A pioneering study from Stanford University has, for the first time, reconstructed how marine biomass—the total mass of living organisms in the ocean—has changed over the past 540 million years. Published in Current Biology, the research reveals a long-term upward trend in marine biomass, punctuated by sharp declines during major mass extinction events. This work, …
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As the Arctic warms at four times the global average, long-time glaciologist John Moore has witnessed many of his former research sites vanish. The ice that once provided stable ground for scientific inquiry has melted, prompting urgent efforts to slow or reverse the accelerating climate crisis in the region. Moore, along with the University of …
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New scientific research indicates that the violent death of massive stars—events known as supernovas—may have had significant effects on Earth’s climate over the course of its ancient history. A supernova occurs when a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity, resulting in an explosion that sends vast amounts of energy …
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Albedo refers to the Earth’s ability to reflect sunlight back into space, mainly through bright surfaces like clouds, snow, ice, and atmospheric particles. This reflection serves as a critical cooling mechanism for the planet. However, a 2021 NASA study revealed a troubling trend: Earth’s energy imbalance—where incoming solar radiation exceeds outgoing heat—has doubled since 2005. …
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A groundbreaking new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Google DeepMind provides the most detailed global analysis yet of deforestation drivers, revealing the scale and permanence of forest loss worldwide. Covering data from 2001 to 2024, the study identifies that 34% of total global tree cover loss—equivalent to 177 million hectares—is permanent, meaning …
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Clouds are not just weather phenomena but dynamic ecosystems teeming with life. Trillions of microorganisms—including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and single-celled organisms—circulate through the Earth’s atmosphere. These airborne travelers, collectively known as the aerobiome, have increasingly been recognized as essential players in both atmospheric chemistry and biological processes on Earth.
A new global study has uncovered a universal rule that shapes how life is distributed across Earth’s varied environments. Though species might appear to be randomly scattered across landscapes and oceans, researchers found that biodiversity follows a clear and repeated spatial pattern that applies to many different types of organisms and regions. Published in Nature …
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Over the past four decades, droughts have become increasingly severe and widespread across the globe. While changing rainfall patterns are often blamed, a growing body of research reveals that another key factor is at play: the atmosphere itself is becoming thirstier. This phenomenon, known as atmospheric evaporative demand (AED), describes how much moisture the atmosphere …
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