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Published

Mechanical computer relies on kirigami cubes, not electronics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a kirigami-inspired mechanical computer that uses a complex structure of rigid, interconnected polymer cubes to store, retrieve and erase data without relying on electronic components. The system also includes a reversible feature that allows users to control when data editing is permitted and when data should be locked in place.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Paleontology: Climate
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Ocean's loss of oxygen caused massive Jurassic extinction: Could it happen again?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a chemical clue in Italian limestone that explains a mass extinction of marine life in the Early Jurassic period, 183 million years ago. Volcanic activity pumped out CO2, warming oceans and lowering their oxygen levels. The findings may foretell the impact climate change and oxygen depletion might have on today's oceans.

Geoscience: Earth Science Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Space Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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Shocked quartz reveals evidence of historical cosmic airburst      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers continue to expand the case for the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis. The idea proposes that a fragmented comet smashed into the Earth's atmosphere 12,800 years ago, causing a widespread climatic shift that, among other things, led to the abrupt reversal of the Earth's warming trend and into an anomalous near-glacial period called the Younger Dryas.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate
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Carbon dioxide's heavy stamp on temperature: Doubling CO2 may mean 7 to 14 degree increase      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A doubling of the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere could cause an increase in the average temperature on earth from 7 to even a maximum of 14 degrees. That is shown in the analysis of sediments from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Ancient ocean slowdown warns of future climate chaos      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When it comes to the ocean's response to global warming, we're not in entirely uncharted waters. A new study shows that episodes of extreme heat in Earth's past caused the exchange of waters from the surface to the deep ocean to decline.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Climate
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Human activity contributed to woolly rhinoceros' extinction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered sustained hunting by humans prevented the woolly rhinoceros from accessing favourable habitats as Earth warmed following the Last Ice Age.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate
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Arctic melting heavily influenced by little-studied meteorological phenomena      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has combined paleoclimatic data from the last 2,000 years with powerful computer modeling and in-the-field research on lake sediments and tree rings to show that an understudied phenomenon, known as atmospheric blocking, has long influenced temperature swings in the Arctic. As temperatures warm due to climate change, atmospheric blocking will help drive ever-wilder weather events. The study focused on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago, Svalbard, at the edge of the Arctic Ocean.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
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Historic iceberg surges offer insights on modern climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A great armada entered the North Atlantic, launched from the cold shores of North America. But rather than ships off to war, this force was a fleet of icebergs. And the havoc it wrought was to the ocean current itself. The future of the Atlantic circulation will be determined by a tug-o-war between Greenland's decreasing ice flux and its increasing freshwater runoff.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Climate
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Local bright spot among melting glaciers: 2000 km of Antarctic ice-covered coastline has been stable for 85 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 have given researchers the most detailed picture of the ice evolution in East Antarctica to date. The results show that the ice has remained stable and even grown slightly over almost a century, though scientists observe early signs of weakening. The research offers new insights that enhance predictions of ice changes and sea level rise.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
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New research reveals that prehistoric seafloor pockmarks off the California coast are maintained by powerful sediment flows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research on a field of pockmarks -- large, circular depressions on the seafloor -- offshore of Central California has revealed that powerful sediment flows, not methane gas eruptions, maintain these prehistoric formations.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
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Record low Antarctic sea ice 'extremely unlikely' without climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have found that the record-low levels of sea ice around Antarctica in 2023 were extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate change. This low was a one-in-a-2000-year event without climate change and four times more likely under its effects.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Paleontology: Climate
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Early arrival and expansion of palaeolithic people on Cyprus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The patterns of dispersal of early humans across continents and islands are hotly debated, but researchers have found that Pleistocene hunter-gatherers settled in Cyprus thousands of years earlier than previously thought. In examining the timing of the first human occupation of Cyprus, research found that large islands in the Mediterranean Sea were attractive and favorable destinations for palaeolithic peoples. These findings refute previous studies that suggested Mediterranean islands would have been unreachable and inhospitable for Pleistocene hunter-gatherer societies.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
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Summers warm up faster than winters, fossil shells from Antwerp show      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a warmer climate, summers warm much faster than winters, according to research into fossil shells. With this knowledge we can better map the consequences of current global warming in the North Sea area.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
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Today's world: Fastest rate of carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Today's rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Human activity is making it harder for scientists to interpret oceans' past      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are preserved, with lasting effects that can both improve and impair the fossil record.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate
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It flickers, then it tips -- study identifies early warning signals for the end of the African humid period      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tipping points in the climate system can be the result of a slow but linear development. However, they can also be accompanied by a 'flickering', with two stable climatic states that alternate before a final transition occurs -- and the climate tips permanently.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Biometric
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VR may pose privacy risks for kids: A new study finds parents aren't as worried as they should be      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research finds that, while an increasing number of minors are using virtual reality (VR) apps, not many parents recognize the extent of the security and privacy risks that are specific to VR technologies. The study also found that few parents are taking active steps to address those security and privacy issues, such as using parental controls built into the apps.

Computer Science: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Paleontology: Climate
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New computer algorithm supercharges climate models and could lead to better predictions of future climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study describes a new computer algorithm which can be applied to Earth System Models to drastically reduce the time needed to prepare these in order to make accurate predictions of future climate change. During tests on models used in IPCC simulations, the algorithm was on average 10 times faster at spinning up the model than currently-used approaches, reducing the time taken to achieve equilibrium from many months to under a week.