After deadly floods, can Germany adapt to its climate future?

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change prepares to release a major report on adapting to climate change, Adam Vaughan visits the site of 2021’s deadly floods in Ahr, Germany, to discover how locals are rebuilding Environment 23 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan A message for volunteers in Rech near the Ahr river, Germany David … Read more

Some Children Die Without Explanation. Genetics Is Finally Giving Us Answers

The sudden and unexpected death of a child is a tragedy made all the worse when there’s absolutely no explanation. Each year in the United States, hundreds of children die for undetermined reasons, usually in their sleep or while resting. Due to the way deaths are investigated and certified, it’s hard to say how often this … Read more

A Sneezing Dinosaur? Fossil Reveals Deadly Flu-Like Illness in a Sauropod

Hacking coughs, uncontrollable sneezing, high fevers and pounding headaches can make anyone miserable – even a dinosaur.  Recently, researchers identified the first evidence of respiratory illness in a long-necked, herbivorous type of dinosaur known as a sauropod, which lived about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period (201.3 million to 145 million years ago) in what is now … Read more

The first life on Earth depended on a deadly poisonous gas, study suggests

At one time, Earth had no life. Then, it did. Whether the process was gradual or rapid, the transformation of chemistry to biochemistry on our planet was one of the most amazing developments to happen in the universe. It’s so rare that to date, we have absolutely no evidence of any form of life anywhere … Read more

‘Killer Lake’ in Africa Looks Like Paradise, But It’s Hiding a Deadly Secret

The engineers aboard the floating power station on Lake Kivu could only watch nervously as the volcano in the distance erupted violently, sending tremors rumbling through the water beneath them.   It was not the lava shooting from Mount Nyiragongo last May that spooked them, but the enormous concentrations of potentially explosive gases within Kivu, … Read more

Tornadoes at Night and in the Southeast Are Especially Deadly

It was around 9:30 P.M., hours past sunset, when a violent tornado leveled the town of Mayfield, Ky., on December 10. The exceptionally long-lasting twister was part of a rare December outbreak that raked through several Midwestern and Southern states that night. Though the storms were well forecast, and warnings were issued relatively early, at … Read more

It’s Not Actually Size That Determines How Deadly a Meteor Is

We have a lot to thank meteorites for. Had they not instigated several mass extinction events, including wiping out non-avian dinosaurs, we probably wouldn’t be here today. But some things still don’t add up about the massive scale of decimation they can cause.   “For decades scientists have puzzled over why some meteorites cause mass … Read more

What a Warming World Means for Deadly Tornadoes

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. The deadly tornado outbreak that tore through communities from Arkansas to Illinois on the night of Dec. 10-11, 2021, was so unusual in its duration and strength, particularly for December, that a lot of people including the U.S. … Read more

How Does Climate Change Affect Deadly Tornadoes? A Scientist Explains

The deadly tornado outbreak that tore through communities from Arkansas to Illinois on the night of 10-11 December 2021, was so unusual in its duration and strength, particularly for December, that a lot of people including the US president are asking what role climate change might have played – and whether tornadoes will become more … Read more

Deadly Indonesia Eruption Was Triggered by Heavy Rains

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. The eruption of Mount Semeru in Indonesia on Saturday tragically claimed the lives of 22 people, with another 22 still missing and 56 injured. More than 5,000 people have been affected by the eruption, and more than 2,000 people have taken … Read more