Evidence of water-rich periods in the Kalahari attracted early humans, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The Kalahari is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa, named from a Setswana word kgala or “great…
Author: admin
-
Underwater snow gives clues about Europa’s icy shell
Below Europa’s thick icy crust is a massive, global ocean where the snow floats upwards onto inverted ice peaks and submerged ravines.
The bizarre underwater snow is known to occur below ice shelves on Earth, but a new study shows that the same…
Continue Reading
-
Antarctica – The lost world
Antarctica is situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and covers an area of 14.2 million km2.
Described as a polar desert, the continent has an average annual precipitation of 166 millimetres and is covered by ice with a thickness…
Continue Reading
-
Connections between climate change and civil unrest among the ancient Maya
An extended period of turmoil in the Maya city of Mayapan in Mexico was marked by population declines, political rivalries and civil conflict.
Between AD 1441 and 1461 the strife reached an unfortunate crescendo — the complete institutional…
Continue Reading
-
Climate change reveals archaeological treasures in melting ice
Melting ice patches across Norway are revealing archaeological treasures from thousands of years ago that are under threat from climate change.
In recent years, hundreds of discoveries have been made that shows traces of ancient hunting, trapping,…
Continue Reading
-
Bandera – New Mexico’s Land of Fire and Ice
Located in the American Southwest on the Continental Divide, in Grants New Mexico, the Bandera Volcano lies dormant, adjacent to the geological wonder of a subterranean ice cave.
As it stands today, the volcano is a prime example of a cinder cone,…
Continue Reading
-
Iceland volcano eruption opens a rare window into the Earth beneath our feet
The recent Fagradalsfjall eruption in the southwest of Iceland has enthralled the whole world, including nature lovers and scientists alike.
The eruption was especially important as it provided geologists with a unique opportunity to study magmas…
Continue Reading
-
Scientists uncover traces of fire-use 800,000 years ago
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science have been able to detect nonvisual traces of fire dating back at least 800,000 years, one of the earliest known examples for the controlled use of fire.
It has been speculated that the ancient…
Continue Reading
-
Droughts in the sixth century paved the way for Islam
Extreme dry conditions contributed to the decline of the ancient South Arabian kingdom of Himyar.
Combined with political unrest and war, the droughts left behind a region in disarray, thereby creating the conditions on the Arabian peninsula that…
Continue Reading
-
Telescope reveals images of supermassive black hole at centre of galaxy
Astronomers have revealed images of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a telescope array consisting of a global network of radio telescopes.
The researchers had previously…
Continue Reading