All Stories by Carolyn Gramling
- Fossils
Baby pterosaurs likely died in violent Jurassic storms
Two hatchlings with broken arm bones point to ancient storms as the cause of mass casualties now preserved in Germany’s Solnhofen Limestone.
- Earth
This ‘megaflash’ is now the longest lightning bolt on record
A reanalysis of satellite data showed that a 2017 Texas-to-Missouri lightning megaflash stretched 829 kilometers (515 miles) and lasted 7.39 seconds.
- Fossils
Could Spinosaurus swim? That would make it a game changer
Spinosaurus fossils are challenging the longstanding claim that ancient dinosaurs were never fully aquatic. And some paleontologists still aren’t convinced.
- Climate
2024 set new record for hottest year, passing a dangerous heat threshold
For the first year in recorded history, Earth’s average temperature topped 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
- Climate
Meet Chonkus, a mutant microbe that could help fight climate change
A hulking marine cyanobacterium, Chonkus has traits that appears to make it especially good for storing away carbon on the ocean floor.
- Earth
Earthquakes upped the death toll at Pompeii
Broken bodies found at a house in Pompeii suggest that earthquakes played a role in the legendary tragedy.
- Earth
Surprise! The jet stream can trigger cloud formation
Most cloud-seeding particles may come from a newly discovered mechanism — stratospheric intrusion.
- Space
Summer ‘space hurricanes’ are emerging high above Earth’s magnetic poles
A separation — and later recombining — of Earth’s magnetic field lines may be what churns up these super-high-altitude storms of plasma.
- Climate
Stashing more CO2 in the ocean could slow climate change
More research is needed on ways to safely remove some CO2 from the water to make room for more — such as by seaweed farming and iron fertilization.
- Earth
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano recently erupted like a stomp rocket
This appears to be a newfound type of eruption. It could only be recognized because of the extensive monitoring of Kilauea's crater.
- Climate
Climate change is changing how scientists measure time
Polar ice sheets are melting faster. This is slowing Earth’s spin, which changes how we sync our clocks to tell time.
- Earth
Many natural underground stores of freshwater are shrinking
A lot of these aquifers are quickly disappearing due to climate change and overuse. Fortunately, there is growth in some of the world’s major aquifers.
