Rio de Janeiro Dirty games: Brazilian officials had conceded weeks prior that the disgustingly polluted Guanabara Bay wouldn’t be cleaned up in time for the 2016 Olympics, but said sailing events could still be held there. Some Olympic sailors had protested holding their events in the bay, saying they feared becoming sick from the contaminated water or ramming their […]
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There is little dispute that in the wake of European colonists’ arrival in the New World, Native American populations were decimated by disease and conflict. But when it comes to the timing, magnitude, and effects of this Native American depopulation — it depends on who you ask. Many scholars claim that disease struck the native population shortly after their first […]
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Tropical groundwater may prove to be a climate-resilient source of freshwater in the tropics as intense rainfall favours the replenishment of these resources, according to a new study published in Environmental Research Letters. As climate observations show that global warming leads to fewer but more intense rainfalls, a clearer understanding of how these sources are replenished is crucial for developing […]
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Deep beneath Antarctica’s vast ice sheet lies one of the most mysterious and least explored mountain ranges on Earth—the Gamburtsev Mountain Range. First discovered in 1958 by a Soviet expedition, these peaks, stretching about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) across East Antarctica, remain hidden under more than 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) of ice, making them a scientific enigma. A Subglacial Mountain […]
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A new NASA study on the Antarctic Ice Sheet says that an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers. The research challenges the conclusions of other studies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2013 report, which says that […]
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Hey, corporations destroying the planet: If you’ve been getting away with illegally logging forests, dumping waste, or overfishing, you might want to reconsider your actions. A new generation of high-tech detectives has traded in their spyglasses for surveillance that’s, shall we say, a little more 21st century — and they think they can catch you red-handed.Fast Company reports that “A growing […]
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Scientists have revealed that some fish that thrive in the freezing cold waters of the Antarctic actually have ice in their veins. A protein in their system called notothenioids not only keep the fish from freezing to death, but also keeps ice crystals in their veins. Although the ice crystals would melt at temperatures just slightly above freezing, the fish […]
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Studies show that the oceans are warming, and Antarctica’s ice is melting. Now there is a new area where the ice is melting, Greenland’s ice sheets. It shows that southwest Greenland’s ice sheets are melting at an alarming rate. They have been melting at about 4 times the rate that was researched in 2003. Research showed that this area was […]
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The ozone layer is a protector of the earth from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. According to reports the ozone layer is getting smaller over Antarctica. The scientists are using satellites and sensors to get information on the measurements of the ozone layer. Since the early 20th century when the emissions of chemical substances called halo-carbons the ozone layer has […]
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The Endurance was a 1915 Antarctic shipwreck which sank about 10,000 feet below an Arctic ice sheet, It was discovered by a team of archaeologists, engineers, and other researchers. The ship belonged to British polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. It sank during an attempt to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. The crew survived but the ship was unfortunately lost to […]
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