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A Giant Tortoise Species Unknown to Science Has Been Discovered in Galapagos

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A new species of giant tortoise has been discovered in the Galapagos after DNA testing found animals living on one island had not yet been recorded, Ecuador’s environment ministry said.   Researchers compared the genetic material of tortoises currently living on San Cristobal with bones and shells collected in 1906 from a cave in the … Read more

Marine biology: Watch first video of a possible rare sponge reef found near California

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Vast mounds of sponges stretching for hundreds of metres have been discovered 600 metres down near the Channel Islands off California Environment 3 March 2022 By Michael Le Page Vast mounds made of the skeletons of glass sponges have been discovered 600 metres down on the seabed of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary off … Read more

Thousands of Tree Species Remain Unknown to Science

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The world’s forests may hold more secrets than previously thought: a new global estimate of tree biodiversity suggests that there are about 9,200 tree species yet to be discovered. Most of these species are likely in the tropics, according to the new research, which was published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of … Read more

Signs of an Unknown Solar ‘Tsunami’ Have Been Discovered Deep Inside Earth’s Ice

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Deep beneath the ice in Greenland and Antarctica, researchers have found signs of an enormous solar ‘tsunami‘ that once crashed against Earth’s atmosphere more than 9,000 years ago.   This ancient superstorm was triggered by a wave of hot plasma and magnetism from the Sun, and it is significantly larger than anything we have recorded … Read more

Beetle Larvae on US University Campus Found to Jump in a Completely Unknown Way

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While most of us avoid creepy-crawlies at all costs, entomologists – scientists who study insects – need to actively go looking for them. “My colleague noticed a dead tree in the middle of our university campus,” entomologist Adrian Smith from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences told ScienceAlert.   “If you’re an entomologist, when you … Read more

Sleep: Unknown voices spark more activity in sleeping brain than familiar ones

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Unfamiliar voices seem to put the sleeping brain on alert in a way that familiar voices don’t Humans 17 January 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to monitor brain activity Shutterstock / NPS_87 The sleeping brain is more active if it hears unfamiliar voices rather than familiar ones. The finding suggests that … Read more

Scientists Identify a Previously Unknown Type of Storm, Called an ‘Atmospheric Lake’

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A new type of weather condition has been observed, existing primarily in one particular part of the world: compact, slow-moving, moisture-rich pools. Researchers are calling these ‘atmospheric lakes’.   This unique type of storm occurs over the western Indian Ocean and moves towards Africa. Unlike most storms – created by a vortex – the lakes … Read more