New Atlas

Science Audio available

Life on planet Earth may take millions of years to recover from a mass extinction event

Anthony Wood April 8, 2019

It takes millions of years for life to fully recover from a catastrophic extinction event, according to a new study that examined the aftermath of the asteroid strike that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

Artist's impression of a large asteroid colliding with Earth

Biology Audio available

Mental compass: New evidence suggests humans can sense Earth's magnetic field

Michael Irving March 18, 2019

Magnetoreception, or the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field, pops up throughout the animal kingdom, but it’s generally thought to be something humans missed out on. But new research has found changes in human brain wave activity that seems to be in response to a changing magnetic field.

A new study has found evidence that humans can detect changes in the geomagnetic field

Environment Audio available

Can tropical tectonic activity trigger ice ages?

Michael Irving March 14, 2019

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major driver of shifts in the Earth’s climate, and in the past too little CO2 has been associated with triggering ice ages. Now a team of scientists has found a surprising new mechanism that could lead to ice ages: Tropical tectonic activity.

Tropical tectonic activity, such as that occurring in Indonesia today, may have triggered ice ages in ...

Science Audio available

Fossil fats suggest animal life got started later than previously thought

Michael Irving March 6, 2019

In the world of palaeontology, new discoveries usually proclaim things are older than we previously thought. But new research out of the Max Planck Institute has found that animals probably arose later than is currently believed.

Rhizaria algae is now believed to be responsible for fossil fat molecules that have confused scientists ...

Science Audio available

Massive mountain range found in the Earth's mantle

Michael Irving February 14, 2019

According to a new study, Earth's surface is smooth compared to the landscapes found deep within the planet. Using data from one of the biggest earthquakes on record, geophysicists have now found massive mountain ranges hundreds of kilometers beneath our feet.

A diagram of the Earth's layers, including the transition zone – the bottom boundary of which ...

Environment

2018 continued worrying warming trend according to multiple climate reports

Michael Irving February 6, 2019

Continuing a long-term upward trend, several climate reports released today have concluded that 2018 was among the hottest years on record. In independent analyses, NASA, NOAA and WMO have all found the past year to be dotted with broken records.

This map shows the differences in average temperatures, with yellow, orange and red indicating the largest ...

Environment Audio available

Ancient glacial landscape unexpectedly found in African desert

Michael Irving February 5, 2019

Today, the desert country of Namibia isn’t somewhere you’d expect to find much ice, but 300 million years ago it was a very different landscape. A team of geologists has now discovered a land formation that’s associated with fast-moving glaciers, and isn’t usually found in the desert.

Geologists have discovered unexpected land formations in Namibia, which indicate the area was once covered in ...

Science Audio available

Fossil fats reveal how complex life kicked off after Snowball Earth phase

Michael Irving January 31, 2019

About 700 million years ago, basically the entire planet iced over in a period often called “Snowball Earth.” Now researchers have found fossil fats that help fill in the story of how life bounced back after this global cataclysm, and how we humans might owe our very existence to them.

Fossil fats have shown how complex life arose after Earth's "snowball" phase

Environment Audio available

Ancient crystals suggest Earth's core is 4 billion years younger than the planet

Michael Irving January 29, 2019

The Earth is almost 4.5 billion years old, but it’s young at heart – literally. Researchers from the University of Rochester have now dated the solid inner core of the planet to just 565 million years, making it a relative toddler compared to the rest of Earth.

A new study dates the Earth's inner core to just 565 million years old – much ...

Environment Audio available

Huge ancient ice wall across the Bering Strait may have triggered Ice Age

Michael Irving December 20, 2018

Most climate change events can be linked to specific causes, but the cause of the last major shift, which occurred about a million years ago, has remained a mystery. By taking samples from the ocean floor of the Bering Sea, a new study may have uncovered the mechanism behind this outlier event.

A new study suggests the last ice age was caused by an ice wall across the ...