University of Chicago researchers have made a horrifying discovery. They were comparing shells of live mussels taken from the Pacific coast with historical mussel shells, some more than 1,000 years old. They came to a horrifying realisation. Mussel shells are getting thinner and thinner and it’s bad news for the species.
After over 6,000 reef surveys in 46 countries, Australian researchers are extremely excited as they have found 15 areas in damaged world reefs that are heaving with fish. The scientists have named these areas “bright spots,” as they have can prove to be instrumental in developing exciting coral reef conservation solutions.
Scientists have detected life-giving gas oxygen in a faraway galaxy, 13.1 billion light years away. This could well be the oldest oxygen ever detected in the universe. The galaxy in question, SXDF-NB1006-2, is causing a storm in the scientific kingdom. Scientists are seeing the galaxy as it was 700 million years after birth of the universe. It shows the oldest signs of oxygen and this has baffled scientists.
Victoria-based aquatic scientist Sheree Marris filmed what was a giant spider crab aggregation on the shores of Port Phillip Bay. The “spectacular” sight of giant spider crabs gathering up in Australian waters was a unique experience for the marine scientist as she had never seen something like this before.
New study has revealed that climate change and human impact played a crucial role in the extinction of South America’s giant beasts such as sloths the size of elephants, one-tonne bears and sabre-toothed cats. Megafauna happily existed along with humans for nearly 3,000 years. However, as the climate rapidly warmed up, they became extinct within 300 years.
A 700-year-old farming technique that was practised by villagers in West Africa could well be the answer to combating climate change and revolutionising farming across Africa. This centuries old technique converts nutrient-poor rainforest soil into fertile farmland. It may reduce food shortages in some of the poorest regions on Earth.
A team of more than 1,000 scientists from more than 90 universities around the world has detected gravitational waves for the second time in history. The team also included Canberra scientists at the Australian National University (ANU).
Scientists from Japan have come to the conclusion that cats seem to use their hearing to ascertain whether objects that they can't see exist. Moreover, they also seem to understand the principle of cause and effect. This basically means cats understand that actions can lead to reactions.
The mosaic-tailed rat, popularly known as the Bramble Cay melomys, has been declared extinct by Queensland researchers. These rats were a resident of an island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Researchers believe that the reason for their extinction is manmade climate change.
A team of Australian scientists have done something really amazing. In a world-first, they brought back yeast of a 220-year-old beer recovered from a shipwreck.
Newly discovered baby planet PTFO8–8695 b in constellation Orion is slowly destroying itself and its close proximity to its sun is the cause, astronomers have pointed out. The likely new planet may be the galaxy’s youngest and is very unique as there is just 11 Earth hours in a year.
Scientists from Southampton University, UK, have found the most unique way to constrain carbon dioxide emissions, and that is to turn them into stone. The researchers found this smart way to cut emissions in the midst of global warming while working in Iceland.
Sharon Burden, who lost her to son Kyle in a 2011 shark attack near Dunsborough in Western Australia while bodyboarding with friends, expressed anger at a popular newspaper’s front page showing children frolicking in the ocean with a superimposed shark fin in the background.
An international team of scientists used the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) telescope in the Atacama Desert to get the first-ever glimpse of a supermassive black hole readying to gorge itself on gas clouds. The scientists spotted three clouds rushing towards the giant black hole at a tremendous speed of up to 1.3 million kilometres per hour.
An Arctic tern, which measures 11-15 inches in length and weighs about a 100 grams, has set the record straight for the longest migration trip ever recorded. As Arctic terns can live for 15 to 30 years, they can cover over three million kilometres over its lifetime, which is roughly equivalent to four round trips to the moon.
WWF-Australia recently released shocking images and a video of the impact of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. The once colourful and vibrant reef that attracted thousands of tourists worldwide has been reduced to a shady brown with slimy algae impacting the World Heritage Site like never before.
Researchers from Uppsala University have found that larval fish exposed to microplastic particles display stunted growth and changed behaviour. Quite interestingly, the fish prefer eating the microplastic particles than plankton.
Using radio waves, scientists were able to get the clearest glimpse of what lies beneath Jupiter’s thick cloud tops. They found patterns of swirling ammonia mirroring those seen on the surface.
A mysterious force known as dark radiation may be making our universe expand way faster than previously anticipated. NASA made the discovery this week via its Hubble Space Telescope that revealed that the universe is expanding five to nine percent faster.
Scientists have detected a faint hydrogen signal emitted from a galaxy more than five billion light years away via Very Large Array (VLA) telescope in New Mexico, US. The international team of scientists that included an Australian radio astronomer from Perth believe that this find will push the boundaries of astronomy forward.
Antarctica is far less affected by climate change than the Arctic. North Atlantic’s cold and deep ocean currents dull the effects of global warming and even slow down sea level rise.
Sydney biologist Jürgen Otto, who is extremely passionate about Australian peacock spiders, has discovered seven new species and has gained a significant online following with his footage.
Dr. Graham Reynolds from the University of North Carolina Asheville led a team of researchers into the Bahamian Archipelago only to discover a new species of boa in the remote Conception Island Bank.
Henry Marr from Mount Vernon, Washington, is extremely upset as he believes people are wrecking the planet. The kid broke down after he saw a video of animals eating plastic trash.
Coral bleaching in certain northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has killed off more than 35 percent of the corals, extensive aerial and underwater surveys have revealed.
European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft discovered ingredients glycine and phosphorous on a comet that are regarded crucial to the origins of life. Comets delivered chemical building blocks of life to Earth.
The new research suggests that Earth-like planet Kepler 62f would need a thick carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere to stop its water from freezing because of its distance from its star.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recently captured a massive hole on the sun’s surface. The gigantic coronal hole is blasting radioactive solar particles towards Earth.
New study reveals data never conflicted with any previous experiments. Researchers concluded that it could well be the fifth fundamental force of nature.
The new algorithm enables scientists to pinpoint the tsunami source that in turn helps scientists in predicting the impact of the waves once they hit the shores.