Earth & Climate

Stratification of the oceans is getting stronger

Two water masses meet here in the ozone, but vertical stratifications are much more important. (Image: Jiang Zhu) The oceans are important actors in...

Dispute over pterosaur “feathers”

How far back did the evolution of the spring go back? Whether the pterosaurs also had archetypes of this structure plays an important...

Featured picture: Glittering fat crystals

The green rhinestones in the photo are anything but valuable: They are so-called fat crystals. In the human body, they can trigger chronic...

Insight into the fossil preparation

Embedded in oil shale, they have survived for millions of years: A taxidermist explains how finds from the famous Messel mine are preserved...

Featured picture: A top class catch

The “Glanzlichter 2020” photo competition is the largest international nature photo competition in Germany and has been advertised annually since 1999. A jury...

Featured picture: Ornate algae bloom in the Baltic Sea

Almost every year large, late summer algal blooms can be observed in the Baltic Sea: the water then turns green because countless tiny unicellular...

Oldest sperm discovered in the world

Shell crab fossils in 100 million year old amber (Image: He Wang & Xiangdong Zhao) An international team of paleontologists has discovered exceptionally well-preserved tiny...

Fatal combination destroys Alaska’s reefs

Sea urchins gnaw the calcareous algae reefs around the Aleutian Islands. (Image: J. Tomoleoni / USGS) Humans caused climate change and the loss of...

A tooth sheds new light on gibbon evolution

The gibbon fossil was discovered in this place near Ramnagar. (Image: Chris Gilbert) Gibbons are the sister group of the great apes and therefore...

Rapid growth – early death

In the rainforest and in other tree populations around the world, the following clearly applies: Trees that grow quickly die young. (Image: Atelopus...

Featured picture: Master of Disguise

That many frogs and toads are greenish or brownish in color does not seem surprising - this color makes them almost invisible in their...

Mega shark: proportions modeled

The comparison of the dorsal fin with a diver shows how big the shark's trademark on the megalodon could have been. (Image: Oliver...

The politician

Photo: Daniel Meißner Taking action instead of just getting excited - that was Lucie Hammecke's drive to go into politics. Today she sits for...

Proboscid migration in the genetic level

The mastodon once had an astonishingly wide distribution in North America. (Image: D. Finnin / © AMNH) Today beavers, elk and the like are...

News about the origin of the earth water

Piece of an enstatite-chondrite meteorite in which the researchers found a surprising amount of hydrogen. (Photo: L. Piani, Museum of Natural History in...

Featured picture: The missing seaweed

Aquatic plants are the service providers of marine ecosystems: They provide habitats for fish and other marine life, are food for migratory birds, part...

Since when has the Nile been flowing?

The Nile runs like a blue ribbon through northeast Africa. (Image: Harvepino / iStock) It forms the ancient lifeline of Egypt. But since...

Hibernation 250 million years ago?

This is what a hibernating lystrosaur might have looked like. (Image: Crystal Shin) The clever strategy with which some of today's animals survive times...

Dinosaur embryo with nasal horn

Exposed head of the sauropod embryo (Image: Kundrat et al. / Current Biology) Sauropods - long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs - were the largest land animals to...

How cold was the last ice age?

Much of the northern hemisphere was covered by glaciers during the last ice age. (Image: Grafissimo / iStock) Around 20,000 years ago, large parts...

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