Author: Maheen McMahon

Towards the end of the Paleozoic, a period of cold climate was interrupted by an episode of temporary but dazzling warming, accompanied by generalized anoxia of the oceans due to a massive release of carbon dioxide, as evidenced by a study published in the magazine PNAS on May 2. About 320 to 270 million years […]

Several British aerospace engineering players are currently considering a major project. The objective would be to assemble a first orbital solar power plant in the mid-2030s. However, the researchers assure that the technology to support such a structure already exists. We know that an orbital solar power plant project has been in the Chinese papers […]

A team of paleontologists announces the discovery of an “exceptionally well-preserved” ancient animal in southern Ontario. The specimen, which had no eyes, moved on the seabed by means of stilts. It evolved about 450 million years ago. The vast majority of fossils are originally made of biosynthesized minerals, which facilitates their preservation. Conversely, soft tissues […]

Atmospheric methane may be the first sign of life beyond Earth detectable by astronomers. While non-biological processes can also generate it, a new study establishes a set of circumstances that may point to true biological activity on a rocky planet. Many technical means, under the tutelage of some of the brightest minds on the planet, […]

Researchers have used the “invisible species” ecological model to estimate the number of medieval chivalrous works and heroic tales lost throughout history. According to this work, more than 90% of these testimonies would have disappeared. Our ancestors left us books, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and other artefacts that allow us to better understand their cultures. However, […]

Extinction specialists have tried to bring the Christmas Island rat back from the dead. The species had been exterminated in Australia a little over a century ago. To do this, they relied on a related species: the brown rat. Details of the study are published in the journal Current Biology. Deextinction is the process of […]

In general, it is rather rare to directly observe a rogue wave. In western Canada, two years ago, however, a buoy recorded the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded. The size of the latter was as imposing as a six or seven story building, but its main feature is elsewhere. Rare but impressive sightings First […]

Located at 8020 meters above sea level, the South Col glacier is the highest on Mount Everest. However, despite its elevation, the latest research shows that a thickness equivalent to several decades of accumulation is now lost each year. The results were published in the journal NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science on February 3. Chronicle […]

According to a study, microorganisms have adapted to one of the most hostile environments on Earth, a sulphurous and acidic lake in Costa Rica considered an analogue of the ancient lakes of Mars. One of the most hostile environments in the world Located at 2300 meters above sea level, Laguna Caliente is one of the […]