Cyanobacteria, as they still exist today, were the first organisms to carry out photosynthesis and release oxygen. Produced in primeval oceans about 2.5 billion years ago, this oxygen accumulated in Earth’s atmosphere on an immense scale. A…
Category: Earth
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How oxygen enriched Earth's atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago
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Scientists Thought Antarctic Ice Melt Helped Fight Climate Change. It Doesn’t
Scientists testing a popular climate theory in Antarctica found that melting glaciers deliver far less iron to the ocean than previously believed. Most of the iron feeding carbon-hungry algae actually comes from deep water and sediments, not from…
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Will melting glaciers slow climate change? A prevailing theory is on shaky ground
For scientists who study the Southern Ocean, a long-standing silver lining in the gloomy forecast of climate change has been the theory of iron fertilization. As temperatures rise and glaciers in Antarctica melt, ice-trapped iron would feed…
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Mars volcano formed through multiple eruptive phases
How did young volcanoes on Mars form? This is what a recent study published in the journal Geology hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated the complex geological processes responsible for forming…
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Fossil Clues Show Modern Coral Reef Food Webs Have Dramatically Compressed
Isotope evidence from fossil otoliths shows Caribbean reef food chains have shrunk by up to 70%, signaling a major loss of trophic complexity. Coral reefs across the Caribbean are facing severe decline. Researchers have recorded widespread…
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Why the Planet Doesn’t Dry Out All at Once – Scientists Crack the Mystery
For decades, scientists have warned that climate change could trigger simultaneous droughts across multiple continents. But a century-long analysis of global climate data suggests a more complex picture. Scientists at the Indian Institute of…
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6.3 Million Years Ago, Something Slammed Into Brazil – Now Scientists Have the Proof
Scientists in Brazil have uncovered evidence of a previously unknown impact event recorded in hundreds of glassy fragments scattered across the country. Scientists have confirmed the first known field of tektites ever discovered in Brazil….
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Delving into 'deep time': What NZ's ancient past reveals about its present
We know Aotearoa New Zealand is home to many geographically and biologically special features. Yet few of us know it also has its very own measure of “deep time.” Known as the New Zealand Geological Timescale, it has just undergone its most…
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Human activity is making the Arctic's waters louder
Climate change is having a profound impact on the Arctic. We know that the region is warming significantly faster than the global average, resulting in the melting of sea ice and disrupted habitats.
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Scientists identify climatic signals of natural events
How do wildfires and volcanoes influence the Earth’s temperature? This is what a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hopes to address as a team of scientists from…
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