Earth & Climate

The soil as a living space in the spotlight

Springtails (Collembola) are important soil dwellers and can provide useful information about soil quality and protection needs. (Image: Photo: Andy Murray) Worms, springtails and...

On the trail of the enigmatic “direwolf”

Artist's impression of a Canis dirus (right) in conflict with a gray wolf. (Image: Art by Mauricio Anton) Especially big and terrifying: The Canis...

Mega Shark gave birth to giant babies

Analysis of growth lines in megalodon vertebrae shows that young animals were larger than the average human at birth. (Caption: DePaul University /...

Featured picture: Algae overgrow corals

Even the first look at this underwater photo reveals that something is wrong here: These coral reefs in the clear waters of the Caribbean...

Featured picture: “Smellicopter” – a smelling drone

At first glance, the flying robot looks like an ordinary drone in this shot. But the curved, copper-colored antenna on the missile's platform...

Formerly mammals with astonishingly precise bite

Jaw and bite of Priacodon fruitaensis. (Photo: Thomas Martin, Kai RK Jäger / University of Bonn) The teeth and jaws of early mammals reveal...

Looking for ice tools

Researchers from the University of Innsbruck are looking for geological traces of former climatic changes in the alpine cave "Eisriesenwelt". Source: University of Innsbruck

Carbon dioxide: fertilization effect disappears

Carbon dioxide increases global plant growth less and less. (Image: RomoloTavani / iStock) The notorious greenhouse gas also has a beneficial effect on the...

Ice-free Alps shortly before Ötzi’s time

Under the summit of the Weißseespitze. (Image: ÖAW / Daniel Hinterramskogler) The glaciers on the peaks of the Alps form a climate archive: Since...

Oldest python fossils discovered

The newly described species Messelopython freyi is the oldest record of a python worldwide. (Image: Senckenberg) The realm of the giant snakes is now...

Europe’s rivers are highly fragmented

The European river network. (Image: EEA, Copenhagen, 2012) Rivers are important habitats, connecting routes and transport routes. But in Europe, more than 1.2...

Featured picture: Iguanas brave the cold

This Central American striped basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus) stretches its head towards the sun and warms up on the heated stones. But the cold-blooded...

Bizarrely decorated “show dinosaur”

Artist's impression of the Cretaceous "show star" with his stiff shoulder straps. (Image: Artwork © Bob Nicholls / Paleocreations.com 2020) From peacocks to birds...

Settlement of America thanks to warm oceans

Plankton density in today's North Pacific. (Image: NASA / GSFC, SeaWiFS Project and GeoEye) The world's oceans have a significant impact on the climate...

Featured picture: Galactic gargoyle

Galaxy contact in a class of its own: In this spectacular image from the Hubble Space Telescope, the galaxy on the right appears to...

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