Squid’s Glowing Skin Patterns May Be Code
Humboldt squid can rapidly change the pigmentation and luminescence patterns on their skin by contracting and relaxing their muscles, possibly to communicate.
EARTH828 articles archived since 1845
Bird Fossil Shared Earth with T. rex
Dating back 67 million years, this representative of the group of modern birds has been dubbed the Wonderchicken (which is not an April Fools’ Day joke).
Coronavirus Lockdowns Have Changed the Way Earth Moves
A reduction in seismic noise because of changes in human activity is a boon for geoscientists
Tiny Wormlike Creature May Be Our Oldest Known Ancestor
The bilateral organism crawled on the seafloor, taking in organic matter at one end and dumping the remains out the other some 555 million years ago.
Science News Briefs from around the Planet
Here are a few brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about the discovery of an intact chicken egg dating to Roman Britain.
Flat Earthers: What They Believe and Why
Michael Marshall, project director of the Good Thinking Society in the U.K., talks about flat earth belief and its relationship to conspiracy theories and other antiscience activities.
Ocean Species Are Shifting toward the Poles
Changes in species abundance can throw food chains out of whack and put livelihoods at risk
Shrinking Ozone Hole, Climate Change Are Causing Atmospheric “Tug-of-War”
The Southern Hemisphere jet stream is shifting, bringing more rain to some spots and less to others
Antarctic Glacier Has Retreated 3 Miles in 22 Years
Sitting atop a deep canyon, Denman Glacier could be a weak point in the Antarctic Ice Sheet
In Just 10 Years, Warming Has Increased the Odds of Disasters
The likelihood of extreme events today is being underestimated, new research suggests
Ocean Plastic Smells Great to Sea Turtles
Ocean plastic gets covered with algae and other marine organisms, making it smell delicious to sea turtles—with potentially deadly results.
Packing the Tundra with Animals Could Slow Arctic Melt
Herds of reindeer or other species could help pack down snows to protect permafrost
Ancient Clam Shell Reveals Shorter Day Length
The growth layers in a 70-million-year-old clam shell indicate that a year back then had more than 370 days, with each day being only about 23.5 hours.
Snapping Shrimp Make More Noise in Warmer Oceans
As oceans heat up, the ubiquitous noise of snapping shrimp should increase, posing issues for other species and human seagoing ventures.
Stress from Undersea Noise Interferes with Crab Camouflage
In an example of how sea noise can harm species, exposed shore crabs changed camouflaging color sluggishly and were slower to flee from simulated predators.
The New Cosmos: A Conversation with Ann Druyan
Emmy and Peabody Award–winning science writer, producer and director Ann Druyan talks about Cosmos: Possible Worlds, the next installment of the Cosmos series.
Arctic Exploitation May Harm Animals Large and Small
As the region warms, ignorance about creatures ranging from plankton to whales leaves them vulnerable to human activities
Yes, Climate Change Did Influence Australia’s Unprecedented Bushfires
Such an extreme fire season is at least 30 percent more likely because of global warming, a new analysis finds
Indigenous Amazonians Managed Valuable Plant Life
Studies on very old vegetation in the Amazon basin show active management hundreds of years ago on species such as Brazil nut and cocoa trees.
The Ocean’s Swirling Currents Are Migrating Poleward
The shift, which may be linked to climate change, can affect sea levels and the distribution of heat and nutrients
