sciencedaily.com / .sciencedaily-com-environment / Page 2

A major research study is challenging one of evolution's most influential ideas: that most genetic changes that become permanent are essentially neutral. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that beneficial mutations are actually far more ...

Scientists say moons around rogue planets wandering through the galaxy could remain warm enough for life thanks to tidal heating and hydrogen-rich atmospheres. These dark, starless worlds may have had stable oceans for billions of years -- long ...

A new study suggests Antarctica's ice sheet hit a climate tipping point about one million years ago, making it far more reactive to temperature and CO2 changes. Researchers warn this surprising sensitivity could offer clues about how the continent .. ...

Scientists have solved the mystery of the Seychelles' vanished crocodiles using DNA from historic museum specimens. The reptiles were not a unique species after all, but an isolated population of saltwater crocodiles that likely drifted thousands of ...

The Arctic Ocean may have crossed a dangerous tipping point. Scientists say the rapid disappearance of sea ice is triggering a hidden chemical shift that is stripping the ocean of nitrate -- a nutrient essential for the tiny plankton that support ...

Tiny birds on remote Scottish islands are undergoing a dramatic evolutionary transformation. Scientists studying four isolated populations of British Wrens discovered that some island birds have grown astonishingly large -- with the biggest St Kilda ...

A casual walk through an Ithaca cemetery led to the discovery of a gigantic hidden bee population -- roughly 5.5 million ground-nesting bees packed beneath the soil. Scientists believe it may be one of the largest bee aggregations ever documented and ...

A sea slug smaller than a sesame seed has turned up in Taiwan's coastal waters -- and it's so tiny and unusual that scientists realized they had discovered a completely new species. Named Thecacera sesama after its black-and-yellow "sesame-like" ...

New research suggests Earth's climate can swing wildly on surprisingly short timescales -- even during hot, ice-free greenhouse periods. By studying ancient sediments from the Late Cretaceous, scientists uncovered repeating climate shifts tied to ...

Humanity may already be living far beyond what Earth can sustainably support, according to a sweeping new study analyzing more than 200 years of population and environmental data. Researchers found that while population growth once fueled innovation ...