Mars still experiences powerful dust storms, but one patch of rock inside Gale Crater appears to have preserved something far older. What looks like a collection of layered stone has turned out to be a record of a single weather event that unfolded billions of years ago. Rather than relying on computer models or indirect…
Centuries after he transformed humanity’s understanding of the universe, Galileo Galilei continues to inspire people with ideas that extend far beyond astronomy and physics. Today’s Quote of the Day features one of his most enduring reflections on knowledge and discovery: “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover…
Deep inside the mountains of Peru, scientists have discovered two tiny frog species that were completely unknown until now. They were found in a special type of mountain forest called an elfin forest. These forests are cold, wet and often covered in thick mist. They grow high in the mountains, where the trees stay short…
Image Credit: Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute. In January 2025, a massive event occurred at the Antarctic that changed what we know about life in the extreme cold. An iceberg the size of Chicago, named ‘A-84,’ broke away from Antarctica’s George VI Ice Shelf. As this massive block of ice, roughly 19 miles long and 11…
A restored wetland area surrounded by our Natural Water Sanctuary. (Picture source: Suntory) For years, many rice fields in Japan have been left unused as fewer people continued farming and rural communities grew older. Without regular care, many of these fields became covered with weeds. The frogs, dragonflies and other small animals that once lived…
Haven or trap? Study finds sinkholes protect endangered tree at evolutionary cost China’s huge sinkholes, known as tiankengs (“heavenly pits” in Chinese), are both helping and harming one of the region’s most endangered plants at the same time. They protect the rare Magnolia aromatica tree from climate change, but they also keep its populations isolated,…
Across Massachusetts, an unusual partnership is bringing renewable energy and traditional farming together on the same land. Sheep are being brought onto ground-mounted solar farms, where the panels provide shade while the animals graze on grass and weeds growing beneath and between the arrays. Known as solar grazing, the practice gives solar operators a natural…
Studies have shown that chimpanzee groups often rest on hilltops in places where conflicts with neighbouring groups are likely. (AI image) When we think about animals fighting, we often think that the fight happens in the heat of the moment. But scientists say the real story begins much earlier. Long before any fight starts, many…
Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP), a technology Japan is currently pioneering to ensure a sustainable future, has the ability to provide a world where solar energy never fades, even when the sun sets or clouds gather. At the heart of this journey is the OHISAMA project, named after a lovely Japanese term for ‘the sun’ that…
Caption: Top left: A cinnamon-colored black bear and her cub flee. Top right: Brown bears on alert after hearing the sound of engines from an off-highway vehicle. Bottom left: A bald eagle eats a freshly caught meal from the nearby stream, ignoring the control sounds of gull calls. Bottom right: A black bear continues to…