-
Scientists Explain Why Earth Days Are Not Always Exactly 24 Hours
Earth’s clock is not as reliable as it appears. Although we measure a day as 24 hours, our planet’s rotation constantly fluctuates, making some days fractionally longer or shorter than others. Scientists have now uncovered new evidence suggesting that a hidden struggle between forces deep inside Earth helps control these changes, revealing a surprising connection…
-
Multiple Solar Eruptions Raise Hopes for Northern Lights Across the US
The sun is giving skywatchers across the United States another reason to look toward the night sky, as incoming solar material could trigger a display of the northern lights farther south than usual. Forecasters are monitoring a coronal mass ejection linked to recent solar activity, with minor to moderate geomagnetic storm conditions expected on October…
-
What Came Before the Big Bang? Physicists Now Have Stranger Answers
The universe may have had a beginning. Or it may have had a previous life that ended in a colossal collapse before bouncing back into the expanding cosmos we see today. A team of physicists has proposed a strange alternative to the standard picture of cosmic history: the event we call the Big Bang may…
-
Vatican Warns Environmental Harm Can Become A Sin Against Creation
The Vatican has given environmental damage a distinctly religious dimension, arguing that harming nature can amount to a “sin against creation and against the Creator.” The wording appears in a new 29,000-word document from the International Theological Commission, released in Italian on September 2. The document does not create a new binding rule for Catholics,…
-
Atlantic Ocean Current Weakening Raises New Concerns For US Coastlines
A huge system of ocean circulation has been weakening for years, and scientists are watching closely for signs that the slowdown could become something much more serious. The concern stretches far beyond the North Atlantic, with research pointing to possible changes in weather, sea levels and coastal flooding. The biggest question is whether the Atlantic…
-
The Illegal Curb Cuts That Changed How Tucson Uses Rainwater
Brad Lancaster knew he was breaking the rules when he picked up a handsaw one Sunday morning in 1998. He cut six openings into the concrete curb outside his Tucson home, hoping rainwater would flow into the soil instead of disappearing down a storm drain. Nobody from the city seemed to notice at first. What…
-
This 200 Year Old Whale Could Hold A Secret To Longer Human Lives
A whale that can live for more than 200 years has given scientists a fascinating clue about one of biology’s biggest mysteries: why some bodies age far more slowly than others. Researchers studying bowhead whales have identified a protein involved in DNA repair that may help explain how these enormous animals survive for so long.…
-
Noah’s Ark Mystery Deepens As Researchers Investigate Hidden Structures
A strange boat-shaped formation in eastern Turkey has become the focus of a fresh investigation after researchers reported finding possible underground tunnels, structural layers and cavity-like spaces beneath the site. The discovery has reignited one of the oldest archaeological mysteries in the world, with a research team claiming that new evidence could point towards a…
-
The Ancient Apple Tree Hiding in a Maine Backyard Had A Secret Nobody Expected
The apple tree looked like it was barely hanging on. Its trunk was hollow, half of it had already rotted away, and what remained leaned sideways on three twisted limbs covered in moss and blue lichen. Bigger apple trees stood nearby, making the battered specimen easy to overlook. There was nothing about it that suggested…
-
Earth Has Nine Critical Limits And Scientists Say Seven Are Already Crossed
Earth has nine major environmental boundaries that scientists use to track how much pressure the planet can take. A new assessment says humanity has now pushed seven of those systems beyond the limits considered safe. The latest findings include worsening climate pressure, accelerating biodiversity loss and a newly breached ocean acidification boundary. Yet there is…
