Earth

Earth

Oxygen flooded Earth’s atmosphere earlier than thought

The Great Oxidation Event that enabled the eventual evolution of complex life began 100 million years earlier than once thought, new dating of South African rock suggests.

Anthropology

DNA points to millennia of stability in East Asian hunter-fisher population

Ancient hunter-gatherers in East Asia are remarkably similar, genetically, to modern people living in the area. Unlike what happened in Western Europe, this region might not have seen waves of farmers take over.

Genetics

CRISPR used in cows to help fight tuberculosis

Chinese researchers used a CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editor to make cows more resistant to tuberculosis.

Genetics

CRISPR used in cows to help fight tuberculosis

Chinese researchers used a CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editor to make cows more resistant to tuberculosis.

Oceans

Cone snails wander in circles, lose focus with boosted CO₂

Deadly cone snails wander in circles and become less capable hunters when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.

Oceans

Cone snails wander in circles, lose focus with boosted CO₂

Deadly cone snails wander in circles and become less capable hunters when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.

Earth

3-billion-year-old crystals hint at lost continent’s fate

Zircon crystals from a long-gone continent called Mauritia may have resurfaced during volcanic eruptions on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

Oceans

Climate change may boost toxic mercury levels in sea life

Increased runoff to the ocean due to climate change could raise neurotoxic mercury in coastal sea life by disrupting the base of the food web.

Plants

Big genetics study blazes path for bringing back tomato flavor

Combining taste tests with genetics suggests what makes heirloom varieties tastier than mass-market tomatoes.

Earth

Devastation detectives try to solve dinosaur disappearance

Dinosaurs and others faced massive losses 66 million years ago from an asteroid impact, volcanic eruptions or maybe a mix of the two.

Environment

Humans’ stuff vastly outweighs humans

The human-made technosphere weighs 30 trillion tons and surpasses the natural biosphere in mass and diversity, researchers estimate.

Climate

Earth’s last major warm period was as hot as today

Sea surface temperatures today are comparable to those around 125,000 years ago, a time when sea levels were 6 to 9 meters higher, new research suggests.