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☆ Everest grew taller faster after Himalayan river ‘piracy,’ scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This process, known as river piracy, set in motion a chain of geological events that reshaped the landscape, scientists reported Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience. While some instances of river capture and landscape remodeling began millions of years ago, others are happening today, she added. Evidence of one ancient example still exists around the edges of the Himalayas, where long-ago river capture eroded deep gorges. Han’s simulations suggested that river capture would have dramatically increased the flow of water in the Kosi’s lower segments. Compared with river piracy, erosion and uplift unspool over a much longer time span — and are still happening with Everest, Lhotse and Makalu.

Persons: Everest, ”, Jin, Dai, ” Dai, Devon A, Orme, ” Orme, Nanga Parbat, Xu Han, “ There’s, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Nature, China University of Geosciences, Colorado, Montana State University, of Earth Sciences, Resources, Slims, Scientific Locations: Arun, Beijing, Antarctica, Himalayas, Tibet, Nepal, Orme, Everest, Canada’s Yukon

☆ Mega El Niño events may have caused planet’s greatest mass extinction
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The El Niño of 252 million years ago would have originated in the Panthalassic Ocean, a body of water much larger than today’s Pacific that could hold more heat, which in turn would have strengthened and sustained El Niño effects. The planet had experienced similar episodes earlier but they hadn’t triggered a mass extinction. A prolonged and intense El Niño also explained why extinctions had begun on land before they occurred in the ocean, the study said. This data showed how temperature rose at different latitudes as the mass extinction unfolded. El Niño events today are known to cause coral bleaching and mass mortality of fish, the study noted, but the ecological impact and future trajectory of El Niño events in a warming climate are unknown.

Persons: ”, Paul Wignall, David Bond, Paul Wignall El, Alex Farnsworth, El, ” Wignall, Niño, “, Yadong Sun, Niños, Wignall, Farnsworth, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Chiarenza, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Leeds, El, University of Hull, UK’s University of Bristol, China University of Geosciences, University of Bristol, Royal Society Newton International, University College London’s, supervolcanoes Locations: what’s, Russia, United Kingdom, Ellesmere, El, Pacific, Wuhan

☆ Ancient trilobite anatomy preserved in 3D by volcanic eruption, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Greg Edgecombe“It’s just incredible to have this in 3D without any alteration or deformation,” lead study author Dr. Abderrazak El Albani told CNN. The findings also underscore the urgency of protecting fossil-rich locations in Africa such as the Tatelt Formation, El Albani added. Such protections help to ensure that buried remnants of Earth’s distant past remain accessible for future study, El Albani said. Microtomographic reconstruction shows the newfound trilobite species Gigoutella mauretanica found in the Tatelt Formation in the High Atlas mountains. This example of commensalism — different types of animals living together — is also exceedingly rare in the trilobite fossil record, El Albani said.

Persons: Greg Edgecombe, Greg Edgecombe “, Abderrazak El Albani, Arnaud Mazurier, Matériaux de, El Albani, mauretanica, Melanie Hopkins, ”, Hopkins, “, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Chimie, Matériaux de Poitiers, University of Poitiers, geoscience, UNESCO, Heritage, University, Poitiers, American Museum of, Scientific Locations: what’s, Morocco, Vesuvius, London, France, Africa, Burgess, Canada, New York City, Morocco —

☆ Earth’s inner core has slowed so much it’s moving backward, scientists confirm. Here’s what it could mean
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Comparing the timing of seismic signals as they touched the core revealed changes in core rotation over time, confirming the 70-year rotation cycle. But the depth and inaccessibility of the inner core mean that uncertainties remain, she added. The mysterious region where the liquid outer core envelops the solid inner core is especially interesting, Vidale added. “We might have volcanoes on the inner core boundary, for example, where solid and fluid are meeting and moving,” he said. Because the spinning of the inner core affects movement in the outer core, inner core rotation is thought to help power Earth’s magnetic field, though more research is required to unravel its precise role.

Persons: seismologist Inge Lehmann, —, ”, Lauren Waszek, “, ” Waszek, John Vidale, “ We’ve, ” Vidale, we’ve, what’s, Vidale, Seismologists, Lehmann, Waszek, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, James Cook University, Earth Sciences, University of Southern California’s Dornsife, of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Geological Survey, Scientific Locations: Australia, New Zealand, South Sandwich, South

☆ Earth's inner core reversed direction and is slowing down, and scientists don't know why
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Below your feet, about 3,400 miles down, is Earth's inner core. The data implies that in 2010, the inner core reversed its rotational direction compared to the Earth's surface — a phenomenon called backtracking. Now, the inner core is rotating more slowly than before the shift. Related storiesBut a recent study offers a new way of looking at the data that could help settle the debate. Proving the inner core is backtrackingJohn Vidale is part of the new research that offers more evidence to the notion that the inner core is backtracking.

Persons: aren't, It's, John Vidale, Stephen Gee, Vidale Organizations: Service, Business, University of Southern, USC Locations: University of Southern California, South Sandwich Islands

☆ Iceland’s volcanic activity may continue for decades, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —After 800 years of calm, volcanoes have awakened in the Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland — about 56 kilometers (35 miles) south of the nation’s capital, Reykjavik. While there is no risk of a global calamity happening, researchers are now warning that new scientific evidence suggests the eruptions originating from the Reykjanes Peninsula could continue for years or even decades. But people staying there, with the possibility of a very rapid onset of volcanic activity, I don’t think that’s recommended. “The Reykjanes peninsula is exactly on this plate boundary,” he added, “and it seems that we are now witnessing the earliest part of a major eruption episode. Icelandic geoscientists and international collaborators are tracking the frequency and intensity of seismic activity and ground deformation in real time.

Persons: that’s, ”, Valentin Troll, John Moore, Hugh Tuffen, “, Emin Yogurtcuoglu, volcanologist Einat Lev, Lamont, Lev, Jessica Johnson, ” Johnson, Tuffen Organizations: CNN, Iceland —, Uppsala University, Terra Nova, Lancaster University, Keflavík, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Columbia University, University of East Locations: Reykjanes, Iceland, Reykjavik, Grindavík, Sweden, volcanology, United Kingdom, Iceland Iceland, Kentucky, Fagradalsfjall, New York, University of East Anglia

☆ Flipping a famous fossil around reveals our earliest vertebrate ancestor, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Scientists recently identified the animal’s nerve cord by using a topsy-turvy twist. In 2012, after decades of studying Pikaia fossils, researchers described its fossilized internal structures in great detail. However, recent analysis of Pikaia fossils by another team of scientists, published June 11 in the journal Current Biology, has upended this view and all other earlier studies about Pikaia. The presumed blood vessel was a nerve cord, a feature associated with the animal group known as chordates, in the phylum Chordata. While there are no living analogues for Pikaia, the fossil arthropod data gave the scientists a more detailed frame of reference for Pikaia’s nerve cord.

Persons: Charles Doolittle Wolcott, Giovanni Mussini, Pikaia, ”, Jon Mallatt, Mallatt, “ Pikaia’s, Jakob Vinther, Mussini, ” Mussini, we’ve, ” Mallatt, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Smithsonian National Museum of, Royal Ontario Museum, University of Idaho, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, Scientific Locations: Burgess, British Columbia, macroevolution, United Kingdom, mudskippers, chordates

☆ 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

☆ A critical climate goal may be ‘deader than a doornail,’ and scientists are bitterly divided over it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Anybody who understands the physics knows that.”Hansen’s words have heft — he is widely credited as the first scientist to publicly sound the alarm on climate change in the 1980s. Climate change is fueling storms in both the summer and winter. The year came within a whisker of breaching 1.5 degrees, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. “For all practical purposes we are only going to be looking at 1.5 degrees in the rearview mirror,” he said. Why 1.5 mattersFew scientists will dispute that the world faces a daunting path to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.

Persons: James Hansen, Lauren Owens Lambert, I’ve, Jim, ”, Michael Mann, Hansen, Friederike Otto, “, it’s, Niño, Hurricane Idalia, Joe Raedle, ” Otto, –, Storm Daniel, Karim Sahib, Bill McGuire, ” McGuire, Chris Smith, El Niño, Mann, Samantha Burgess, Copernicus, Otto said, ’ ” Smith, “ we’ve, McGuire, Otto Organizations: CNN, Getty, University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, “, United, Hurricane, University College London, University of Leeds Locations: Hampton , New Hampshire, AFP, United States, Europe, Tarpon Springs , Florida, Paris, Libya's, Derna, kilter

☆ Iceland scientists want to drill a hole straight into a reservoir of molten magma about a mile underground. It could generate limitless energy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Scientists in Iceland want to drill straight into an underground magma chamber. AdvertisementScientists in Iceland want to drill a hole into a magma chamber about a mile underground in an attempt to generate limitless energy. KMTIngólfsson expects one well on a magma chamber could be as productive as 10 other wells elsewhere. I'm not sure how much more efficient systems would be if drilled into a magma chamber," he said. AdvertisementA short time to get a lot of moneyKMT hopes to break ground on the first hole into the magma chamber in 2026.

Persons: —, Ingólfsson, Mika Mika, Paolo Papale, Jon Gluyas, Iceland Layne Kennedy, Gluyas, Hafsteinn Karlsson, it's Organizations: Service, Scientists, Italy's National, of Geophysics, Volcanology, New, KMT, Durham University, Global Geothermal Energy Advancement Association, KMT Ingólfsson, Gluyas Locations: Iceland, Namafjall, Pisa, Northern Iceland, Landmannalaugar, Krafla, Mexico, Kenya, Ethiopia, Italy

☆ Scientists identify new dinosaur species from footprints in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Brazil's geological service on Thursday announced a new species of dinosaur, a speedy animal that lived in the desert during the early Cretaceous period. "From the large distance between the footprints found, it is possible to deduce that it was a very fast reptile that ran across the ancient dunes," the geological service said in a statement. The fossilized dinosaur "trackways," as scientists call them, were first found in the 1980s by Italian priest and paleontologist Giuseppe Leonardi in what today is the city of Araraquara, in Sao Paulo state. The footprints are different from all other known dinosaur footprints, said MCTer paleontologist Rafael Costa. Reporting by Jake Spring and Eduardo Simoes; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Giuseppe Leonardi, Leonardi, Rafael Costa, Jake Spring, Eduardo Simoes, Brendan O'Boyle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: SAO PAULO, Brazil's Museum, Earth Sciences, Thomson Locations: Araraquara, Sao Paulo

☆ Scientists predicted Earth's ozone hole would balloon in size this year, but now admit their calculations were wildly off the mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Seth Borenstein | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists predicted that we'd see a huge ozone hole over the Antarctic in 2023. From September to mid-October, the ozone hole this year averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers), which is the 16th largest since satellites started tracking in 1979. It peaked this year at 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers), about the size of North America. The ozone hole and thinning ozone layer has improved a bit thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, when countries in the world agreed to stop producing many of the chemicals that deplete ozone, Newman said. The ozone hole was at its biggest in 2000 at nearly 11.6 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers), according to NASA data.

Persons: —, Paul Newman, Newman, NASA Goddard Organizations: Service, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Flight, YouTube Locations: Tonga, North America, South America, Montreal

Instead this year’s ozone hole was about average size for the last 20 years, even a bit smaller than 2022’s, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From September to mid October, the ozone hole this year averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers), which is the 16th largest since satellites started tracking in 1979. It peaked this year at 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers), about the size of North America. The ozone hole and thinning ozone layer has improved a bit thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, when countries in the world agreed to stop producing many of the chemicals that deplete ozone, Newman said. The ozone hole was at its biggest in 2000 at nearly 11.6 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers), according to NASA data.

Persons: ”, Paul Newman, ” Newman, Newman, “, Seth Borenstein Organizations: NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Flight, Twitter, AP Locations: North America, South America, Tonga, Montreal

☆ 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

☆ New fossils reveal specialized eating technique of unusual ancient marine reptile
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An unusual ancient marine reptile may have gulped down tons of shrimplike prey using a feeding technique similar to one used by some modern whales. Fang et al/Courtesy University of BristolBut there hasn’t been much evidence in the fossil record for ancient reptiles using filter feeding, until now. These structures are similar to what’s seen in baleen whales, which have strips of keratin instead of teeth. “Baleen whales have grooves along the jaws to support curtains of baleen, long thin strips of keratin, the protein that makes hair, feathers and fingernails. It’s possible that the marine reptile didn’t start out with this ability.

Persons: Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, ”, Long Cheng, et, Li Tian, Hupehsuchus, Zichen Fang, Michael Benton, It’s Organizations: CNN, BMC, Wuhan Center, China Geological Survey, University of Bristol, China University of Geosciences, University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences Locations: China, Hubei province, China University of Geosciences Wuhan

☆ 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

☆ Canadian lake sediments reveal start of Earth's Anthropocene age, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Presence of plutonium and other evidence was found in core samples of the Crawford Lake sediments. The Anthropocene epoch is proposed as a chapter in Earth's history reflecting the transformation of the planet's climate and ecology as a result of human activity. The Anthropocene epoch has not yet been formally recognised by a scientific body called the International Commission on Stratigraphy. The scientists obtained core samples of sediment at Crawford Lake and sediments, soils, corals and ice samples at the other 11 sites. Crawford Lake sediments provided a record of accelerating changes that have unfolded in the past few decades, including traces of fly ash produced by burning fossil fuels.

Persons: Crawford, Colin Waters, we've, Waters, Francine McCarthy, Andrew Cundy, Bill Laurance, David Stanway, Will Dunham Organizations: University of Leicester, International, Crawford Lake, Brock University, Industrial, University of Southampton, James Cook University, Thomson Locations: Crawford, Canada's Ontario, Toronto, Britain, Canada, Australia, Singapore

☆ Anthropocene: Scientists say they’ve found a site that marks a new chapter in Earth’s history
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Scientists have identified the geological site that they say best reflects a proposed new epoch called the Anthropocene — a major step toward changing the official timeline of Earth’s history. “We’ve moved into this new Earth state and that should be defined by a new geological epoch,” Waters added. On Tuesday, the scientists announced the geological site — Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada — that best captures the geological impact of the Anthropocene, according to their research. Annual sediment samples from the Crawford Lake site have revealed geochemical traces of nuclear bomb testing, researchers have confirmed. The alpha spectrometry output shown on the screen indicates the presence of plutonium in a Crawford Lake drill core sample.

Persons: ”, Colin Waters, “ We’ve, Waters, eon, James St, Andrew Knoll, “, ” Knoll, Crawford, AWG, Crawford Lake, Francine McCarthy, Andrew Cundy, Stan Finney, it’s, Paul Crutzen —, Finney, It’s, stratigraphers, ” Waters, they’re, Andrew Mathews, We’ve, ’ ” Organizations: CNN —, Environment School, University of Leicester, Geologists, Wales, Harvard University, University, Southampton, Brock University, UK’s University of Southampton, International, International Union of Geological Sciences, Geological Congress, California State University, University of Southampton “, University of California Locations: Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada, Flinders, South Australia, Jura, Crawford, Southampton Crawford, Sudeten, Lake, California, Baltic, Japan, China, Australia, Gulf of Mexico, Busan, South Korea, Long, Santa Cruz

☆ How Can We Measure Droughts and Deluges? Weigh the Planet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Scientists have long cautioned that warming temperatures would lead to wetter and drier global extremes — increasingly severe rainfall, more intense droughts. km3/month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 km3/month 30,000 Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 km3/month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 km3/ month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 km3/ month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Source: Rodell and Li, Nature Water (2023), based on analysis of NASA Grace and Grace-FO data. Europe July 2018–April 2021 Drought across Europe returned with the La Niña that lasted through 2022. Central Africa 2. Central Africa 2.

☆ Maps: The devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Terrain map showing the 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes near the eastern border of Turkey and Syria. A woman stands near rubble and damage in Gaziantep, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi A section of the earthquake damaged D420 road in Demirkopru, Turkey, Feb. 8, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas A man walks past a partially-collapsed building in Pazarcik, Turkey, Feb. 9, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem People inspect the damage as rescuers search for survivors in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 8, 2023.

☆ Lightning kills 907 in India as extreme weather surges in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A policeman jumps off a makeshift raft after wading through a flooded area of a slum on the banks of the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Dec 7 (Reuters) - India saw a big jump in extreme weather events such as heatwaves and lightning strikes this year and related deaths rose to their highest in three years, government data showed on Wednesday, with scientists blaming climate change for the heavy toll. There were nearly eight times as many heatwaves, 27 in all, and lightning strikes rose more than 111 times, killing 907 people, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in a report to parliament. Lightning and floods and heavy rains accounted for 78% of the deaths this year, the data showed. India is the world's third-largest carbon polluter, though its per-capita emissions are much lower than many developed countries.

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