting 4,700 years ago. “This is the first study to provide the first map of the long-lost ancient branch of the Nile River.”Ghoneim and her colleagues refer to this extinct branch of the Nile river as Ahramat, which is Arabic for pyramids. Ancient Egyptians likely used the now-extinct Ahramat Branch to build many pyramids. Eman Ghoneim et alThe ancient waterway would have been about 0.5 kilometers wide (about one-third of a mile) with a depth of at least 25 meters (82 feet) — similar to the contemporary Nile, Ghoneim said. Most likely, a period of drought and desertification swept sand into the region, silting up the river, Ghoneim said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Ghoneim, ” Ghoneim, Nick Marriner, ” Marriner Organizations: CNN, University of North, University of North Carolina Wilmington’s, Branch, National Science Foundation, French National Centre for Scientific Research Locations: Giza, University of North Carolina, Ahramat, Egypt, Paris

☆ What’s on the far side of the moon? Here’s why scientists want to find out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The far side of the moon is very different from the near side,” said Li Chunlai, China National Space Administration deputy chief designer. The Yutu-2 lunar rover took an image of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on January 11, 2019. Far side mysteriesDespite years of orbital data and samples collected during six of the Apollo missions, scientists are still trying to answer key questions about the moon. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesChang’e-6 is just one mission heading to the moon’s far side as NASA has plans to send robotic missions there as well. Cracking the lunar codeOne of the most fundamental questions that scientists have tried to answer is how the moon formed.

Persons: Von, hasn’t, ”, Li Chunlai, David Trone, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson, “ We’re, Pink Floyd, Renu Malhotra, Louise Foucar, we’ve, Noah Petro, Artemis III, “, ” Petro, Artemis, Malhotra, Brett Denevi, ” Denevi, Hector Retamal, Denevi, Aitken, “ it’s, CNN’s Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN, China National Space Administration, NASA, Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research, Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Apollo, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Soviet Union, Johns Hopkins, Getty Locations: China, Tucson, AFP, Hainan Province

☆ How to make your home hurricane resistant, as scientists predict an 'extremely active' storm season
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

In this article Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTRyersonclark | E+ | Getty ImagesMaking your home hurricane resistant can be a significant financial undertaking. In 2024, the national average cost to upgrade an entire house with hurricane windows runs between $1,128 and $10,293, or $100 and $500 per window, including installation, according to This Old House. Hurricane resistance is about preventing 'pressurization'Hurricanes are different and unpredictable storms, said Jeff Ostrowski, a housing analyst at Bankrate. If installing new hurricane windows aren't in the budget, shutters are lower-cost options to protect windows and other openings, said Chapman-Henderson. Talk to your insurer about possible discounts Strengthening your home against disasters may help lower your insurance cost.

Persons: Phil Klotzbach, Jeff Ostrowski, Leslie Chapman, Henderson, Jennifer Languell, Chapman, Kin, Melissa Cohn, William Raveis, Bankrate's Ostrowski, Ostrowski, Loretta Worters, Worters, Languell Organizations: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hurricanes, National Oceanic, Fluid Dynamics, Climate, Energy Solutions, Swiss, Finance, Colorado State University, Department of Atmospheric, Federal Alliance, Safe, Safe Homes, Department of Energy, Trifecta, William Raveis Mortgage, Insurance, Institute, Homeowners Locations: windstorms, U.S, Florida, In Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, dsireusa.org

☆ Philippines Closes Schools as Heat Soars to ‘Danger’ Level
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Jason Gutierrez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Philippines closed all public schools on Monday and Tuesday because of dangerously high temperatures, moving classes online in a country where schools are typically shut because of tropical storms. Over the past week, average temperatures in many parts of the country topped 40 degrees Celsius, or 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Extreme heat is forecast this week to blanket almost the entire country, with the heat index in some regions rising to at least 42 degrees Celsius, or “danger” level, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. That designation is the second highest on the agency’s heat index scale. It advised people to avoid exposure to the sun or risk heat stroke, heat exhaustion and cramps.

Organizations: Philippine Atmospheric, Astronomical Services Administration, Department of Education, Sunday Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Manila

☆ NASA flyby reveals lava lake, ‘Steeple Mountain’ on Jupiter’s moon Io
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Close flybys of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons and the most volcanically active world in our solar system, have revealed a lava lake and a towering feature called “Steeple Mountain” on the moon’s alien surface. “We also got some great close-ups and other data on a 200-kilometer-long (127-mile-long) lava lake called Loki Patera. Juno detected the mountain with the help of the sun shining on Io’s surface, which created dramatic shadows that revealed a very sharp peak. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSAs an outdoors enthusiast, Bolton joked that Io’s Steeple Mountain should be one of the solar system’s skiing and snowboarding destinations. The mission team used Juno’s Microwave Radiometer instrument to create maps of Io’s surface, showing how incredibly smooth it is.

Persons: ”, Scott Bolton, “, Loki Patera, Gerald Eichstädt, Thomas Thomopoulos, ” Bolton, Bolton, Galileo Galilei, Hera Organizations: CNN, Southwest Research Institute, NASA, JPL, Caltech, Bolton, European Geophysical Union General Assembly, Juno, Science, “, Galileo Locations: Vienna, Chile

☆ Snowstorm across Plains and Midwest brings heavy snow and blizzard conditions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Robert Shackelford | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A powerful winter storm is pummeling parts of the Central Plains with blizzard conditions and is set to drop a blanket of snow from Colorado to Minnesota through Tuesday, threatening widespread power outages and treacherous road conditions. Blizzard warnings extend from northern Colorado and Kansas into parts of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota on Monday. Amy Forliti/APLast week, a storm dumped snow from the northern Plains to the Northeast. Many power lines were grounded across Maine after the storm blew through, according to Central Maine Power. The event increased the likilihood of seeing the Aurora Borealis in parts of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, Great Lakes and interior Northeast overnight Sunday.

Persons: Amy Forliti, King Salmon, CNN’s, Samantha Beech, Nic F, Anderson Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Dakotas, Central Maine Power, Geological Survey, Geophysical Institute of Alaska, Prediction Locations: Plains, Colorado, Minnesota, Midwest, Great Lakes, Colorado and Kansas, Minnesota , Nebraska, South Dakota, Upper Midwest, Nebraska, North Platte, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Como, St, Paul , Minnesota, Maine , New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Aurora, Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, Seattle, Chicago , Minneapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Portland, Alaska, Utqiaġvik, Kodiak, King

☆ Opinion: I’m a climate scientist. If you knew what I know, you’d be terrified too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Opinion Bill Mcguire | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Are you frightened by climate change? While those of us working in the climate science field know the true picture, and understand the implications for our world, most others do not. As a climate scientist, it is my duty to tell you about what is happening to our world, whether it engenders fear or not. Critically, the authors of the study observed that the reality of climate change has to be communicated without inducing a feeling of hopelessness — and this is the key. Climate change is no different.

Persons: Bill McGuire, Read, David Wallace, Wells, Sean Gallup, ” Organizations: University College London, CNN, University of Bath, American Psychological Association Locations: —, Disko, Greenland

☆ Bay of Mecklenburg:Stone Age megastructure found submerged in the Baltic Sea wasn’t formed by nature, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A megastructure found in the Baltic Sea may represent one of the oldest known hunting structures used in the Stone Age — and could change what’s known about how hunter-gatherers lived around 11,000 years ago. The stones, which connected several large boulders, were almost perfectly aligned, making it seem unlikely that nature had shaped the structure. The team determined that the wall was likely built by Stone Age communities to hunt reindeer more than 10,000 years ago. Hunting sites around the worldThe discovery marks the first Stone Age hunting structure in the Baltic Sea region. The Lake Huron wall’s construction and location, which includes a lakeshore to one side, is most similar to the Baltic Sea wall’s, the study authors said.

Persons: ”, Jacob Geersen, Marcel Bradtmöller, . Hoy, J . Auer, LAKD, Bradtmöller, hasn’t, Geersen, it’s, ” Geersen, Jens Schneider von Deimling Organizations: CNN, Kiel University, Office for Culture, Stone, National Academy of Sciences, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, University of Rostock, ”, Marine Geophysics Locations: Baltic, Germany, Mecklenburg, Rerik, Vorpommern, Europe, United States, Greenland, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lake Huron, Michigan, The, Huron

☆ 2024 is a big year for the sun. This Helio year, see a total eclipse, solar storms, and NASA almost landing on our star.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The sun has a big year in 2024, starting with a total solar eclipse across the US. NASA's Parker Solar Probe will fly closer to the sun than any spacecraft ever, almost landing on it. One of the main events this year will be a historically cool total solar eclipse crossing the US in April. AdvertisementIn a total solar eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun as seen from Earth, darkening the sky. For example, NASA is launching three rockets during the April total solar eclipse, loaded with instruments to study how the sudden darkness changes our upper atmosphere.

Persons: NASA's Parker, —, It's, Rodrigo Garrido, Rune Stoltz Bertinussen, Kelly Korreck, Connie Moore, NASA's, Nour Raouafi, Johns Hopkins, Steve Gribben, Raouafi, That's Organizations: Probe, Service, American Geophysical Union, Reuters, NASA, Parker Locations: San Francisco, Northern, Arizona, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Tromso, Norway

☆ NASA says the solar eclipse cutting from Texas to Maine in April 2024 will be way cooler than any before it. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

If this sounds familiar, it's because in 2017, a 70-mile-wide band of the US saw a total solar eclipse, while many other areas saw a partial eclipse. But the total eclipse coming in April will be even cooler, excited NASA scientists told reporters at an American Geophysical Union meeting. Over 30 million people will be able to see the total solar eclipseA young woman looks through special eyewear to a solar eclipse. A map showing where the moon's shadow will cross the US during the 2023 annular solar eclipse (in yellow on the left) and 2024 total solar eclipse (in purple on the right). Sertac Kayar/ReutersThis will probably be the most observed total solar eclipse in history.

Persons: —, Kelly Korreck, Korreck, Huang Shan, Nour, Albert Einstein's, Sertac Kayar, It's Organizations: Service, Business, American Geophysical Union, NASA, Getty, Johns Hopkins University, Reuters Locations: planetariums, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, Mexico, Canada, Dallas, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, Diyarbakir, Turkey

☆ The Himalayan mountains are growing — but Tibet could be splitting apart in the process
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

As the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly collide, the Himalayan mountains continue to rise. However a new study suggests the Indian plate may be peeling apart, causing a slab tear. AdvertisementAn eons-long collision that created the Himalayas, the world's tallest mountain range, may also be splitting Tibet apart into two pieces, new research suggests. The edge of the Eurasian plate crumpled upward as India pressed into it, thrusting the Himalayas into existence. But scientists haven't been sure where exactly the Indian plate was going.

Persons: —, Gongga, haven't, Stringer, van Hinsbergen, Utrecht University geodynamicist, Simon Klemperer, it's Organizations: Service, China News Service, Reuters, American Geophysical Union, Utrecht University, Stanford University, Science Locations: Tibet, India, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, Utrecht

☆ ‘Magic islands’ mystery on Saturn’s moon Titan may be solved
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The disappearing “magic islands” on Saturn’s largest moon Titan have intrigued scientists since NASA’s Cassini mission spotted them during flybys a decade ago. Titan, larger than both our moon and the planet Mercury, is the only moon in our solar system with a thick atmosphere. The sea is 50% larger than Lake Superior and is made up of liquid methane, ethane and nitrogen. An artist's illustration shows a lake at the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan, including raised rims spied by Cassini. Liquid methane slowly seeps into the frozen clumps, eventually causing them to disappear from view.

Persons: NASA’s, Cassini, Xinting Yu, ”, Yu, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Virginia Pasek, ” Yu, “ Organizations: CNN, NASA, Titan, JPL, Caltech, University of Texas, Research, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Ligeia Mare, Superior, San Antonio, Virginia

☆ The 'solar wind,' which the sun is constantly blasting over the planets, suddenly disappeared and created a void around Mars
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Solar wind washes over the planets, but it briefly disappeared at Mars due to an event on the sun. Normally in our solar system, the sun is constantly spewing out a stream of charged particles and magnetic fields, called the solar wind. In December 2022, though, the solar wind suddenly disappeared around Mars, and the planet's atmosphere swelled by thousands of kilometers, as a result. An eruption on the sun swept away the solar windScientists determined that the sun had emitted a burst of high-speed solar wind, which swept away a region of the regular solar wind, leaving a void in its wake. To figure out if that's what happened, it helps to study the opposite extreme, when the solar wind vanishes.

Persons: Mars, Shannon Curry, MAVEN, Lacey Young, Curry, Owen Humphreys, NASA's MAVEN Organizations: MAVEN, Service, NASA, JPL, American Geophysical Union, Lacey Young NASA, Science, Space Station Locations: Mars, San Francisco

☆ Modern US earthquakes could be century-old aftershocks, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Allison Chinchar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Earthquakes vs. aftershocksThe modern seismic activity the researchers studied is likely a mixture of aftershocks from the big quakes from the 1800s and background seismicity, Chen said. “Are small earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone aftershocks of 1811-1812 or not?” Hough said in an email. “The new study considers the question from a different angle, considering how tightly clustered earthquakes are, and concluding that some of the events are ongoing aftershocks,” Hough said. Aftershocks might still be continuing, but once the normal seismic rate for the area returns, she said, you can no longer identify them as aftershocks. “For this reason, we seismologists sometimes disagree about which earthquakes are foreshocks or aftershocks,” Ebel said, “and I think those disagreements are inherently unresolvable.”

Persons: —, ”, Yuxuan Chen, geoscientist, Chen, “, Susan Hough, Hough, ” Hough, “ We’ve, . Fuller, Morgan Page, John Ebel, Ebel, John Karl Hillers, ” Ebel Organizations: CNN, Missouri -, of Geophysical Research, Wuhan University, Earthquakes, US Geological Survey, Survey, . Geological, USGS Earthquake Science, Boston College, . Geological Survey, San Locations: States, Missouri, Missouri - Kentucky, Charleston , South Carolina, Madrid, Memphis, Mississippi, Charleston, North America, China, New Madrid, Chickasaw, Reelfoot Lake , Tennessee, Boston, California, Eastern North America, Southern California, Northern California, San Andreas, Central

☆ Alaskan landslide rescuers bring in heavy machinery as hunt for missing enters ‘reactive’ phase
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Taylor Romine | Susannah Cullinane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The search for three people missing after a landslide covered an Alaskan highway on Monday is moving “from an active search to a reactive search,” Alaskan authorities said. Rescuers have so far found the remains of three people who died after the landslide hit the Zimovia Highway, near Wrangell, around 9 p.m. Monday evening. Authorities may restart the active search if new evidence shows the missing people might be in a specific area, they said. Authorities plan to release the names of those who died and the missing people on Friday, the department said in its Thursday release. Mike Dunleavy has issued a disaster declaration in Wrangell due to the effects of the landslide, his office posted on social media.

Persons: Willis Walunga, “, Andy Park, Barrett Salisbury, Mike Dunleavy Organizations: CNN, K9, Alaska Department of Public Safety, of Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Alaska State Troopers, Authorities, Alaska’s Department of Transportation, National Weather Service, Alaska Division, Geological, Geophysical Surveys, Alaska Gov Locations: Wrangell, State, Alaska, ”, Juneau

☆ Iceland volcano: What’s going on and what are the risks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

So, what do we know about this potential eruption, what are its risks, how could it affect travel and why is Iceland, an island of just 103,000 square kilometers (40,000 square miles), home to so much seismic activity? “If it erupts undersea, it could cause a Surtseyan eruption similar to the one that happened in 1963, also in Iceland, and created the island of Surtsey. Iceland is accustomed to volcanic eruptions, though they often occur in the wilderness, away from populated areas. The Bárðarbunga volcanic system situated in the center of the country erupted in 2014, producing lava that covered 84 square kilometers (32 square miles) of highland that didn’t damage any communities. It also didn’t threaten populated areas and even become a tourist attraction as people flocked to witness a volcanic eruption.

Persons: Ragnar Visage, ” Michele Paulatto, Bill McGuire, “, ”, Dave McGarvie, –, ” Paulatto, “ Eyjafjallajökull, Lionel Wilson, Micah Garen Organizations: CNN, Iceland, Iceland’s Met, Civil Protection Agency, Imperial College London, Geophysical, University College London, University of Lancaster, Authorities, Planetary Sciences, Lancaster University, Police, North Locations: Grindavík, Iceland, Vestmannaeyjar, Surtsey, ”, Iceland’s, Reykjavík, Reykjavik, Keflavík, North America, Eurasia

☆ Relics of Huge Primordial Collision Reside in Earth's Deep Interior
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Will DunhamWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seismologists have recognized since the 1970s that two mysterious continent-sized blobs reside in the deepest part of Earth's mantle, one under Africa and the other under the South Pacific region. Based on these simulations, they proposed that most of Theia was absorbed into Earth, forming the blobs, while residual debris formed the moon. If the study's conclusions are correct, these blobs would represent the first direct evidence of the hypothesized moon-forming collision. "It is incredible because we can uncover relics of another planet - Theia - if we dig deep enough in Earth's mantle," added planetary scientist and study co-author Hongping Deng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. Asimow said that if their conclusions are correct some volcanic rocks that reach Earth's surface may provide samples of a vanished planet.

Persons: Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Qian Yuan, Paul Asimow, Hongping Deng, Yuan, Asimow, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Caltech, Chinese Academy of Sciences Locations: Africa, South Pacific, Theia, Shanghai

☆ Relics of huge primordial collision reside in Earth's deep interior
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/NASA/Handout/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Seismologists have recognized since the 1970s that two mysterious continent-sized blobs reside in the deepest part of Earth's mantle, one under Africa and the other under the South Pacific region. Based on these simulations, they proposed that most of Theia was absorbed into Earth, forming the blobs, while residual debris formed the moon. If the study's conclusions are correct, these blobs would represent the first direct evidence of the hypothesized moon-forming collision. "It is incredible because we can uncover relics of another planet - Theia - if we dig deep enough in Earth's mantle," added planetary scientist and study co-author Hongping Deng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. Asimow said that if their conclusions are correct some volcanic rocks that reach Earth's surface may provide samples of a vanished planet.

Persons: Qian Yuan, Paul Asimow, Hongping Deng, Yuan, Asimow, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NASA, REUTERS, Rights, Caltech, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: Africa, South Pacific, Theia, Shanghai

POZZUOLI, Italy, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The talk in shops and coffee bars in Pozzuoli, a port town outside Naples, is not about soccer or politics, but of the fear that has gripped residents since a supervolcano sparked a swarm of earthquakes. Sulphurous fumes escape from the surface, giving the area a surreal look and making it a magnet for tourists. "Even those small ones (quakes) make us afraid," she said. There are big ones and small ones. Prezzini, 78, said he would defy any evacuation order, while 66-year-old Luigi Ilardi, chimed in: "We are used to it.

Persons: Stefania Briganti, Ciro De, Sophia Loren, Vincenzo Russo, Angelo Prezzini, Luigi Ilardi, I've, Ciro De Luca, Philip Pullella, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: POZZUOLI, Italy, Pozzuoli, Naples, Milan, Castel, Rome

That has allowed forests to become four to seven times more densely wooded than they once were, Safford said. Fire scientists advocate more deliberate burning at low-to-moderate severity to clear vegetation that makes forests susceptible to big fires. Susan Britting, executive director of one of the groups, Sierra Forest Legacy, acknowledged any cutting triggers skepticism because loggers historically took the largest, most marketable trees. But she said thinning trees up to a certain diameter is acceptable, though she prefers prescribed burning. Homeowners are anxious prescribed fires will jump perimeters and destroy houses.

Persons: ” Hugh Safford, Davis, John Muir, What’s, Safford, “ We're, ”, Brandon Collins, Chad Hanson, there's, Hanson, Christy Brigham, ” John Muir, Jeffrey, “ John Muir, ” Safford, gesturing, “, it's, Weeks, Susan Britting, ” Britting, John Muir Project's Hanson, Safford —, that's, what’s Organizations: University of California, Eldorado National, Sierra, U.S ., American Geophysical Union, John Muir Project, Earth Island Institute, Sequoia, National Parks, National Park Service, U.S . Forest Service, Service, Forest Service, Infrastructure Law, Sierra Forest Locations: Calif, Lake, Eldorado, Sierra Nevada, U.S, California, . California, Yosemite, Sequoia, Canyon, —, Berkeley, Lake Tahoe, Safford, New, Sierra

☆ Scientists discover an ancient landscape in an area on Earth ‘less well known than the surface of Mars’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An ancient landscape hidden under the East Antarctic ice sheet for at least 14 million years has been revealed with the help of satellite data and planes equipped with ice-penetrating radar. Scientists used the remote sensing techniques to map 32,000 square kilometers (12,300 square miles) of land — an area around the same size as Belgium. “The land underneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is less well known than the surface of Mars,” Jamieson said in a statement. The ancient landscape was discovered beneath the ice inland from Denman Glacier in East Antarctica pictured here. The East Antarctic ice sheet first formed around 34 million years ago, but it would have subsequently fluctuated in size, sometimes revealing the land beneath.

Persons: Stewart Jamieson, ” Jamieson, Jamieson, We’re Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Durham, NASA Locations: Belgium, North Wales, Denman, East Antarctica

☆ Skeletons unearthed in ‘incredibly rare’ 5,000-year-old Scottish tomb
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The ruins of an “incredibly rare” 5,000-year-old tomb have been uncovered on one of the Scottish Orkney Islands, National Museums Scotland said in a statement on Tuesday. “In the Neolithic, it would have been an incredibly impressive 15 meter diameter, enormous mound, very substantial stonework, very impressive architecture. Those cells are real feats of engineering,” Hugo Anderson-Whymark, one of the excavation’s co-directors and senior curator of prehistory (Neolithic) at National Museums Scotland, told CNN. National Museums ScotlandOnly 12 other similar tombs are known to exist in Orkney, referred to as Maes Howe-type passage graves. There’s nothing on the surface to suggest this tomb ever existed there but it would have once been an incredible monument.

Persons: ” Hugo Anderson, Whymark, Vicki Cummings, Maes Howe, James Walls Cursiter, ” Anderson, “, they’ve, ” Organizations: CNN, National Museums Scotland, Cardiff University, Museums Scotland Locations: Scottish Orkney Islands, Holm , East Mainland, Orkney, Britain

☆ 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

☆ Scientists surprised by source of largest quake detected on Mars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We concluded that the largest marsquake seen by InSight was tectonic, not an impact. "Most of the marsquakes we've detected thus far have been associated with a region called Cerberus Fossae, located eastward of InSight. The energy it released surpassed the cumulative energy from all the other marsquakes InSight recorded. With future human missions to Mars in mind, a greater understanding of Martian seismic activity is pertinent. Charalambous said the location of the majority of the marsquakes detected by InSight remained uncertain, with a poor understanding of the mechanisms that triggered them.

Persons: Ben Fernando, Constantinos Charalambous, Fernando, Charalambous, Will Dunham, Daniel Wallis Organizations: NASA Hubble, NASA, Handout, Reuters, Rights, University of Oxford, Research, Imperial College London, United Arab, Thomson Locations: England, InSight's, U.S, United Arab Emirates

☆ 'A deaf whale is a dead whale': Activists fight huge Australian fossil fuel project
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the noise can reach 250 decibels, around a million times “more intense” than the loudest whale sounds. “So, a deaf whale is a dead whale.”Environmental campaigners say Australia should be making greater efforts to reduce its emissions, not build new fossil fuel projects. Campaigners say the projected emissions made a mockery of Australia’s stated commitment to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. “Scarborough is a part of the Burrup Hub, and that is Australia’s largest fossil fuel project. If it goes ahead we’re looking at emissions equivalent to 12 years of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Greenpeace’s Richard George.

Persons: Woodside’s, “, Raelene Cooper, Cooper, ”, Richard George, Alex Westover, Scott Morrison, Anthony Albanese’s, it’s, Woodside, ” Woodside, Wendy Mitchell, ” Cooper, “ Woodside, Australia’s, Greenpeace’s Richard George Organizations: Sydney CNN —, Woodside Energy, Federal, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Energy, CNN, Greenpeace, Whales, ” Locations: Australia, Woodside, “ Scarborough, ”, Scarborough, Western Australia, Asia

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