Asteroids boiled young Earth’s oceans, remnant rocks suggest
Science News, May 2015Asteroid impacts around 3.3 billion years ago may have created hell on Earth.
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Another strong quake strikes Nepal
Science News, May 2015A magnitude 7.3 earthquake rattled eastern Nepal near Mount Everest on May 12, hitting just 17 days after one that killed more than 8,000 people in the region. The latest quake is the largest aftershock to date of the April 25 Nepal earthquake, which struck around 150 kilometers to the west, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
Flood planners should not forget beavers
Science News, May 2015Busy beavers can curtail rising floodwaters, new research shows. The work suggests that beaver dams can provide natural flood protection and that officials should consider encouraging beaver construction projects as part of flood prevention plans, the researchers say.
Rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide rise unprecedented
Science News, May 2015Humans are dumping extra carbon into the atmosphere at a rate unprecedented since at least the time the dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago, new research suggests.
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Scientists take first picture of thunder
Science News, May 2015For the first time, scientists have precisely captured a map of the boisterous bang radiating from a lightning strike. The work could reveal the energies involved in powering some of nature’s flashiest light shows.
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Stronger quakes could strike other segments of Nepal fault
Science News, April 2015The April 25 earthquake that devastated Nepal, killing thousands, isn’t the end of seismic hazards in the region. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake relieved pent-up stress along just one segment of the tectonic plate boundary between India and the rest of Asia. Even larger quakes could strike to the west and in nearby Bhutan to the east, scientists warn.
Adapted for Science News for Students.
Just 1 percent of Amazon’s trees hold half of its carbon
Science News, April 2015The Amazon rainforest holds more carbon than any other ecosystem, but only a handful of tree species do most of the work of keeping carbon out of the air. Surveying 530 areas throughout the rainforest, researchers found that roughly 1 percent of Amazonian tree species handle half of the forest’s carbon storage.
Hidden water found deep beneath Antarctica desert valley
Science News, April 2015The underside of Antarctica’s dry valleys isn’t so dry after all. Researchers have discovered extensive saltwater basins more than 100 meters beneath the permafrost, glaciers and frozen lakes that cover one of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Scientists had previously believed this underground realm was hard, frozen earth. The newly discovered groundwater may have been sealed off for millions of years and could support microbial life, the researchers report online April 28 in Nature Communications.
Massive magma pool found deep below Yellowstone
Science News, April 2015Every day, the supervolcano lurking under Yellowstone National Park belches up 45,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide — much more than could be produced by the known magma chamber that lies just below the surface. Now, scientists have spotted a source of the excess gas, and it’s a doozy. They’ve discovered a magma pool containing enough hot rock to fill the Grand Canyon 11 times, the researchers report online April 23 in Science.
Monster storm dominates view from space station
Science News, April 2015Looking down from 400 kilometers above Earth, astronauts aboard the International Space Station couldn’t help but gawk at a huge typhoon churning in the Western Pacific. On March 31, European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti captured this photo of Typhoon Maysak at near-peak strength as it drifted toward the Philippines.