The last mammoths died on a remote island

A new study suggests that about 4,000 years ago, a combination of isolation, extreme weather, and the arrival of humans on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean killed off Earth's last population of mammoths.

How deep is the ocean?

On average the ocean is 2.3 miles (3.7 km) deep, but many parts are much shallower or deeper. In the deepest zones, life forms have adapted to live in the dark, under crushing water pressure.

These giant croc-like carnivores terrorized Triassic dinosaurs

Researchers have identified fossil remains as belonging to rauisuchians, predatory crocodile-like animals that fed on early dinosaurs and mammal relatives 210 million years ago.

Researchers to spend a year trapped in Arctic ice

In October 2019, the research icebreaker Polarstern will drop anchor at an ice floe in the northern Laptev Sea, to spend a year investigating Earth’s Arctic.

What climate change in the Arctic means for the rest of us

Air temperatures in the Arctic are increasing at least twice as fast as the global average due to climate change. What worries climate scientists about this?

2019’s Arctic sea ice minimum 2nd-lowest on record

Arctic sea ice likely reached its smallest extent for 2019 on September 18. At 1.6 million square miles (4.15 million square km), that minimum is now in a 3-way tie for 2nd-smallest in the satellite record.

Drought reveals a lost Spanish Stonehenge

Thanks to 2019's record drought in Europe, a 7,000-year-old circle of 150 upright stones is back on dry land in western Spain, after 50 years underwater.

Scientists use drones to probe earthly dust devils, with an eye toward Mars

Dust devils are common are common on Earth, but ubiquitous on Mars, a desert world. Scientists are using drones carrying cameras and other instruments to gain new insights.

Today in science: Happy birthday Albert J. Myer

As you check your local weather forecast today, give a nod to Albert J. Myer, born on this date in 1828, who helped to establish the US National Weather Service.

Summer 2019 tied for hottest on record for Northern Hemisphere

June through August 2019 was the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest summer on record, tied with 2016. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, the same period marked the 2nd-warmest winter in the 140-year record.