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The natural world loses two of its biggest advocates | Science

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This weekend saw the deaths of two of the world’s strongest advocates of protecting the world’s flora and fauna. Edward O. Wilson, 92, an ant researcher at Harvard University who also introduced controversial theories about how societies evolve and function, became a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and, later in life, a powerful conservation advocate, died on … Read more

The Five Biggest Climate Stories of 2021

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It feels like we are lurching from one disaster to another: as wildfires blaze across part of the country, a hurricane swamps a different area—and all this happens as a pandemic continues to rage. Costs are steadily mounting, making action to stem the release of greenhouse gases ever more urgent. Hopes on that front remained … Read more

The ‘Somalaya Mountains’ Might Be The Biggest Mountain Range You’ll Never Get to See

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Every geography schoolbook has them: maps that look like today’s Earth, but not quite, since all continents are merged into a single supercontinent. Those maps were used to explain why dinosaurs in South America and Africa, or North America and Europe looked so alike.   Paleogeographic reconstructions like these provide context to study the processes … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Weather records around the world weren’t just broken, they were smashed

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Record-shattering fires, freezes and rainfall around the world made it all too clear that extreme weather is fast becoming the new normal Environment 15 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan A firefighter in California in August REUTERS/Fred Greaves DEADLY fires, floods and freezes struck around the world this year, as a report by the world’s top … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: COP26 Glasgow climate summit lays the groundwork for a decade of action

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Within days of the dramatic closing of November’s COP26 climate summit, the Glasgow Climate Pact was already having an impact Environment 15 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan COP26 president Alok Sharma was visibly emotional in the summit’s closing moments REUTERS/Phil Noble JUST days after it was agreed on by nearly 200 countries at the COP26 … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: RTS,S becomes world’s first approved malaria vaccine

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October saw the RTS,S malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time – a momentous decision, decades in the making Health 15 December 2021 By Clare Wilson REUTERS/James Keyi/Alamy Decades in the making, October saw a malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time, described … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Learning the pros and cons of working from home during the covid-19 pandemic

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The covid-19 pandemic has forced millions to participate in one of the biggest social experiments of our time. Nearly two years in, it’s time to take stock: what happens when workers abandon offices? Humans 15 December 2021 By Alice Klein Working from home has led to rises in productivity for some Experience Interiors/iStock THE covid-19 … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Igenuity helicopter flies on Mars, the first time we’ve conducted powered flight on another planet

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In April, the Ingenuity helicopter became the first vehicle ever to attempt powered flight on another planet. Theodore Tzanetos tells New Scientist of the exhilaration he felt leading the team Technology 15 December 2021 By New Scientist The Ingenuity helicopter NASA/JPL-Caltech OF ALL the craft that visited the Red Planet this year, perhaps the biggest … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Three different missions land on Mars in one month

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Over the course of just 10 days in February, three missions arrived at Mars. Together, they are creating a clearer picture of our closest planetary neighbour Space 15 December 2021 By Leah Crane The Tianwen-1 mission Xinhua/Alamy OVER the course of just 10 days in February 2021, three missions arrived at Mars. The first was … Read more