Researchers have revealed that all life as we see today descended from a microbe about four billion years ago. The microbe adapted itself to survive mineral-rich, oxygen-free and warm environments.
Researchers at James Cook University have shown how Australia’s Great Barrier Reef may be given improved protection. They have shown a way to halve the amount of fertiliser dairy farmers use and at the same time maintain pasture yields. This, in turn, would provide increases protection to the Great Barrier Reef.
A new study suggests that rocks formed beneath the ocean floor via rapidly-spreading tectonic plates may be a massive free source of hydrogen gas previously overlooked. The finding by Duke University researchers in the US may prove to be a goldmine for scientists as they believe free hydrogen gas (H2) may be responsible for life on Earth.
Scientists have revealed that the gravitational pull between the moon and the sun does not only cause high and low tides on Earth. The tug can also cause a special type of earthquake on the San Andreas Fault. Scientists have come to this conclusion after analysing 81,000 low-frequency earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault.
Researchers from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Rome have revealed that an “extinct” volcano is coming back to life. They have warned that if it erupts, it will be as violent as the Mt Vesuvius one that wiped out Pompeii completely.
After a two metre crocodile was spotted sunbathing at the popular Barron River aquatic recreation area, swimmers have been urged not to take a plunge in Lake Placid.
SpaceX is all set to send fresh cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and it will include a handheld DNA sequencer that may one day help in detecting alien life forms.
A gap in the sun’s magnetic field is allowing heat from the star to escape into space. Discovered by NASA, the mysterious coronal hole may cause communications chaos on Earth.
In an unusual move to protect sharks in Great Barrier Reef, WWF Australia has made a $100,000 purchase of shark net licence. The move aimed at removing the licence from circulation.
Researchers recently discovered flowers of a new orchid species that resembles the devil’s head. A close look at the flowers’ heart revealed the demonic patterns. The devilish orchid is a Critically Endangered species in the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) Red List.
Astronomers have discovered a new dwarf planet beyond Neptune and it circles our sun in a wide orbit. The scientists have made the discovery via a telescope at the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
A gigantic earthquake may be lurking under South Asia. A mega-thrust fault under Bangladesh, Myanmar and India may expose millions to the risk of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that could claim 140 million lives.
Scientists have revealed in a new study that a “Frankenstein” galaxy, formed from parts of other galaxies, is younger on its inside than the outside. UGC 1382 is situated about 250 million light years away and is seven times wider than out galaxy Milky Way.
The creepy-looking fish found in the sands of Virginia Beach that prompted a surfing group to warn beachgoers is not a real threat to humans, said an East Coast Surfing Championships (ECSC) Facebook post. However, visitors are still advised to be cautious and be on the lookout of the strange-looking fish that was spotted near the shoreline.
Just like the Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching, vast areas of mangrove in Australia’s north are dead. Scientists believe that climate change may have been responsible for the staggering deaths. The die-off occurred over a single month.
Researchers have developed a miniature device that may be capable of producing an endless supply of wine with the help of strategically-placed yeast and fermenting plane old grape juice. American and Swiss scientists are currently trialling the micro winery that can turn grape juice into alcoholic wine in just an hour. Conventional winemakers sometimes take weeks to produce the alcoholic wine.
An international team of scientists have recently discovered a strange planet in a faraway solar system that has not one but three suns. The planet, named HD 131399Ab, is way weirder than Luke Skywalker’s home planet Tatooine in the Star Wars saga that orbited around two suns.
NASA's Huygens and Cassini missions have revealed that Saturn’s moon Titan may support non-water-based life. The missions provided invaluable data on chemical elements found on Titan, and Cornell scientists have been able to find a chemical trail that suggests that prebiotic conditions may exist there.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef may be contaminated, at least that’s what turtle herpes outbreak suggests. This has raised concerns for the health of the reef after it suffered massive coral bleaching brought about by human-induced climate change.
Latest research has revealed that dinosaurs were wiped out by a “one-two punch” of twin disasters. It was kind of a double whammy of bad luck as per the scientists. It was not a single catastrophe that killed of the massive beasts.
In a massive landslide this week, a 4,000-foot-high mountainside collapsed in Glacier Bay National Park. It spread debris for miles across the glacier below. The collapse comes as a powerful reminder of the instable mountains in this part of Alaska.
Researchers are baffled after discovering for the first time a ghostly fish that measures just 10 centimetres. It is for the first time that researchers have spotted this fish alive, more than two kilometres below the ocean’s surface.
University of Western Australia (UWA) researchers have given the Shark Shield a green signal, which comes as a relief to divers and surfers after the recent spate of shark attacks in Australia.
Antarctica’s Adélie penguin population is steadily declining due to rising sea surface temperatures. Climate change to bring down population further by up to 60 percent by end of this century.
A new species of tarantula spider has been discovered in the Sierra Nevada desert and experts believe that the spiders have a strong taste for violence.
Researchers have revealed that the ozone hole over Antarctica is finally healing almost 30 years after the world banned the chemicals that created it.
Lab experiments have revealed that the chemistry of Mercury’s most ancient plains was likely forged near the planet’s core. NASA researchers said that Mercury’s surface feature originated from intense heating and crushing of rock 400 kilometres down, where the planet’s mantle meets the iron core.
Tracking devices on whale sharks in Indonesia have revealed incredible mysteries about the gentle giant fish. One of the interesting finds is that whale sharks take amazing “road trips” to faraway destinations and the reason is unknown to experts.
Climate experts have predicted that the Earth may be heading towards a mini Ice Age as the face of the sun has “gone blank.” Experts analysed the solar surface that is currently exhibiting a distinct lack of action. If this happens, it might be similar to the “Game of Thrones” catchphrase: “Winter is Coming.”
A Norway-based exploration company, working with Durham and Oxford universities, has discovered vast reserves of the rare vital gas helium in Tanzania. The scientists believe that this massive reserve of the rare gas may rescue the world from a shortage.
