The past year has delighted scientists with new species of aquatic life
Three new species of pond snails, new species of deep-sea snails, a new giant sea bug called “Darth Vader,” a “big-butt star,” a “small sweet potato,” and dozens of previously unseen species have been discovered.
New and newly discovered species of the most amazing insects
A giant centipede disappeared 126 years ago, but researchers found it in the wild. New butterfly species have been discovered in the Kuril Nature Reserve. A new, terrifying giant insect may be the heaviest ever recorded in Australia.
The Moon’s gravity caused periods of rapid development of life on Earth
Researchers have found that Earth’s days once became longer by more than two hours because the moon shifted thousands of miles in its orbit over two periods. The extra hours of sunlight, in turn, may have led to oxygenation, which marked a period of rapid development of life on Earth, the researchers say.
Climate change is having a detrimental effect on marine life
Climate change is affecting salmon migration. Coral die-offs off Australia in the summer of 2024 are linked to rising Pacific temperatures. The world’s largest and most devastating sponge die-off has been recorded off New Zealand. Global warming will reduce the survival rate of shark embryos during spawning by up to eight times. The University of California Institute of Marine Science, along with a large team from other institutions, has created early warning systems that predict where marine heat waves (MHWS) will occur.
30 previously unknown species of invertebrates and insects discovered on thawed glaciers of the Central Caucasus
Scientists have discovered 30 previously unknown species of invertebrates and insects in areas of the Central Caucasus glaciers that have thawed due to global warming. According to the press service of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a total of 438 species of invertebrates live in the areas studied.
Deer and antelope have recently significantly expanded their habitat
Reindeer are expanding their range northwards. This could harm some species, such as the northern caribou. In recent decades, Taimyr reindeer and geese have significantly changed the timing and nature of their movements. Researchers have also recorded the largest wildlife migration in the world in eastern South Sudan.
Birds are changing their behavior and activities due to climate change
Climate change is preventing birds from reproducing. Scientists have already found out that changes in natural and climatic conditions have a negative impact on the population of seabirds. Accelerating trends in climate change on the planet are confirmed by new patterns in the behavior of animals and birds of Western Taimyr. New studies show that increasing tropical storms threaten seabirds. Southern birds and spiders get to the Arctic through “corridors” that have appeared due to the melting of permafrost.
Invasive house mice eat wandering albatrosses alive in southern South Africa
Marion Island’s wandering albatrosses can’t protect themselves from an invasive mouse population that’s eating the birds alive, but conservationists say a rodenticide ‘bomb’ could save them. Invasive mice are eating albatrosses alive on a remote Indian Ocean island, so conservationists have come up with an explosive solution: ‘mouse bombing’.
Extreme heat waves cause deadly heat stress and fires around the world
Unbearable temperatures exceeding 40° and 50° are increasingly observed in many parts of the world, paralyzing society and creating a serious threat to the health and well-being of people. One of the main consequences of global warming is extreme weather events, which include, in particular, periods of abnormally high temperatures in winter, heat waves in summer. They can cause severe heat stress for the human body, against which background already existing diseases are most often exacerbated.
Scientists have linked the development of life with a magnetic field and concluded about magnetic fields on other planets
The weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field has led to a dramatic acceleration in the evolution of multicellular life. Fossil evidence has been found in Brazil and South Africa that the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field was about 30 times weaker than today’s values at the end of the Ediacaran period, about 590 to 560 million years ago. One of the defining features of the Earth is its magnetic field. It forms a protective shield against high-energy particles ejected by the Sun, and thus may have provided a safer place for life to grow into the complex array of organisms we see today.
Scientists have found that life on our planet could not have appeared without the Earth’s magnetic field
The movement of the iron core generates electricity, which results in a magnetic orientation of the entire planet. Scientists can trace the magnetic history of our planet through cooled lava. Because the planet’s magnetism deflects solar radiation, it allows life to exist on Earth. In fact, throughout the history of our planet, the poles have even changed their position several times, and the magnetic field strength has increased and decreased. The rocks indicate that Earth had a strong magnetic field 3.7 billion years ago, but scientists are not sure where the field might have come from. Magnetized boulders have also been discovered on the Moon.
Global warming will allow species of flora and fauna to colonize previously uncharacteristic territories
In Russia, it was revealed that the fauna of Siberia is becoming more southern due to climate change. Global warming will allow tropical species from the Atlantic to colonize the Mediterranean Sea. Global warming is making some species of marine animals more susceptible to the spread of diseases such as avian influenza due to the animals congregating in breeding and feeding areas or changing migration patterns. Some researchers are concerned that current rates of warming could make oceans as warm and acidic as they were during the end of the Permian extinction, 250 million years ago, when up to 90 percent of marine species died out.
Microplastics have been found in the bodies of people, animals and in various parts of the world – from snow in the distant Arctic to the clouds of Mount Fuji
Researchers are already finding microplastics in all environments and organisms. There is still no clear opinion about the dangers of micro- (particles less than 5 mm) and nanoparticles (less than 100 nm) plastic to humans and to the terrestrial biota in general. Apparently, common plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene are harmless in themselves. However, additives added by manufacturers to plastics to improve their performance properties and which are secret know-how to society and regulatory authorities can cause serious harm to the environment. And most importantly, plastic particles are adsorbents and carriers of chemical and bacterial pollution.
Cases of attacks by tigers and bears on livestock and people in the Primorsky Territory have become more frequent
Tiger attacks on livestock have become more frequent in the Primorsky Territory. Specialists from the Amur Tiger Center are confident that the problem is not related to a lack of food, but to the negligence and carelessness of local residents. In their opinion, people themselves create favorable conditions for attacks by predators. But in any case, the center provides compensation to the owners of animals that died from the paws of a tiger.
Scientists are discovering new species of animals on Earth
Experts have yet to discover several hundred more species of mammals. In addition, 5,000 viruses unknown to science were discovered in the ocean, 17 new species of millipedes in the Appalachians, a new species of turtle on the Galapagos Islands, and a new species of jellyfish in the depths of the bay near California.
New data discovered for mosquito control
New landmarks for mosquitoes to find victims, respond to insecticides, and ways to combat malaria have been established.
Apes have their own alternative medicine
Researchers have noticed how chimpanzees use insects to treat their own wounds and the wounds of their relatives. At the same time, the healing properties of some insects have been known to people since ancient times.
Chimpanzees figured out the function of television
Chimpanzees watch their relatives with interest on Zoom.
African elephants are on the verge of extinction
The number of animals that have lived on our planet for more than three million years has rapidly decreased to critical levels. African elephants have practically no enemies in their habitat; the reason for their extinction is human poaching.