ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATEDespite continued threats of extinction to a variety of species, life has once again proven it won't give up without a fight thanks to new births from several endangered species this week. These new births have thrilled conservation ecologists across the world that work tirelessly to protect these species.
Stars litter our skies with celestial light, continually cementing the fact that our planet, no matter how large it may seem, is just a grain of sand on the beach that is our shared universe. And, for years, astronomers have gauged a star's age by how brightly it shined. While this is moderately effective, another method has been tested-and-proven to be more accurate. Published in the newest issue of the journal Nature, astronomer's note that how quickly a star spins is the ideal metric to determining its age.
Bowhead whales are our planets longest-lived mammal. And just how is such a large animal able to survive for so long? Well, let's just say that they've got good genes.
For the first time ever, scientists have seen an unusual light signal that appears to be repeating itself from a distant quasar. And no, before the thought crosses your mind, this is not a sign of extraterrestrial life, but rather a signal from two black holes. These signals are an indication of two supermassive black holes that are in the last stages of merging together.
While researchers and diplomats all over the world are attempting to deal with the issues of climate change, the United Nations in particular who are trying to unite all nations in a collective effort, it’s the animal species at the Earth’s poles that are facing this change on the front line. And though the valiant efforts made in recent summits have yet to amount to much change, it appears that animals in the Arctic are finding a solution of their own— well, a temporary one at least.
With development support from national organizations, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA, researchers at the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed two new mobile apps that will bring the power of satellite data right to your fingertips.
While researchers and diplomats all over the world are attempting to deal with the issues of climate change, the United Nations in particular who are trying to unite all nations in a collective effort, it's the animal species at the Earth's poles that are facing this change on the front line. And though the valiant efforts made in recent summits have yet to amount to much change, it appears that animals in the Arctic are finding a solution of their own- well, a temporary one at least.
If 2014 made anything evident on the global stage, it’s that climate change is a serious issue and one that must be dealt with urgently. Many hope that the United Nations Summit in 2015 will bring some sort of international change, but with new research from the US space agency NASA, researchers are now saying that we may have some added help on our side—tropical rainforests.
Scientists have been trying to discover the cause of death of many sea birds up and down the shores of the Pacific Coast. These mysterious deaths have been increasing in number since October 2014 and researchers are, thus far, baffled by the cause -- although they continue to investigate.
Now, while conservation efforts have sought out to stop this practice that ruins tropical ecosystems, many have failed as national and international agencies refuse to step in unless something else causes a pressing concern. And in that hope, the forests of Indonesian island Sulawesi may soon find their deforestation coming to a close; all thanks to strange-breeding frog species.
While most amphibians, in fact nearly every species known to man, are parents that lay clutches of eggs, one new frog species revealed that they too are of the nurturing variety.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced earlier this week that it is considering placing the monarch butterfly under the federal protection of the Endangered Species Act. And now, for the next sixty days, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hear comments from the public on the idea of listing the butterfly.
The tallest terrestrial animal on the planet, giraffes, occupy the scorching plains of Sub-Saharan Africa. And, despite popular knowledge, "giraffe" is what scientists like to call an umbrella common name, consisting of, at least 9 different subspecies. And while some subspecies are more abundant than the rest, one particular subspecies that is quite endangered has new hope on the horizon. On December 29th, a Rothschild's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti) calf, named Zahra, was born at the Chester Zoo in England, added some new genetic variation into the small population left in captivity of Rothschild's giraffes.
The Great Lakes have been rising over the last two years, putting an end to a decade of lower than average water levels, and creating favorable conditions for both boating and commercial shipping. In fact, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say water levels in lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario are all above seasonal averages for the first time in 16 years.
While past research has described the specie in great detail, a new study has found that Antarctic seals may be using the Earth's magnetic field as a natural GPS while hunting.
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami was able to take so many lives due to the lack of warning system in the Indian Ocean. Those in the affected areas had little-to-no warning and no time to evacuate. Since then, it has been an international effort to develop and put into practice a reliable warning system.
In a strange sequence of events, officials with Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture reported that an illegally transported Coconut Crab was found roaming down Honolulu’s Salt Lake Boulevard early this past weekend. And while the species may sound like a small an unassuming small beach crab, with claws strong enough to pierce through coconuts, the discovery of one on the island has researchers and department officials on edge from the possibilities of what may come.
The newest discovery of fossilized fish, whose eyes have remained largely intact, has provided the proof that the human eye's ability to see in color developed hundreds of millions of years ago.
Researchers from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tasked with monitoring the overall health of Pacific coral reefs are sounding an alarm of international proportions to notify the public and government agencies that the Pacific Ocean coral reefs are facing a massive die-off known commonly as “coral bleaching”. Publishing their recent study in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers are pointing towards warming oceans and dying trade winds for the massive coral bleaching soon to hit these coral reefs, and are naming global climate change as a contributing factor.
The Holiday Season is upon us; a time for presents, family, food. But it's also time for a celestial shift too. And while the onset of winter happened just this past weekend, many researchers are questioning why Winter's cold caught a grip of Earth early this year-at least in the northern hemisphere, that is.