News
Falling asleep isn't a gradual process " it happens all of a sudden
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (355+ words) Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states We don't drift off to sleep; we suddenly fall into slumber Ded Mityay/Shutterstock The…...
Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (533+ words) Hotter temperatures and a series of droughts in what is now Pakistan and India fragmented one of the world's major early civilisations, providing a "warning shot" for today The Indus Valley Civilisation ruins at Moenjodaro in Pakistan Climate warming and…...
Why is climate action stalling, not ramping up as Earth gets hotter?
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (762+ words) As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we're seeing the opposite happen Climate campaigners march on the sidelines of the COP30 summit in Bel'm, Brazil PABLO PORCIUNCULA…...
Is a super El Ni'o imminent, and what could the impacts be?
4+ day, 14+ hour ago (981+ words) A planet-warming El Ni'o climate phase is now developing, and some models predict it could turn out to be the strongest on record A super El Ni'o led to flooding in China in 1998 ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images ROBYN…...
What tipping points can we expect to see if we reverse global warming?
4+ day, 16+ hour ago (140+ words) The extent of human-made climate change may make it tricky for us to notice its reversal at first, explain our readers Mike Follows Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK With lower ice cover, the same intensity of heat coming from the…...
Rivers are leaking ancient carbon back into the atmosphere
10+ mon, 2+ week ago (537+ words) Carbon stored in landscapes for thousands of years is leaching back into the atmosphere via rivers, and human activity may be to blame Rivers such as the Chuya in Russia can be a source of carbon dioxide and methane Parilov…...
Are manure digesters a real solution to dairy farm emissions?
1+ week, 4+ day ago (638+ words) Anaerobic digesters converting manure to biogas reduce methane emissions from livestock, but incentives for them have encouraged factory farms to get bigger Digesters on dairy farms produce biogas from cow manure When fuel ran out during the second world war,…...
Northern Greenland ice dome melted before and could melt again
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (601+ words) The Prudhoe ice dome disappeared during a warm period 7000 years ago. Global warming could cause similar temperatures by 2100, showing the Greenland ice sheet's vulnerability A glacier near the edge of the Greenland ice sheet in the vicinity of Prudhoe Dome…...
Earth's carbon sinks are being eroded by climate change feedback loops
7+ mon, 4+ week ago (562+ words) Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen an extra 15 parts per million since 1960 due to the declining ability of the land and sea to soak up excess CO2 Wildfires, like this one in Greece, are blunting Earth's natural carbon sink…...
The green solution to climate change isn't happening " and that's good
5+ day, 18+ hour ago (578+ words) Removing CO2 from the atmosphere by capturing the carbon from burning biomass is supposed to save the planet, but it looks like the flagship project will never happen The Drax Power Station in the north of England Ian Lamond/Alamy You've…...