Search results: glacier

A new AI model reveals the volume of the world’s glaciers

A new AI model reveals the volume of the world’s glaciers

Artificial IntelligenceEnvironmentGeosciences

By Mapping Ignorance

How much ice is stored in the world’s glaciers? And where exactly is it located? A new study led by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, in collaboration with the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISP), provides an updated global map of glacier ice volume. The study introduces IceBoost v2.0 […]

Peak glacier extinction

Peak glacier extinction

Geosciences

By Mapping Ignorance

Glaciers are melting worldwide. In some regions, they could even disappear completely. Looking at the number of glaciers disappearing, the Alps could reach their peak loss rate as early as 2033 to 2041. Depending on how sharply the planet warms, this period may mark a time when more glaciers vanish than ever before. Worldwide, the […]

Greenland ’s glaciers are melting at an unprecedented pace

Greenland ’s glaciers are melting at an unprecedented pace

EcologyGeosciences

By César Tomé

In the largest survey of its kind ever conducted researchers from the University of Copenhagen firmly established a fivefold increase in the melting of Greenland ‘s glaciers over the last 20 years. Using both satellite imagery and old aerial photos from the Danish National Archives, researchers from the University of Copenhagen firmly establish that Greenland’s […]

The giant viruses that orchestrate life in the polar regions

The giant viruses that orchestrate life in the polar regions

BiologyMicrobiology

By Invited Researcher

Authors: Thomas M. Pitot, Chercheur postdoctoral en microbiologie, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) and Catherine Girard, Professeure-Chercheure en microbiologie, Université Laval Viruses play a major role in the functioning of ecosystems. They profoundly influence the dynamics of microbial communities, flow of matter and global biogeochemical cycles. Yet despite their abundance and ecological importance, many […]

Why jaws evolved

Why jaws evolved

EvolutionGeosciences

By Mapping Ignorance

Some 445 million years ago, life on Earth was forever changed. During the geological blink of an eye, glaciers formed over the supercontinent Gondwana, drying out many of the vast, shallow seas like a sponge and giving an “icehouse climate” that, together with radically changed ocean chemistry, ultimately caused the extinction of about 85% of […]

Secrets of 1.4 billion-year-old air

Secrets of 1.4 billion-year-old air

ChemistryEcologyEnvironmentEvolutionGeosciences

By Mapping Ignorance

More than a billion years ago, in a shallow basin across what is now northern Ontario, a subtropical lake much like modern-day Death Valley evaporated under the sun’s gentle heat, leaving behind crystals of halite—rock salt. It was a very different world than the one we know today. Bacteria were the dominant form of life […]

The melting ice caps of Greenland reveal the true extent of climate change

The melting ice caps of Greenland reveal the true extent of climate change

Geosciences

By Invited Researcher

Authors: Alejandro Gómez Pazo, Profesor Ayudante Doctor. Departamento de Geografía y Geología, Universidad de León; Marc Oliva, Profesor, Departamento de Geografía, Universitat de Barcelona, and Xosé Lois Otero Pérez, Catedrático del Centro Singular CRETUS. Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela For most of us, first-hand knowledge of Greenland is probably […]

On real-life Mars exploration

On real-life Mars exploration

GeosciencesPlanetary Science

By Invited Researcher

Author: Ari Koeppel, Postdoctoral Scientist in Earth and Planetary Science, Dartmouth College Andy Weir’s bestselling story “The Martian” predicts that by 2035 NASA will have landed humans on Mars three times, perfected return-to-Earth flight systems and collaborated with the China National Space Administration. We are now 10 years past the Hollywood adaptation’s 2015 release and […]

MI weekly selection #604

MI weekly selection #604

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

New bacterium found on Tiangong space station Researchers have discovered a previously unknown bacterium, Niallia tiangongensis, on China’s Tiangong space station. The bacterium, found in swabs taken by the Shenzhou-15 crew, shows unique traits that may help it survive the harsh space environment. Full Story: ScienceAlert Unique facial tattoos discovered on 800-year-old mummy Researchers have […]