ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

Why Wait for Hurricane Season when you can Make One in the Lab?

Florida is famous for many things: abundant sunshine, beautiful beaches, a surplus of theme parks, and more tourists than you can shake a stick at. But it's also renowned for its hurricanes. Luckily, scientists at the University of Miami no longer have to wait around for hurricane season to study the dynamics of these massive storms, they can now produce them on demand.

Were Dinosaurs Warm Blooded Like Modern Animals?

For years the accepted theory was that dinosaurs were cold blooded, much like modern reptiles today. However, a study then showed that they were neither cold blooded or warm blooded like animals today. However, a paleontologist revisited that study focusing on the metabolism and growth of the dinosaurs. The re-analysis then provided evidence that dinosaurs were actually warm blooded like many of today's modern animals.

Dino Debate Continues – New Analyses Indicate They Were Warm Blooded

In the long debate over whether dinosaurs were warm or cold blooded, a study published last year in Science was thought to have put the issue to rest. Dinosaurs were neither, according to the paper. Instead, they occupied an intermediate category. But a reanalysis of the same data has drawn new conclusions. And the verdict this time? Warm blooded.

Ancient Skull Shows Signs of Lethal Combat

Scientists have discovered what may prove to be the oldest example of intentional violence among humans. In fact, the individual who died of apparent head wounds over 430,000 years ago is not exactly "human," but one of our close cousins, a Neanderthal. And what his skull may prove is that violence predates the rise of modern humans.

A New Species is named following the Discovery of a 3-Million-Year-Old Jaw Fragment

Most of us are familiar with "Lucy," the famous hominid skeleton discovered by Donald Johanson and colleagues back in 1974 along a dried out gully in Ethiopia. Lucy lived over 3 million years ago and was assigned the name Australopithecus afarensis; a species many believe led to the rise of Homo sapiens. But a new discovery may rewrite our origins, for it seems Lucy was not the only type of Australopithecine roaming the African plains so long ago.

Parasitic 'Dementor' Wasp Leaves Prey Without Free Will

You may think a wasp that can zombify its prey with venom in order to eat it alive sounds like the stuff of nightmares, but it's actually the stuff of biodiversity. Called the dementor wasp, this terrifying insect was just discovered last year-along with 138 other new species-in the Greater Mekong Region of Asia, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports today.

San Andreas Ready to Blow – In Theaters and In Real Life

Admit it, there's nothing more fun than sitting in a dark theatre, munching on a bucket of buttery popcorn, and watching the Earth get demolished. In the latest round of catastrophic flicks, California is destroyed as the famous San Andreas Fault unleashes unimaginable (and unrealistic) devastation across the state. Aren't they still recovering from Godzilla?

Clever Birds use Weight and Sound when choosing their Nuts

In yet another example of avian ingenuity, researchers from Poland and Korea have discovered that birds have the ability to use weight and sound to distinguish more desirable peanuts from their less desirable counterparts.

How SeaWorld Is Responding to the Santa Barbara Oil Spill And What They're Doing to Help

Upon request of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network's (OWCN) Unified Command, SeaWorld deployed two members of the Animal Rescue Team early Sunday morning to assist with efforts at the Refugio Beach oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast. At 3:45am today SeaWorld deployed a third member of the Animal Rescue Team. All three have specialized training through the OWCN and experience with oiled wildlife.

Cave Deposits May Help Predict Future Weather Patterns on our Warming Planet

Throughout human history, people have utilized caves for protection from the elements, as safe havens from predators, and as canvases to display beautiful works of art. Now, a group of scientists from Vanderbilt University are using caves to learn about weather patterns in the past. And what they're discovering may provide insight into our planet's future climate.
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