A new study in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems reveals that the value of diamonds would be very different if humans had better access to subterranean rock, reports Sarah Sloat for Inverse. Roberta Rudnick, an earth science professor at the University of California is part of an international team that discovered there may be more than a quadrillion tons of diamonds … [Read more...] about Scientists Estimate That a Quadrillion Diamonds Are Hidden Within Earth
Ocean Circulation Is the Weakest It’s Been in 1,500 Years
The Atlantic Meridional overturning circulation (AMOC)—a key conveyor belt for ocean water and air, creating the weather—is slowing down, according to a study published in the journal Nature. Seth Borenstein reports for AP on the slowdown in circulation, a crucial part of Earth’s climate. Warm water moves north from the tropics, off the U.S. East Coast and … [Read more...] about Ocean Circulation Is the Weakest It’s Been in 1,500 Years
Biologists Uncover a Great White Shark Nursery
As fascinating and awe-inspiring as they may be, we know very little about great white sharks. Basic facts like where they mate, where the females go to birth, and where the pups live before swimming to rejoin the adults in the open ocean is still a mystery, even to biologists, writes Peter Hess for Inverse. Now, a team of scientists led by evolutionary biologist Toby … [Read more...] about Biologists Uncover a Great White Shark Nursery
Scientists Transfer Memory Between Snails Using Strings of RNA
Scientists successfully transfer long-term memory between snails by injecting strings of RNA into a group of mollusks. RNA, a chain of nucleic acids that carries information cells need to create proteins, was the subject of a study conducted by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles. The team set out to discover whether RNA can transfer memories from one … [Read more...] about Scientists Transfer Memory Between Snails Using Strings of RNA
Antarctica’s Basin Provides Fail-Safe to Rising Sea Levels
In West Antarctica, scientists predict that ice-sheet collapse could raise global sea levels by 3 meters in the coming centuries. But despite the grim (and what seems inevitable) outlook, researchers are documenting a result of the melting that may temporarily slow the collapse. As the ice melts the weight it exerts on the underlying crust—the bedrock beneath West … [Read more...] about Antarctica’s Basin Provides Fail-Safe to Rising Sea Levels
The Process of Toolmaking May Have Evolved Our Ability to Speak Languages
A new body of research argues that our ability to speak languages evolved from our hominin ancestors’ ability to produce complex tools. Accorsing to a study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, biologist Oren Kolodny argues that the process of passing toolmaking skills to kin caused early humans to develop the capacity for … [Read more...] about The Process of Toolmaking May Have Evolved Our Ability to Speak Languages
Lyft and Uber Believe They Have the Solution to Reduce Carbon Emissions
The U.S. transportation sector has become the top source of carbon dioxide emissions in the country, replacing power plants, reports Laura Bliss for Pacific Standard. Ride-hailing company, Lyft, announced earlier this month that all its passenger rides will be carbon neutral. It plans to end vehicle emissions by investing in carbon offset projects, as well as incorporating … [Read more...] about Lyft and Uber Believe They Have the Solution to Reduce Carbon Emissions
U.S. and U.K. Agencies Team Up to Examine Threats to West Antarctic Ice Sheet
A team of 100 scientists are travelling to West Antarctica to study the Thwaites glacier—the Antarctic ice sheet most at risk of melting in the near-future, writes Paul Voosen for Science. The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration is a $50 million effort, put together by U.S. and U.K science agencies. Six teams will be deployed to the remote ice sheet where they … [Read more...] about U.S. and U.K. Agencies Team Up to Examine Threats to West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Scientists Make Improvements to a Plastic-Eating Enzyme
Scientists say they have engineered an enzyme that can consume plastic. The plastic-eating enzyme could help combat pollution, write Kate Kelland and Stuart McDill for The Wire. Researchers from Britain’s University of Portsmouth and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory discovered the enzyme while studying the structure of a naturally … [Read more...] about Scientists Make Improvements to a Plastic-Eating Enzyme