Climate models may be missing massive carbon emissions from boreal wildfires

Half of Amazon insects could face dangerous heat stress

A sweeping new study of more than 2,000 insect species reveals a troubling reality: many insects may be far less capable of coping with rising temperatures than scientists once hoped. Researchers found that while some species living at higher altitudes can...

Climate models may be missing massive carbon emissions from boreal wildfires

Northern wildfires may be more dangerous for the climate than they appear. Researchers found that fires in boreal forests can burn deep into peat soils, releasing ancient carbon stored for hundreds or thousands of years. These slow, smoldering fires often look small...

For every known vertebrate species, two more may be hiding in plain sight

Earth’s vertebrate diversity may be far richer than anyone realized. A sweeping analysis of more than 300 studies suggests that for every known fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mammal species, there are about two nearly identical “cryptic” species hiding in plain...

Atacama surprise: The world’s driest desert is teeming with hidden life

Even in the ultra-dry Atacama Desert, tiny soil-dwelling nematodes are thriving in surprising diversity. Scientists found that biodiversity increases with moisture and altitude shapes which species survive. In the most extreme zones, many nematodes reproduce...

Massive asteroid impact 6.3 million years ago left giant glass field in Brazil

For the first time ever, scientists have uncovered a vast field of tektites in Brazil — mysterious glassy fragments forged when a powerful extraterrestrial object slammed into Earth about 6.3 million years ago. Named “geraisites” after Minas Gerais, where they were...

Congo basin blackwater lakes are releasing ancient carbon into the atmosphere

Deep in the Congo Basin, vast peatlands quietly store enormous amounts of Earth’s carbon — but new research suggests this ancient vault may be leaking. Scientists studying Africa’s largest blackwater lakes discovered that significant amounts of carbon dioxide...

Congo basin blackwater lakes are releasing ancient carbon into the atmosphere

Deep in the Congo Basin, vast peatlands quietly store enormous amounts of Earth’s carbon — but new research suggests this ancient vault may be leaking. Scientists studying Africa’s largest blackwater lakes discovered that significant amounts of carbon dioxide...

Climate change is accelerating but nature is slowing down

As the planet warms, many expected ecosystems to change faster and faster. Instead, a massive global study shows that species turnover has slowed by about one-third since the 1970s. Nature’s constant reshuffling appears to be driven more by internal ecological...

Europe’s “untouched” wilderness was shaped by Neanderthals and hunter-gatherers

Long before agriculture, humans were transforming Europe’s wild landscapes. Advanced simulations show that hunting and fire use by Neanderthals and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers reshaped forests and grasslands in measurable ways. By reducing populations of giant...

Forests are changing fast and scientists are deeply concerned

Forests around the world are quietly transforming, and not for the better. A massive global analysis of more than 31,000 tree species reveals that forests are becoming more uniform, increasingly dominated by fast-growing “sprinter” trees, while slow-growing,...

Climate models may be missing massive carbon emissions from boreal wildfires

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Half of Amazon insects could face dangerous heat stress