Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
AI-powered whale-spotting tech may help save San Francisco Bay’s gray whales
An AI trained to use thermal images to detect whale body heat could help warn ships at risk of colliding with the marine mammals.
- Climate
Antarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soils
Soil DNA from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula ties warmer climates to more plant fungal pathogens, with abundance projected to double by 2100.
- Animals
Meet ‘Snuffleupagus,’ a newfound fish sporting shaggy camouflage
Found near Australia, Solenostomus snuffleupagus is a shaggy swimmer that closely resembles Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street.
- Earth
Never-ending storms make for good plot twists. Could they plague Earth?
While the thunderstorms in The Legend of Zelda defy physics, plenty of places on Earth experience extreme weather.
- Earth
The crust under Africa is thinning in a way that hasn’t been seen before
Africa’s Turkana Rift Zone, a hotbed of hominin fossils, is caught in the act of “necking," a critical transition toward continental breakup.
- Health & Medicine
Some South American rodent-borne viruses may spread as climate warms
Some rodents in South America carry arenaviruses and hantaviruses. Climate change may bring both to regions where neither is currently a threat.
- Life
Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes
In cows’ guts, ciliates contain a tiny organelle called a hydrogenobody that may drive production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
- Earth
Seismic data captured the sound of awe during a solar eclipse
From the hush of people coming to a standstill to the reverberations of fans, seismic data can capture the ebbs and flows of human activity.
- Earth
Can ‘extinct’ volcanoes still erupt? A Greek peak holds surprising clues
Tiny crystals suggest extinct volcanoes could still grow underground, a finding that could reshape how scientists assess eruption risk.
- Microbes
How climate change may increase antibiotic resistance
Rising heat and drought may spur bacteria to exchange antibiotic resistance genes, with potential risks to human health.
- Oceans
Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns
Compressed air bids bye-bye to invasive sun corals in Brazil. The blasts obliterated soft tissue and fragments couldn't regenerate.
- Health & Medicine
Increasing heat can boost malnutrition among children
In a study of 6.5 million children in Brazil, higher temperatures were associated with worse nutrition outcomes, especially in vulnerable groups.
