‘Escalator to extinction’ means aggressive species will eventually take over, threatening the entire mountain ecosystem Alpine flowers could go extinct after glaciers disappear as more competitive species colonise terrain higher up the mountain, new research has warned. Glaciers are retreating at historically unprecedented rates, exposing new land for plants to grow, which benefits delicate alpine species in the short term. However, these early pioneers – … Continue reading Guardian: Alpine plants face extinction as melting glaciers force them higher

Saturday 2 January 2021 11:37, UK A mass climate evolution experiment suggests most planets would not have supported life for as long as Earth has. By Russell Hope, news reporter  A mass simulation experiment suggests most planets would not have been able to cope with changes to their climate while still supporting life for the three billion years Earth has, scientists have said. Researchers at the University … Continue reading SkyNews: Earth ‘has been lucky’ to support life for 3 billion years, study says

ROME (Reuters) – Archaeologists have discovered the exceptionally well-preserved remains of two men scalded to death by the volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD, the Italian culture ministry said on Saturday. One was probably a man of high status, aged between 30 and 40, who still bore traces of a woollen cloak under his neck. The second, probably … Continue reading Reuters: Pompeii’s ruins yield scalded bodies of rich man and slave

Continue reading NYTimes: Burning Fossil Fuels Helped Drive Earth’s Most Massive Extinction

The year already has been marked by rising global temperatures, Arctic ice melts and intensifying wildfires and storms. By Nina Golgowski Record-breaking heat, melting ice caps, raging wildfires and a particularly grim hurricane forecast may have taken a backseat in news cycles dominated by politics and a health pandemic, but that doesn’t mean these climate phenomena have gone away. The year still has more than four … Continue reading Huffpost: 2020 Is Proving Another Disastrous Year For Our Earth’s Climate

Konrad Steffen in 2010. His Greenland research station became a destination for journalists, political leaders and other dignitaries to see climate change from the front row. Credit…William Colgan/CIRES – GEUS A renowned researcher on rising sea levels, he died after falling into the kind of crevasse that warming has created. “It looks like climate change actually claimed him as a victim,” a colleague said. By John Schwartz … Continue reading NYTimes: Konrad Steffen, Who Sounded Alarm on Greenland Ice, Dies at 68

  Ian Sample Science editor @iansample Published onWed 1 Jul 2020 19.05 BST 276 For those of you who whiled away hours on the sofa watching society crumble in the face of marauding zombies, deadly aliens and infectious diseases – it’s time to reap the rewards. Psychologists have found evidence that fans of apocalyptic movies – where global order is upturned – may be more … Continue reading GUARDIAN: I feel fine: fans of world-ending films ‘coping better with pandemic’ Researchers say apocalyptic movies prepare people for Covid-19 and make them more resilient

Another dog to add to the big story-PtL By Mindy Weisberger – Senior Writer 2 days ago Melting ice uncovered a long-lost trail strewn with Viking objects  Mitten found at Lendbreen, made from different pieces of woven fabric. Radiocarbon-dated to the ninth century. (Image: © Antiquity Publications Ltd/Photo: Johan Wildhagen, Palookaville) Archaeologists recently documented a rare treasure trove of Viking Age objects littering a long-forgotten … Continue reading LiveScience: Viking ‘treasure’ of rare artefacts revealed on a long-lost mountain trail

These charts show how coronavirus has ‘quieted’ the world see Link on image for the full set of charts. As people stopped commuting and traveling, the Earth’s surface vibrated less—and seismologists tracked the change. BY MAYA WEI-HAAS GRAPHICS BY TAYLOR MAGGIACOMO PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2020 The sound of silence, around the globe Lecocq initially analyzed data from stations in his home city of Brussels just … Continue reading Nat Geographic: These charts show how coronavirus has ‘quieted’ the world

The changing climate is affecting migratory birds such as nightingales. Photograph: FLPA/Michael Durham/Rex/Shutterstock   Migration to European breeding grounds from Africa is harder due to evolutionary changes Patrick Barkham @patrick_barkham Wed 1 Apr 2020 05.00 BSTLast modified on Wed 1 Apr 2020 05.53 BST The nightingale was feted by John Keats as a “light-winged Dryad of the trees”. But the much-celebrated small bird with a beautiful song … Continue reading the Guardian: Nightingales at risk due to shorter wings caused by climate crisis