Sediment cores from northwestern China reveal freezing conditions during the Late Triassic killed off many forms of life—but not dinosaurs.
animals
Plant-Nibbling Insects May Make It Cloudier and Cooler
Insects that eat plant leaves could change the local atmosphere, but current climate models do not account for this impact.
The Shapes of Shrimp Farms Affect Their Groundwater Pollution
New findings may help decisionmakers optimize shrimp farm layouts, which could help improve coastal water quality.
Seashells and Penguin Bones Reveal Thwaites Glacier’s Quiet Past
Antarctica’s Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers are melting faster than they have in the past 5,500 years, new evidence shows. Against expectations, their pasts have been remarkably stable.
Tiny Creatures May Play a Difficult-to-Detect Role in Ocean Mixing
As an idea that began as a joke, critter-driven ocean mixing has long been controversial. Now scientists have caught spawning anchovies causing turbulence and stirring the sea.
La polinización se desplomó 31% en campos contaminados
Los niveles de contaminación del aire por debajo de los límites “seguros” (y más bajos que los que comúnmente se encuentran en las ciudades) llevaron a una disminución significativa de la polinización de hasta por 10 insectos comunes.
African World Heritage Sites Jeopardized by Rising Seas
Worsening flooding and erosion threaten places of “outstanding universal value” along the continent’s coastlines.
Pollination Plummeted 31% in Polluted Fields
Air pollution levels below “safe” limits (and lower than those commonly found in cities) led to a significant decrease in pollination by 10 common insects.
Magnetic Stop Signs Show Birds the Way Home
Just like salmon and sea turtles, these songbirds appear to be sensitive to shifts in the magnetic field.
Large Herbivores May Improve an Ecosystem’s Carbon Persistence
The grazing habits of wild animals like elephants and boars enable long-term carbon storage, according to new research that stresses the need to align climate mitigation goals with biodiversity conservation.