A major scientific breakthrough in ocean floor mapping has been achieved with new data from NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, which revealed approximately 100,000 seamounts across the globe—more than doubling previous estimates. This achievement marks a significant advancement in the ability to chart underwater topography, an area covering over 70% of Earth’s …
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A recent study published in Science of The Total Environment reveals that microplastics have been contaminating freshwater ecosystems much earlier than previously believed. By examining caddisfly larvae collected from seemingly pristine streams in the Netherlands during the 1970s and 1980s, researchers discovered plastic particles embedded in the insects’ protective casings as early as 1971. This …
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Around 41,000 years ago, Earth underwent a dramatic magnetic event known as the Laschamps excursion, a period lasting about 2,000 years when the planet’s magnetic field nearly collapsed. During this episode, the magnetic field’s strength plummeted to just 10% of its current level, and the poles drifted chaotically across the globe. For about 300 of …
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is often depicted as towering mounds of trash floating atop the ocean. However, these visuals are misleading. The reality is more subtle and insidious—what exists in the GPGP is not a visible island of debris but a vast “soup of microplastics” dispersed throughout the water column. While dramatic imagery …
Google has unveiled a major leap forward in geospatial intelligence through the launch of new geospatial foundation models and a complementary research initiative called Geospatial Reasoning. These innovations integrate generative AI with geospatial data to accelerate problem solving in critical areas such as disaster response, public health, climate resilience, and commercial operations.
Despite being the most numerous and widely distributed class in the animal kingdom, insects remain vastly understudied. For every human on Earth, there are an estimated 1.4 billion insects, collectively outweighing us 70 times over. Yet, most conservation focus is reserved for charismatic species like bees and butterflies, leaving the majority of insect life poorly …
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A recent study has uncovered a remarkable geological process occurring deep beneath the Midwestern United States: a buried remnant of an ancient tectonic plate, known as the Farallon slab, is pulling the underside of the North American crust down into the mantle. This phenomenon is resulting in what scientists describe as “drips” of rock that …
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Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that reshapes our understanding of Earth’s first crust and the early geological history of the planet. A new study published in Nature suggests that the very first crust, which formed around 4.5 billion years ago, already possessed the unique chemical signature found in today’s continental crust. This challenges the …
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