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Warming climates are causing permafrost to thaw, releasing metal ores trapped within the frozen ground into rivers and streams, turning their waters a rust-like orange.A team of scientists from the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and other organizations recently published findings on Alaska’s "rusting" waterways after nearly two years of sampling and research. The study was featured in Nature Communications Earth & Environment on May 20.Jon O'Donnell, an ecologist with the NPS and the study's lead author, first noticed this unusual phenomenon in 2018. He observed a river in Alaska turning orange, despite being crystal clear the year before. Since then, the number of orange-tinted rivers and streams has grown significantly, with some now visible from space.
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Onyx, the longest river in Antarctica, defies convention by not flowing toward the ocean but in the opposite direction due to the continent's unique geological characteristics.
Antarctica holds vast amounts of water, though most of it is frozen. As a result, many assume rivers don't exist on this icy continent. However, that's not entirely true. Antarctica does have some flowing water, appearing at least a few months each year. The longest of these flows is the Onyx River, a remarkable and peculiar feature of the frozen landscape. -
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For the first time, filmmakers have captured a coconut octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) using its siphon to shoot rocks at predatory fish while hiding in a shell, resembling a skilled sniper.The footage, featured in Netflix’s Our Ocean, shows the coconut octopus firing small stones from its siphon—a structure typically used for swimming and navigation—at fish swimming nearby, according to Live Science."We couldn’t believe it," said Katy Moorhead, assistant producer and field director of the show. "It was shooting rocks at fish with its siphon. No one has ever filmed a coconut octopus using its siphon as a weapon before."
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SpaceX and NASA have released a series of concept images illustrating how the reusable Starship launch system will transport astronauts to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.
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A gravity anomaly in the Indian Ocean has puzzled scientists for decades. Known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, this region has a lower gravitational pull due to a reduction in Earth’s mass, causing sea levels to dip by 106 meters compared to global averages.Discovered in 1948, the Indian Ocean Geoid Low marks the deepest depression in Earth’s gravitational field. It is a vast, circular region spanning 3.1 million square kilometers, located about 1,200 kilometers southwest of India. Despite numerous theories since its discovery, the mystery surrounding its origins remained unresolved until recently. In 2023, a study published in Geophysical Research Letters offered groundbreaking insights.
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Deep in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru lies a natural wonder capable of boiling anything that falls into its waters. The "Boiling River," known locally as Shanay-timpishka or La Bomba, reaches scalding temperatures of up to 86°C (187°F), enough to cook any object or creature that unwittingly enters it.For centuries, the indigenous communities of the Amazon have known of this remarkable river. Yet, its existence was long doubted by scholars, authorities, and even the fossil fuel industry. Typically, geothermal features like hot springs are found near volcanic activity, but the Amazon rainforest is far from any volcano. The closest volcanic center is over 700 kilometers away.
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Scientists from the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) project are mapping all 37 trillion cells in the human body, detailing their locations to advance disease research and the development of targeted treatments.On November 20, HCA researchers unveiled over 40 studies across several Nature journals, contributing to a groundbreaking draft of the Human Cell Atlas. These studies chart cells from various organs and systems—such as the lungs, brain, and skin—and introduce advanced computational tools to analyze the immense data.
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The KUB-M shelter, designed as a reinforced shipping container, consists of two modules capable of accommodating approximately 54 people.Russia has begun mass production of mobile bomb shelters that can protect individuals from harmful radiation effects for up to 48 hours in the event of a nuclear attack, Interesting Engineering reported on November 20. According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations' research institute, the KUB-M shelters are designed to protect against explosions, shrapnel, debris, chemical threats, and even fires.Each KUB-M shelter includes two modules and a technical compartment, with the capability to add more modules if needed, Reuters reported. These shelters are also designed to operate in Russia's harsh permafrost regions. The KUB-M units can be transported via truck and connected to water supplies.
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The manchineel tree (Hippomane mancinella) is recognized as the "world’s most dangerous tree" by the Guinness World Records, as every part of it contains lethal toxins.This tree grows in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, northern South America, the Galápagos Islands, and various parts of Florida. When Spanish explorers first encountered it during their conquest of the Americas, they dubbed it the "tree of death." Even touching its bark can cause chemical burns, though the most potent toxins are found in its fruit. Despite their sweet taste, manchineel fruits can induce severe vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures, according to IFL Science.
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Approximately 15 minutes before the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in 2022, a seismic wave was detected by monitoring stations located 750 km away.On January 15, 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in the Tonga archipelago unleashed a powerful eruption, the most intense ever recorded with modern equipment, shaking the South Pacific. A recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters identifies a mysterious signal that occurred just before this catastrophic event.
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The winter solstice doesn’t coincide with the coldest day of the year due to Earth’s axial tilt and its ability to retain heat.The darkest day of the year—featuring the least amount of sunlight and the longest night—is the winter solstice. However, the coldest period of the year typically occurs about a month after the solstice. This delay is explained by Earth’s axial tilt and the way it absorbs and releases heat, according to Live Science.
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During its sixth test flight earlier today, SpaceX's Starship rocket successfully launched, but the company opted not to use its "chopsticks" system to recover the Super Heavy booster, which subsequently exploded upon splashdown.At 4 p.m. CST on November 19, the Starship rocket lifted off from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster ignited, propelling the vehicle into space.
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The Midcontinent Rift Zone in North America could become a massive natural hydrogen production source, supporting the global demand for clean energy.About 1.1 billion years ago, the North American continent nearly split in two, leaving behind a 1,900-kilometer-long volcanic rock formation known as the Midcontinent Rift Zone. Researchers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are studying this rift—which stretches from beneath Lake Superior through parts of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas—to determine how best to access the vast amounts of hydrogen it harbors, SciTechDaily reported on November 15.
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If a black hole came close to Earth, it could heat the planet, evaporate oceans, and make life uninhabitable.A black hole is an almost invisible object with gravity so strong that even light cannot escape. The consequences of such an object entering the Solar System depend on several factors, including the black hole's size and distance, according to Live Science. Known black holes are either stellar-mass black holes (several to 100 times the mass of the Sun) or supermassive black holes (100,000 to billions of times the Sun’s mass), typically found at galactic centers.If a stellar-mass black hole or larger were to pass through the Solar System, it could cause catastrophic events depending on its proximity and speed. For instance, if it passed through the Oort Cloud—the most distant region of the Solar System—it could disrupt the orbits of comets and asteroids, sending them hurtling toward Earth, explains Karina Voggel, a postdoctoral researcher at the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center in France.
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Astronomers have discovered two supermassive black holes in the galaxy 2MASX J21240027+340911 orbiting closer together and jointly consuming interstellar material.For about a decade, the galaxy 2MASX J21240027+340911 has been known to host an active nucleus. At its core, a supermassive black hole has been devouring interstellar material—gas or dust—that strays too close. Recently, astronomers detected a repeating signal from this object, hinting at a more complex structure. It turns out that the core of this galaxy houses not one but two supermassive black holes—both sharing the same "meal."
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, sparking years of scientific debate and attempts to clarify the decision.The IAU's decision to demote Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006 has prompted astronomers to revisit and refine the criteria for distinguishing planets from other celestial bodies. Central to this controversy is the question: why is Pluto no longer considered a planet?The issue stems from the definition—or lack thereof—of what constitutes a planet. Before 2006, there were no strict criteria for classifying planets. Instead, planets were loosely defined as objects larger than asteroids that orbited the Sun. For example, in the mid-1800s, more than a dozen objects considered planets at the time were later reclassified as asteroids.
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A floating island resembling an eye in the Paraná Delta’s marshlands was formed by the effects of erosion and circular water currents.El Ojo (Spanish for "The Eye") is an enigmatic uninhabited floating island located in the swampy Paraná Delta of Argentina. Its name derives from its perfectly circular shape, which resembles an eyeball when viewed from above, according to Live Science.
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SpaceX has transported the Starship spacecraft to the launch pad at Starbase, preparing for its sixth test flight scheduled for November 18.
On November 12, Elon Musk’s company moved the 50-meter-tall upper stage of Starship to the launch site at its facility in South Texas.
Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The vehicle consists of an upper stage—referred to as Starship or simply "Ship"—and a massive first-stage booster called Super Heavy. When stacked together, the rocket reaches nearly 122 meters tall, equivalent to half the height of the Eiffel Tower, and weighs approximately 3,000 tons. -
An Icelandic photographer shared a mesmerizing video on social media, capturing red-hot lava from the Sundhnúkagígar volcano flowing over snow without creating steam.The footage, recorded by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove during the Sundhnúkagígar eruption in February 2024, showcases an extraordinary moment in nature. This eruption was part of a series of larger volcanic events from 2023 to 2024 that caused significant destruction, including damage to structures in the town of Grindavík. Van Nieuwenhove's video garnered massive attention online, amassing around 500,000 likes, according to a report by IFL Science on November 14.
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Australia – An emperor penguin, native to Antarctica, unexpectedly appeared on Ocean Beach, Denmark, in early November.A beachgoer discovered the bird and alerted local authorities. This rare and unusual encounter may mark the first time an emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) has been spotted on the Australian mainland, according to Interesting Engineering on November 13.
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