Sixty-six million years ago, a massive asteroid struck Earth near what is now Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, unleashing firestorms, tsunamis, and a “nuclear winter” that doomed non-avian dinosaurs and three-quarters of all species. Scientists long assumed ecosystems languished for tens of thousands of years before new life forms appeared. Recent research upends that view, revealing microscopic ...
Papua New Guinea — A deep-sea ecologist joined an expedition in the summer of 2008 aboard the MV NorSky to investigate hydrothermal vents in the Manus Basin. What began as hope for responsible resource extraction transformed into recognition of irreplaceable natural wonders. These remote ecosystems, teeming with unique life, now stand at the center of ...
Northeastern Kenya – Towering reticulated giraffes, icons of the arid savanna, now venture into farmlands along the Tana River, stripping mango flowers and competing fiercely for water. These encounters have escalated tensions in Garissa County, where expanding agriculture squeezes wildlife habitats. Researchers documented the emerging human-giraffe conflicts through surveys, revealing underlying pressures like drought and ...
Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta – Paleontologists uncovered a trove of fossil footprints in July 2024 that offer the earliest proof of dinosaurs from multiple species traveling together. These 76-million-year-old tracks, preserved in the park’s badlands, capture ceratopsians and an ankylosaur moving in close proximity, with signs of predators nearby. The site, known as the Skyline ...
About 66 million years ago, the Cretaceous Period drew to a dramatic close as non-avian dinosaurs disappeared alongside roughly 75 percent of Earth’s species. This Cretaceous-Paleogene event reshaped life on the planet, paving the way for mammals to rise. While a massive asteroid impact stands as the frontrunner explanation, fossil records from North America hint ...
Names as Instant Judgments (Image Credits: Pixabay) Names carry more weight in social interactions than many realize, subtly shaping how others judge our reliability from the first introduction. Names as Instant Judgments Psychologists have long observed that first impressions form rapidly, often within seconds, and a name plays a pivotal role in this process. Research ...
Raglan, Aotearoa New Zealand – Elders from Tūhoe Tuawhenua and Ngāti Whare iwi once navigated forests carpeted in purple tawa fruit and resounding with the flights of berry-stuffed birds. These vivid memories from Te Urewera and Whirinaki forests captured a world of seasonal abundance that sustained communities for generations. Researchers, guided by mātauranga Māori, have ...
Once linked by unbroken rainforest, the habitats around Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and Analamazoatra Special Reserve in eastern Madagascar suffered severe fragmentation starting in the 1960s. Farmers and herders cleared vast areas for crops and pastures, isolating vital ecosystems teeming with endemic species. A collaborative reforestation project, begun in 2023, now weaves a 150-hectare corridor of ...
Fossil evidence across continents has illuminated the social lives of dinosaurs, showing they formed herds long before scientists once assumed. Discoveries from Patagonia to North America reveal group behaviors, including age-segregated living and communal nesting, that likely aided survival in harsh prehistoric environments. Microscopic analysis of bones further underscores rapid growth patterns consistent with the ...
Researchers have long viewed dinosaurs as the Mesozoic equivalents of today’s dominant mammals, both ruling terrestrial landscapes. A new analysis exposed a fundamental flaw in that comparison: dinosaurs raised their young far differently. Juveniles quickly gained independence, carving out distinct ecological roles separate from adults. This approach likely fueled greater functional diversity in prehistoric habitats. ...
