Category: 7. Science

  • 56 million years ago, Earth underwent rapid global warming. Here’s what it did to pollinators

    56 million years ago, Earth underwent rapid global warming. Here’s what it did to pollinators

    This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

    Pollinators play a vital role in fertilizing flowers, which grow into seeds and fruits and underpin our agriculture. But climate change can cause a mismatch between plants and their pollinators, affecting where they live and what time of year they’re active. This has happened before.

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  • Scientists discover armored “goblin monster” in prehistoric Utah

    Scientists discover armored “goblin monster” in prehistoric Utah

    A newly discovered, raccoon-sized armored monstersaurian from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Southern Utah, United States, reveals a surprising diversity of large lizards at the pinnacle of the age of dinosaurs. Named for the goblin prince from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” the new species Bolg amondol also illuminates the sometimes-murky path that life traveled between ancient continents.

    “I opened this jar of bones labeled ‘lizard’ at the Natural History Museum of Utah, and was like, oh wow, there’s a fragmentary skeleton here,” said lead author Hank Woolley from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s Dinosaur Institute. “We know very little about large-bodied lizards from the Kaiparowits Formation in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, so I knew this was significant right away.”

    Published on June 17, 2025 in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the collaborative research led by the Dinosaur Institute and the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) reveals hidden treasures awaiting future paleontologists in the bowels of museum fossil collections, and the vast potential of paleontological heritage preserved in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and other public lands.

    “Discovering a new species of lizard that is an ancestor of modern Gila monsters is pretty cool in and of itself, but what’s particularly exciting is what it tells us about the unique 76-million-year-old ecosystem it lived in,” said co-author Randy Irmis, associate professor at the University of Utah and curator of paleontology at NHMU. “The fact that Bolgco-existed with several other large lizard species indicates that this was a stable and productive ecosystem where these animals were taking advantage of a wide variety of prey and different micro-habitats.”

    A Middle Earth-inspired moniker

    Bolg represents an evolutionary lineage that sprouted within a group of large-bodied lizards called monstersaurs, that still roam the deserts from which Bolg was recovered. Woolley knew that a new species of monstersaur called for an appropriate name from an iconic monster creator, Tolkien.

    Bolg is a great sounding name. It’s a goblin prince from ‘The Hobbit,’ and I think of these lizards as goblin-like, especially looking at their skulls,” said Woolley. He used the fictional Tolkien Elvish language Sindarin to craft the species epithet. “Amon” means “mound,” and “dol” means “head,” a reference to the mound-like osteoderms found on Bolg’s and other monstersaur’s skulls. “Mound-headed Bolg” would fit right in with the goblins — and it’s revealing quite a bit about monstersaurs.

    Hidden gems in collection drawers

    The Bolg amondol discovery highlights the likelihood that more large-bodied lizards existed during the Late Cretaceous Period than previously thought. Bolg, along with other fossils from the Kaiparowits Formation, demonstrate at least three types of predatory lizards lived in the Late Cretaceous sub-tropical floodplains of what is now Southern Utah. Additionally, this find shows that unexplored diversity is waiting to be dug up both in the field and in paleontology collections.

    Bolg is a great example of the importance of natural history museum collections,” Irmis said. “Although we knew the specimen was significant when it was discovered back in 2005, it took a specialist in lizard evolution like Hank to truly recognize its scientific importance and take on the task of researching and scientifically describing this new species.”

    The researchers identified the new species from tiny pieces of skull, limbs, girdles, vertebrae and bony armor called osteoderms. Most fossil lizards from the age of dinosaurs are even scrappier — often just single, isolated bones or teeth — so despite their fragmentary nature, the parts of Bolg‘s skeleton that survived contain a stunning amount of information.

    “That means more characteristics are available for us to assess and compare to similar-looking lizards. Importantly, we can use those characteristics to understand this animal’s evolutionary relationships and test hypotheses about where it fits on the lizard tree of life,” Woolley said.

    Stairway to monstersaurs

    The monstersauria are characterized by their large size and distinctive features, such as sharp, spire-like teeth and pitted, polygonal armor attached to their skulls. They have a roughly 100-million-year history, but their fossil record is largely incomplete, making the discoverya big deal for understanding these charismatic lizards. Bolg would have been a bit of a monster to our eyes.

    “Three feet tip to tail, maybe even bigger than that, depending on the length of the tail and torso,” said Woolley. “So, by modern lizard standards they’re a very large animal, similar in size to a Savannah monitor lizard; something that you wouldn’t want to mess around with.”

    Bolg’s closest known relative hails from the other side of the planet in the Gobi Desert of Asia. Though dinosaurs have long been known to have traveled between the once-connected continents of the Late Cretaceous Period, Bolg reveals that smaller animals also made the trek, suggesting there were common patterns of biogeography across terrestrial vertebrates during this time.

    The rocks where Bolg was discovered — the Kaiparowits Formation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — have emerged as a paleontological hotspot over the past 25 years, producing one of the most astounding dinosaur-dominated records in North America. Discoveries like this underscore the importance of preserving public lands in the Western U.S. for science and research.

    “The exceptional record of big lizards from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument may prove to be a normal part of dinosaur-dominated ecosystems from North America, filling key roles as smaller predators hunting down eggs and small animals in the forests of Laramidia,” said co-author Joe Sertich from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Colorado State University.

    This story is edited from the original by Tyler Hayden, science communication specialist, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

    Other authors include Keegan Melstrom, University of Central Oklahoma and Nathan Smith, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Dinosaur Institute. Field collection of the specimens described in this study was conducted under paleontological permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This study was funded by the BLM, National Science Foundation award 2205564, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Dinosaur Institute and the University of Utah.

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  • ‘Weird’ New Dinosaur Covered in Spiky Armor Discovered

    ‘Weird’ New Dinosaur Covered in Spiky Armor Discovered

    A strange fossil pulled from Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains has turned out to be the earliest known ankylosaur, and by far one of the weirdest. The dinosaur, Spicomellus afer, had spikes growing through its ribs and an armored neck lined with meter-long blades that jutted out like spears.

    At first, researchers weren’t convinced it was real. “The first thing we did was a CT scan to check that it wasn’t fake and that somebody hadn’t stuck spines onto the top of the ring,” Susannah Maidment, a paleontologist at London’s Natural History Museum, told Live Science.

    But it passed the test. It came from the Middle Jurassic period and revealed armor fused directly into the skeleton, a feature scientists hadn’t seen before.

    Dinosaur With Giant Neck Spikes Found in Morocco

    The ankylosaurs we know best lived during the Cretaceous and carried armor designed to hold off predators, not attract attention. But Spicomellus may have evolved in the opposite direction. Maidment and her team believe the spikes were likely sexually selected.

    That is, they evolved not to fight off predators, but to attract mates. Like antlers or plumage, the spikes may have signaled strength and health to potential partners.

    That doesn’t mean they weren’t functional. The tail structure shows early signs of what would later become the classic ankylosaur club, and some of the neck spikes were reinforced by bone. One spike, found detached from the rest, measured 17 inches and was likely mounted at the tail end.

    This mix of form and function makes Spicomellus a kind of evolutionary outlier. Its armor is extreme, even by ankylosaur standards, but it also shows how certain traits may have developed earlier than previously believed. The fusion of spike and skeleton is especially rare, offering a glimpse into a period of dinosaur history about which we know little.

    Spicomellus brought Africa into the ankylosaur conversation and reminded researchers that dramatic traits often carry complex and layered meanings. What appears to be armor might also serve as a mating strategy.

    What appears to be defense might have actually started as a display—evolution, as always, leaves room for interpretation.


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  • Researcher André Moravec unveils a new proposal to understand the makeup of the atom

    Researcher André Moravec unveils a new proposal to understand the makeup of the atom

    Psikosmos Book Cover – Author André Moravec

    Moravec proposes that certain inconsistencies in the structure of the atom may have led to it being misunderstood for centuries

    SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, August 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — Moravec, author of the book Psikosmos – Logical Conception of a Physical Structure, suggests that inconsistencies such as the huge difference between the masses of some particles and the impossibility of the electron’s orbital movement mean that the atom may be far simpler than the current scientific model implies.

    The concept and name of the atom emerged centuries ago in ancient Greece; but it was only in the last century that its structure was experimentally studied and traced. According to these studies, the atom is made up of three particles: the neutron, the proton (which together form the nucleus) and the electron, which orbits the nucleus.

    André Moravec said: “To facilitate understanding of the structure of the atom, it can be simplified using just one particle – the nucleon. This, outside the nucleus, manifests itself in two forms: unstable and stable. Under suitable conditions, the unstable one, after a few minutes, stabilizes by expelling an electron while leaving a positron circling its surface. The expelled electron is attracted to the positron and enters a simple harmonic motion (SHM), forming an electrosphere centered on the nucleon. Inside the nucleus, the unstable one stabilizes while bound to a stable one, by sharing one of its electrons with it. A stable nucleon stabilizes, at most, two unstable ones.”

    Moravec states that while the unstable nucleon is known as the neutron, and the stable one as the protium, the absence of the proton should be noted as it does not exist here. He claims a stable nucleon, deprived of its electron, is an ion, or rather, a cation of protium.

    He added: “A stable nucleon with one unstable nucleon forms deuterium, and with two, tritium. These, along with protium, constitute the isotopes of the hydrogen atom. Four nucleons, two of which are stable, form the helium atom. An oxygen atom contains sixteen nucleons; thus, a water molecule, formed from one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, contains eighteen nucleons. Carbon has twelve nucleons; then, carbon monoxide has twenty-eight nucleons. And so on, all substances, living or dead, are formed only with an exact number of nucleons. One cubic centimeter of water (1 g) contains an exact number of nucleons, which is Avogadro’s number.”

    It also follows, according to the author, that the mass of anything is the number of nucleons it contains.

    Born in 1928 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, André Moravec arrived in Brazil in 1948. In 1958, he graduated in Architecture from the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP). Between 1962 and 1963, he did an internship with the French government. He worked as an architect until his retirement.

    In 2020, he released the book Logmos – Concepção Lógica de uma Estrutura Física (ISBN 978-65-5822-010-7) – Psikosmos: Logical Conception of a Physical Structure (English Edition), the result of the author’s studies over the last 40 years, a period in which he focused intensely on the world of theoretical physics and philosophy. André can be contacted by email at andymora@terra.com.br.

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    Agência Comunicado
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  • Asteroid Bennu’s blue color reveals details about its cosmic history

    Asteroid Bennu’s blue color reveals details about its cosmic history

    Asteroids have been drifting through our solar system since long before the Earth had continents, oceans, or even life itself. The ancient space rocks contain clues about the origins of our solar system, and now scientists have finally acquired some of these space treasures.

    NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has delivered samples from the asteroid Bennu, and their analysis is reshaping our understanding of ancient space rocks.

    Color-changing mystery of asteroids


    When viewed through telescopes, some gray asteroids appear red while others look blue – despite being made of the same material. Astronomers have been puzzled by why these space rocks scatter light so differently.

    It’s not just about the colors. Knowing how asteroids diffuse light enables scientists to determine what they’re composed of without having to travel to each one and take samples.

    The answer lies in a process called space weathering. Just as a penny turns green over time or paint fades in the sun, asteroid surfaces change when bombarded by radiation, micrometeorites, and the solar wind.

    But the surprising part is this: it’s not different kinds of weathering that make the difference – it’s timing.

    How space objects change over time

    Michelle Thompson, an associate professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in Purdue’s College of Science, has been studying these space rocks and their interactions with the harsh environment of space.

    Her work focuses on understanding how the surfaces of rocky bodies, from our moon to distant asteroids, change over time.

    “Sample return missions are a cornerstone of planetary science,” Thompson said. “They give us snapshots of the chemistry and the composition of the very early solar system. They let us look at the building blocks of the planets and inventory what was there.”

    “We can also compare Bennu’s samples to samples from Japan’s Hayabusa missions and get a better understanding of how these asteroids change and evolve, and what we can tell about asteroids from the surface of the Earth compared to when we look at the samples themselves.”

    Two asteroids, one story

    The breakthrough came when scientists compared Bennu to another asteroid called Ryugu, which was visited by Japanese spacecraft.

    Both are what scientists call “rubble pile” asteroids – basically cosmic junk piles held together by weak gravity. They’re both made of dark, carbon-rich materials and formed around the same time, roughly 4.6 billion years ago, when our solar system was just getting started.

    Logic would suggest they should look identical through telescopes. But Ryugu appears slightly red while Bennu looks blue.

    Scientists thought this meant the asteroids were weathering differently in space. The samples revealed something much more interesting.

    A cosmic clock of color changes

    The real story is about time. These rubble pile asteroids are constantly shifting and tumbling, which brings fresh material from their interiors to the surface. It’s like having a rock tumbler in space that occasionally spills out new pebbles.

    Surface grains from Ryugu have been exposed to space for only a few thousand years – practically brand new in cosmic terms. Meanwhile, Bennu’s surface particles have been getting blasted by space radiation for tens of thousands of years. They’re at different points in the same aging process.

    “And so instead of looking at two different trajectories for how this process is operating on these bodies, we’re seeing two different points in one cycle,” Thompson said. “Their ‘colors’ are changing, meaning their spectral properties are changing relative to their surface exposure age.”

    This discovery is huge for future space exploration. With 1.45 million known asteroids in our solar system, we can’t visit them all. But now scientists can look at an asteroid’s color through a telescope and get a much better idea of what they’ll find on its surface.

    Bennu carries ancient recipes for life

    The Bennu samples revealed something else exciting. Hidden within the space rock were salts, including phosphates that are essential for life on Earth. These compounds help power our metabolism and make up the backbone of DNA.

    Scientists found evidence of ancient brine – basically salty water that would have created perfect conditions for the chemical reactions that might lead to life. The asteroid essentially carried a recipe card for life’s basic ingredients.

    “Looking at the organic molecules from Bennu, we are getting an understanding of what kinds of molecules could have seeded life on early Earth,” Thompson said.

    “Information about what compounds, what elements are there and in what proportions. We won’t find life itself, but we’re looking at the building blocks that could have eventually evolved into life.”

    Time capsules from the dawn of everything

    What makes these asteroid samples so special is their age and pristine condition. Earth has been recycling its materials for billions of years through plate tectonics, erosion, and biological processes. The ingredients for life are still here, but they’ve been mixed and remixed countless times.

    Bennu’s samples, on the other hand, have been sitting in the cosmic freezer for 4.6 billion years. They’re like finding a perfectly preserved meal from the very first restaurant in the Universe.

    “Asteroids are relics of the early solar system,” Thompson said. “They’re like time capsules. We can use them to examine the origin of our solar system and to open a window to the origin of life on Earth.”

    The research shows that Bennu contains materials from across our solar system and possibly beyond, all mixed together and transformed by water and space weathering over billions of years. It’s a cosmic mixtape of the early solar system’s greatest hits.

    This research opens doors for future asteroid missions, whether for science or resource extraction. By understanding how asteroid colors relate to their surface exposure and composition, future explorers will have a much better roadmap for choosing which space rocks to visit.

    The gray asteroids that shine red and blue aren’t just pretty to look at – they’re guidebooks to our solar system’s past and potential keys to its future exploration.

    The full study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

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  • 70-million-year-old crocodile relative with dinosaur-crushing jaws found in Argentina

    70-million-year-old crocodile relative with dinosaur-crushing jaws found in Argentina

    A newly-discovered species of a large, crocodile-relative predator has been described via a remarkably well-preserved fossil from Argentina, according to a study published August 27, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Fernando Novas from Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia,” Argentina, and colleagues.

    The Chorrillo Formation formed around 70 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian age at the very end of the Cretaceous period. At this time, southern Patagonia was a warm, seasonally humid landscape of freshwater floodplains, home to creatures like dinosaurs, turtles, frogs, and various mammals.

    The new fossil unearthed in this formation is largely intact, including a skull and jaws with visible details, as well as multiple bones from the body. This crocodile-like apex predator may have reached around 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long and weighed around 250 kilograms (551 pounds), with a wide, powerful jaw and big teeth capable of devouring large prey — likely including medium-sized dinosaurs. The researchers named the species Kostensuchus atrox, referring to the Patagonian wind known in the Tehuelche native language as the Kosten and the Egyptian crocodile-headed god known as Souchos, with atrox meaning “fierce” or “harsh.”

    K. atrox itself is not a dinosaur, but rather a peirosaurid crocodyliform, an extinct group of reptiles related to modern crocodiles and alligators. This species is the second-largest predator known to scientists from the Maastrichtian Chorrillo Formation, and the researchers believe it was likely one of the top predators in the region. K. atrox is also the first crocodyliform fossil found in the Chorrillo Formation, and one of the most intact peirosaurid crocodyliforms ever found, giving scientists unique new insight into these prehistoric animals and their ecosystem.

    Funding: DP 9282-R-22 National Geographic Society. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. ISC Faperj E-26/200.998/2024 Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. ISC CNPq 303596/2016-3 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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  • The Unexpected Reason Baboons March in Order

    The Unexpected Reason Baboons March in Order

    Baboons walking in progression on South Africa’s Cape Peninsula. Credit: Vittoria Roatti

    Baboons have long puzzled scientists with their habit of walking in neat lines across the African landscape. Were they protecting the vulnerable, following leaders, or competing for food?

    A Swansea University team used high-resolution GPS to track wild chacma baboons and tested these theories.

    Why Baboons Walk in Lines

    Scientists at Swansea University have found that baboons line up while walking not as a defense tactic or strategic move, but simply to remain near their closest companions.

    These primates often move in organized formations called ‘progressions’ when traveling through their habitat. Past research struggled to agree on why they do this. Some suggested the order was random, while others believed it was deliberate, with the most vulnerable animals kept in the middle to reduce danger from predators.

    To investigate further, Swansea researchers used high-resolution GPS devices to track a troop of wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) living on South Africa’s Cape Peninsula. The results, published in the journal Behavioral Ecology, showed that the patterns of movement were shaped by social connections rather than by efforts to avoid threats.

    Baboons at Tsaobis Baboon Project
    Close-up of baboons at the Tsaobis baboon project. Credit: Dr. Andrew King

    Testing Four Hypotheses

    The team analysed 78 travel progressions over 36 days and showed that the order in which the individual baboons traveled was not random.

    The researchers tested four potential explanations for the baboon progression order:

    1. Protecting the vulnerable (risk hypothesis)
    2. Competing for resources (competition hypothesis)
    3. Following leaders (group decision-making hypothesis)
    4. Patterns emerging from social relationships (social spandrel hypothesis)

    After analyzing the data, the researchers found that the baboons’ movement patterns were driven solely by their social relationships.

    Baboons Walking in Line
    Baboons walking in line at the Tsaobis baboon project. Credit: Hannah Peck

    Not Leaders, Just Friends

    Dr. Andrew King, Associate Professor at Swansea University, said: “Surprisingly, the consistent order we see for the baboons we studied isn’t about avoiding danger like we see in prey animals when they position themselves in the middle of their social group, or for better access to food or water like we see in like we see in the movements of plains zebra. Instead, it’s driven by who they’re socially bonded with. They simply move with their friends, and this produces a consistent order.

    “In the baboon group we studied, the more socially connected, higher-ranking individuals usually walk in the middle of the group, while lower-ranking baboons are often out in front or at the rear. During these group movements—like heading to a familiar sleeping spot—it’s likely that the group already knows where they’re going. So, the baboons at the front aren’t really leading; they’re just out ahead.”

    This map shows the movement of baboons across their habitat, with each dot representing an individual’s location. Colors indicate dominance level—purple (low), pink, orange, and yellow (high)—revealing how individuals of different ranks travel and cluster together. Credit: Dr. Andrew King

    The ‘Social Spandrel’ Effect

    This finding introduces the concept of a ‘social spandrel’. In buildings, spandrels are the triangular spaces that emerge as by-products when arches are placed side by side. In biology, a spandrel refers to a trait that arises not because it was directly selected for, but as a side effect of something else. In this case, the consistent travel patterns among baboons emerge naturally from their social affiliations with each other, and not as an evolved strategy for safety or success.

    Marco Fele, the study’s lead author and PhD student at Swansea University, said: “We know that strong social bonds are important for baboons – they’re linked to longer lives and greater reproductive success. But in this context, those bonds aren’t serving a specific purpose. The travel order we see is simply a by-product of those relationships, not a strategy with immediate benefits. Our study highlights the potential for these kinds of spandrels in collective animal behavior.”

    Reference: “Baboon travel progressions as a “social spandrel” in collective animal behaviour” by M Fele, I Fürtbauer, M Lurgi, M Papadopoulou, A M Bracken, C Christensen, M J O’Riain and A J King, 11 March 2025, Behavioral Ecology.
    DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araf022

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  • Webb observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

    Webb observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

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  • Hubble Homes In On Galaxy’s Star Formation

    Hubble Homes In On Galaxy’s Star Formation

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    This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the asymmetric spiral galaxy Messier 96.

    ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Belfiore, D. Calzetti

    This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a galaxy whose asymmetric appearance may be the result of a galactic tug of war. Located 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo, the spiral galaxy Messier 96 is the brightest of the galaxies in its group. The gravitational pull of its galactic neighbors may be responsible for Messier 96’s uneven distribution of gas and dust, asymmetric spiral arms, and off-center galactic core.

    This asymmetric appearance is on full display in the new Hubble image that incorporates data from observations made in ultraviolet, near infrared, and visible/optical light. Earlier Hubble images of Messier 96 were released in 2015 and 2018. Each successive image added new data, building up a beautiful and scientifically valuable view of the galaxy.

    The 2015 image combined two wavelengths of optical light with one near infrared wavelength. The optical light revealed the galaxy’s uneven form of dust and gas spread asymmetrically throughout its weak spiral arms and its off-center core, while the infrared light revealed the heat of stars forming in clouds shaded pink in the image.

    The 2018 image added two more optical wavelengths of light along with one wavelength of ultraviolet light that pinpointed areas where high-energy, young stars are forming.

    This latest version offers us a new perspective on Messier 96’s star formation. It includes the addition of light that reveals regions of ionized hydrogen (H-alpha) and nitrogen (NII). This data helps astronomers determine the environment within the galaxy and the conditions in which stars are forming. The ionized hydrogen traces ongoing star formation, revealing regions where hot, young stars are ionizing the gas. The ionized nitrogen helps astronomers determine the rate of star formation and the properties of gas between stars, while the combination of the two ionized gasses helps researchers determine if the galaxy is a starburst galaxy or one with an active galactic nucleus.

    The bubbles of pink gas in this image surround hot, young, massive stars, illuminating a ring of star formation in the galaxy’s outskirts. These young stars are still embedded within the clouds of gas from which they were born. Astronomers will use the new data in this image to study how stars are form within giant dusty gas clouds, how dust filters starlight, and how stars affect their environments.

    /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.

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  • 75,000-Year-Old Lost World of Arctic Animals Uncovered in Norwegian Cave

    75,000-Year-Old Lost World of Arctic Animals Uncovered in Norwegian Cave

    Bone fragments back in the lab. Credit: Sam Walker

    A cave in Norway preserved remains of 46 Ice Age species. The discovery shows how cold-adapted animals struggled with climate shifts.

    Researchers have discovered the remains of a large animal community that thrived in the European Arctic around 75,000 years ago.

    Within a cave along the coast of Northern Norway, they identified bones from 46 different species of mammals, fish, and birds. This remarkable find represents the earliest known evidence of an animal community in the European Arctic during a warmer stage of the Ice Age.

    Details of the study have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

    According to the research team, these fossils offer valuable clues about how Arctic wildlife once adapted to major climate changes, knowledge that could be critical for guiding modern conservation efforts.

    Polar Bear Bone Fragment
    Vertebra of a polar bear excavated from the cave. Credit: Trond Klungseth Lødøen

    Rare glimpse into Arctic life

    “These discoveries provide a rare snapshot of a vanished Arctic world,” said the study’s first author Dr Sam Walker of Bournemouth University and the University of Oslo. “They also underscore how vulnerable cold-adapted species can be under changing climate conditions, which can help us to understand their resilience and extinction risk in the present,” he added.

    The remains included species such as polar bear, walrus, bowhead whale, Atlantic puffin, common eider, rock ptarmigan, and Atlantic cod. The team also uncovered bones of collared lemmings, a species now extinct in Europe and previously unknown in Scandinavia until this discovery.

    Genetic analysis revealed that the lineages of these animals did not persist once colder climatic conditions returned.

    Secrets of the Arne Qvamgrotta cave

    “We have very little evidence of what Arctic life was like in this period because of the lack of preserved remains over 10,000 years old,” said senior author Professor Sanne Boessenkool of the University of Oslo. “The cave has now revealed a diverse mix of animals in a coastal ecosystem representing both the marine and the terrestrial environment,” she added.

    Sediment Profile in Arne Qvamgrotta
    The sediment profile in Arne Qvamgrotta after excavation. Credit: Trond Klungseth Lødøen

    The Arne Qvamgrotta cave was first uncovered in the 1990s during tunnel construction by a local mining company. For nearly three decades, it remained mostly untouched, until researchers conducted major excavations in 2021 and 2022 that finally revealed its hidden contents.

    The variety of animals suggests the habitat at the time was largely ice-free along the coast after glaciers had melted. This would have provided a suitable habitat for the migratory reindeer whose remains they discovered.

    Climate change challenges for cold-adapted species

    The presence of freshwater fish means there would have been lakes and rivers within the tundra, and there must have been sea ice off the coast for some of the mammals, such as bowhead whales and walruses. The sea ice was likely to be seasonal because harbour porpoises, also found amongst the animal remains, are known to avoid ice.

    Although these animals colonized the region after the glaciers melted during this period, it appears that whole populations died as they could not migrate to alternative ecosystems when the ice returned and covered the landscape.

    Two Reseachers Excavating Arne Qvamgrotta
    Team excavators in cave. Credit: Trond Klungseth Lødøen

    “This highlights how cold-adapted species struggle to adapt to major climatic events. This has a direct link to the challenges they are facing in the Arctic today as the climate warms at a rapid pace,” said Dr Walker. “The habitats these animals in the region live in today are much more fractured than 75,000 years ago, so it is even harder for animal populations to move and adapt,” he added.

    “It is also important to note that this was a shift to a colder, not a period of warming that we are facing today,” Professor Boessenkool said. “And these are cold-adapted species – so if they struggled to cope with colder periods in the past, it will be even harder for these species to adapt to a warming climate,” she concluded.

    Reference: “A 75,000-y-old Scandinavian Arctic cave deposit reveals past faunal diversity and paleoenvironment” by Samuel J. Walker, Aurélie Boilard, Mona Henriksen, Edana Lord, Marius Robu, Jan-Pieter Buylaert, Liselotte M. Takken Beijersbergen, Lene Synnøve Halvorsen, Adriana M. Cintrón-Santiago, Emma Katrin Onshuus, Christopher Alan Cockerill, Gabor Ujvari, László Palcsu, Marjan Temovski, Jenny Maccali, Henriette Linge, Jesper Olsen, Sverre Aksnes, Anastasia Bertheussen, Ola Lygre, Inger G. Alsos, Love Dalén, Bastiaan Star, Anne Karin Hufthammer, Thijs van Kolfschoten, Stein-Erik Lauritzen, Trond Klungseth Lødøen and Sanne Boessenkool, 4 August 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
    DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415008122

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