Mega volcanism indicted in dinosaur demise
Science News, December 2014New dating of a colossal series of volcanic outpourings bolsters the idea that the Chicxulub asteroid impact had help in wiping out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
California drought worst in at least 1,200 years
Science News, December 2014The ongoing California drought is the driest period in the state’s history since before Charlemagne ruled the Holy Roman Empire, a new study concludes.
Ancient moon’s mega magnetic field explained
Science News, December 2014The powerful magnetic field that surrounded the fledgling moon billions of years ago probably originated from the roiling lunar interior, not asteroid impacts.
War Zone Volcano: Scientists face an uphill battle to reveal Mount Nyiragongo’s fiery past and forecast its future
Science News, December 2014On clear nights a red glow radiates from the top of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On the mountain’s summit the source of the light thrashes and boils: the largest and most active lava lake in the world.
Feature article on scientists uncovering the eruptive history of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, facing fast-flowing lava, armed bandits, and missile strikes. Story accompanied by slideshow and podcast. Published in both online and print editions. Cover story of special issue on disasters.
Earth’s most abundant mineral finally has a name
Science News, November 2014A space rock has helped scientists characterize, and finally name, the planet’s most common mineral.
Adapted for Science News for Students.
Robotic subs reveal thicker Antarctic sea ice
Science News, November 2014The sea ice surrounding Antarctica may be thicker than previously thought. Earlier estimates using shipboard observations and drill cores had suggested that the Southern Ocean ice pack was thinner than 1 meter on average. New measurements, reported November 24 in Nature Geoscience, show ice floes with thicknesses ranging from 1.4 to 5.5 meters, with some areas as thick as 16 meters.
Lightning strikes will surge with climate change
Science News, November 2014Global warming could have an electrifying effect. Climate calculations suggest that U.S. lightning frequency will increase about 12 percent for every 1 degree Celsius in warming, researchers report in the Nov. 14 Science.
Adapted for Science News for Students.
Some trilobites sported dual digestive tracts
Science News, October 2014Some trilobites scurrying across the seafloor around 500 million years ago probably sported two-lane digestive tracks, new research shows.
Ancient jellyfish suffered strange, sandy death
Science News, October 2014Tentacle-draped jellyfish might seem odd, and their deaths can be even weirder. Paleontologist Graham Young of the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg reconstructed the bizarre final moments of an ancient jellyfish entombed for roughly 310 million years inside a black shale slab in Indiana.
Adapted for Science News for Students.
Supersized sunspot is largest in decades
Science News, October 2014A colossal sunspot large enough to be seen with the naked eye now blemishes the nearside of the sun, covering an area wide enough to comfortably fit 10 Earths side by side. The new sunspot, dubbed AR 12192, is the largest observed since 1990.