Earth & Climate

Why life almost disappeared once

Artist's impression of the catastrophic processes involved in the greatest mass extinction of all time. (Image: Dawid A. Iurino) Hardly anything was left of...

When does the permafrost start to thaw?

Sediment drilling in the arctic seabed. (Image: Pete Hill) The arctic permafrost stores large amounts of carbon - more than the entire atmosphere. ...

Featured picture: A stone curtain

What here looks like a rust-colored fabric curtain is actually solid rock. Because it is a limestone stalactite formation in the Lehman Caves...

Saber-toothed cats in the genetic mirror

The representatives of the saber-toothed cats, which are also widespread in Europe, could have brought down prey by their persistence, according to genetic evidence....

MOSAIC: Review of the final

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxVk-R7X1fs The greatest Arctic expedition of all time has been successfully completed! The Alfred Wegener Institute sums up the process and presents impressions of...

Animals & humans under the spell of a transformation

Artist's impression of a Southeast Asian savannah from the Middle Pleistocene. You can see Homo erectus, a stegodon, hyenas and Asian rhinos. ...

An Oviraptor cousin with only two fingers

This is what Oksoko avarsan could have looked like during his lifetime. (Image: Michael W. Skrepnick) They already resembled birds, were still unable to...

Featured picture: A golden flap turtle discovered

At first glance, the Indian valve turtle does not seem particularly noticeable in this photo. From an anatomical point of view, it cannot...

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...

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