Enlarge / The destabilization of ice sheets in West Antarctica would be a major climate tipping point. (credit: Alessandro Dahan / Getty Images ) Rising temperatures are producing some very predictable effects: gradually worsening droughts, a steady rise within sea levels, and so on. But we also risk crossing thresholds in which aspects of the […]
Enlarge / After thawing out, these tiny creatures started making clones of themselves. (credit: Michael Plewka) Rotifers are microscopic freshwater-dwelling multicellular organisms. They’re already known to withstand freezing (even in liquid nitrogen), boiling, desiccation, and radiation, and the group has persisted for millions of years without having sex. The humble yet remarkably hardy bdelloid rotifer […]
Enlarge / Lightning strikes in the far north of Canada. (credit: Sandra Angers-Blondin) The Arctic isn’t doing so hot. That’s because it is, in fact, too hot. It’s warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the planet, which is setting off vicious feedback loops that accelerate change. Ice, for instance, is more […]
Expand / / The puppy stays are dried outside but largely intact because of being buried in permafrost. (charge: Government of Yukon) This Ice Age Lady puppy does not seem {} a feral predator, but what with her little pet teeth and tender small ears. Based on her DNA, but the eldest pup, called Zhùr, […]