It has long been thought that a monumental increase in oxygen fueled the Cambrian explosion about 540 million years agobreathing life into the Earth’s biosphere to generate a rich diversity of astonishingly complex animal species. Whether oxygen really played such a crucial role is hotly disputed, however, with other factors possibly playing a role. ignite … Read more
While none of the interplanetary missions have found traces of life on Mars, both the Viking and China’s Zhurong rovers have discovered astonishing features of the Red Planet that could provide insight into its history and evolution. When Zhurong, China’s first-ever Mars landing mission, orbited the Red Planet for a year, it saw something surreal … Read more
The depth and inaccessibility of the inner core means that uncertainties remain. Deep within the Earth, a solid metal ball spins independently of our spinning planet, like a top spinning inside a larger top, shrouded in mystery. Since its discovery by Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann in 1936, this inner core has fascinated researchers. Its motion—including … Read more
Deep within the Earth, a solid metal ball spins independently of our spinning planet, like a top spinning inside a larger top, shrouded in mystery. Since its discovery by Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann in 1936, this inner core has fascinated researchers. Its motion—including its speed and direction of rotation—has been the subject of decades-long debate. … Read more
Some butterflies can cross entire oceans with the help of the wind. A world-first study has now shown that the Painted Lady (Vanessa card) can cross the world’s second largest ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 4,200 kilometers in just five to eight days. The researchers claim the journey is “one of the … Read more
The study found that higher ocean temperatures could pose a threat to this unique shark species. ADVERTISEMENT Sharks are known as some of the most powerful – and feared – creatures in our oceans. Now, it’s been revealed that one particular species could teach us how to improve our heart health. New experimental research presented … Read more
Researchers investigated three mysterious objects in the early universe. Shown here are their color images, compiled from three NIRCam filter bands aboard the James Webb Space Telescope. They are remarkably compact at red wavelengths (earning them the name “little red dots”), with some evidence of spatial structure at blue wavelengths. Credit: Bingjie Wang/Penn State NASA‘S … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. CNN — Deep within the Earth, a massive metal ball spins independently of our orbiting planet. It resembles a spinning top inside a larger top, shrouded in mystery. This inner core has intrigued scientists since … Read more
Unlike “black holes,” which pull in and swallow surrounding cosmic matter, a “gravity hole” pushes surrounding material away due to the lack of gravity. When formed in an ocean, a gravity hole pushes water away and creates air pockets where water should have been, causing sea levels to drop. Take the example of the world’s … Read more
A quarry with bands of layered limestone from the ancient seabed in what is now Mercato San Severino, Italy. Credit: Mariano Remírez, George Mason University Approximately 183 million years ago, during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE), volcanic eruptions in what is now South Africa released approximately 20,500 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the … Read more