Urgent warning to seafood lovers as scientists discover dangerous microplastics in LOBSTERS

• READ MORE: Man catches rare 'FRECKLED' lobster off Massachusetts coast

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

It's bad news for seafood lovers, as dangerous microplastics have been found in the meat of the American lobster for the first time. 

Scientists at Dalhousie University analysed the flesh of 16 male and female lobsters found in major fishing regions in Canada's east coast.

They found the tiny toxic particles in every one of the creatures, which are a popular food exported around the world. 

Five years ago, scientists found microplastics in the larvae of American lobsters, but this is the first study to find them in the flesh of adults. 

The experts say there's an 'urgent need' for continued research and monitoring of lobsters and their microplastic consumption at the site. 

'The presence of microplastics in lobster muscle tissue has potential implications for the overall health of lobsters, seafood consumers and various stakeholders,' they say.

'[We need] to fully comprehend the transport and fate of microplastics within marine organisms, the environment and on human health.' 

Microplastics – plastic fragments less than 5 mm in diameter, invisible to the naked eye – have been linked with toxic impacts on the body, such as cancer. 

Scientists have found microplastic contamination in the muscle tissue of edible American lobster (Homarus americanus, pictured)

Graphical abstract from the study: Interestingly, the smaller the lobster tail the higher the concentration of microplastics

In the lab, the researchers examined edible muscle tissue from the tails of 16 American lobsters (Homarus americanus). 

The creatures, representing both sexes and a mix of sizes, were caught in four major commercial fishing zones off of Nova Scotia, the eastern Canadian province.

Around 60 per cent of Nova Scotia's lobster is exported to buyers in the US, although other important markets include Asia and Europe. 

The team used a special dye that makes microplastics glow under a microscope, allowing them to see tiny specks of plastic light up like 'small stars'. 

They also used a technique called 'raman spectroscopy' that acts like a chemical fingerprint for each particle to identify each type of plastic embedded in flesh.

Worryingly, all the lobsters examined contained 'internalized microplastics' in their tail muscle tissues, 'possibly originating from the digestive tract'.

On average, the team found six to seven microplastic particles in a single gram of meat (one gram is equivalent to about three pea-sized blobs).

They found the average size of plastic particles was 3.65 micrometres or 0.003 of a millimetre – about 30 times thinner than the width of a human hair. 

The researchers analysed the flesh of lobsters caught in four commercial fishing areas off of Nova Scotia, the eastern Canadian province. Interestingly, there were significantly higher microplastic concentrations in lobsters from the south-west area ('site 1')

Interestingly, there were significantly higher microplastic concentrations in lobsters from the south-west zone ('site 1'), although it's unclear why. 

In this area, lobsters tended to have shorter tails, but did not have a significantly smaller total weight relative to other lobsters.

Smaller tails may be to due to microplastic ingestion causing reduced feeding and metabolic rates. 

The scientists then identified the various plastic specks as polyester clothing fibres, industrial adhesives and marine-grade plastics. 

The most abundant polymer identified was polyethylene vinyl acetate, found in everything from footwear to surfboards and shower curtains. 

Also abundant were polyester (used to manufacture clothing, home furnishings, carpeting) and polysulfone (used for electrical equipment, in vehicle construction and medical technology). 

Already, ingested microplastics have been shown to reduce feeding efficiency and increase mortality rates in various crustaceans, but microplastics will inevitably end up in the human body as we are at the top of the food chain. 

The human health risks of ingesting microplastics and other human-made particles are understudied, but have been linked to cancer, DNA damage and cellular damage. 

This image reveals the percentage of different-sized microplastics in micrometres (μm) from lobsters collected at four different sites in Nova Scotia waters 

'Microplastics have been detected in human body tissues, including blood, placenta and brains,' the team conclude. 

'Their presence in humans has raised concerns regarding potential health effects, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infertility, premature births, and various types of cancers.' 

The study, published in the journal Regional Studies in Marine Science, is just the latest to find microplastics in the food we eat. 

Earlier this year another team of scientists reported the discovery of microplastics in six popular seafood options – salmon, lingcod, black rockfish, pink shrimp, Pacific herring and Pacific lamprey. 

Scientists warned at the time that the foreign fragments travel 'from the ocean to our kitchen table' before being consumed by humans in restaurants and homes. 

Microplastics are ubiquitous, having already been found in bottled water, salt, milk, sugar, beer, honey, beef, chicken, veggie burgers and tofu. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

06-11-2025 om 20:31 geschreven door peter  

Arachnophobes, look away now! World's biggest spiderweb is discovered - and it contains more than 111,000 creepy crawlies

• READ MORE:  Britain's most dangerous spider goes on a biting spree

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

If you're not keen on spiders, look away now.

Experts have unearthed the world's largest web that's home to more than 110,000 arachnids, creating a nightmare megacity deep within a cave.

The monumental structure stretches 106 square metres (1,140 square feet) along the wall of a narrow, low–ceilinged passage.

It is situated deep inside 'Sulphur Cave' on the Albanian–Greek border, around 50 metres (164 feet) from the cavern's entrance.

The sprawling network of thousands of funnel–shaped webs is home to two species – Tegenaria domestica, also known as the domestic house spider, and Prinerigone vagans, a small, moisture–loving spider measuring just 3mm in length.

Their giant web is strikingly similar to that of the lair of Shelob – an enormous, mystical spider that features in the Lord of the Rings. Her home, a winding network of tunnels, is filled with thick, sticky webbing that catches her prey.

'The natural world still holds countless surprises for us,' lead author István Urák, an associate professor of biology at Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania in Romania, told Live Science.

'If I were to attempt to put into words all the emotions that surged through me [when I saw the web], I would highlight admiration, respect and gratitude.'

The enormous spider web deep inside Sulphur Cave is home to a mixed colony of two different species

The monumental structure stretches 106 square metres (1,140 square feet) along the wall of a narrow, low–ceilinged passage

The domestic house spider weaves funnel–shaped webs which have joined together to create a megacity

The massive colony marks the first documented case of communal behaviour in two spider species.

Researchers estimate around 69,000 domestic house spiders and more than 42,000 P. vagans are sharing the same sprawling structure.

The web is so heavy that, at certain points, it may 'detach from the wall under its own weight'.

'We report the discovery and detailed analysis of an extraordinary spider assemblage in Sulphur Cave,' they wrote in the journal Subterranean Biology.

They suggest that the cave's unique sulphur–rich environment may have encouraged the two species to cluster together in record–breaking numbers.

Scientists would normally expect domestic house spiders to prey on their smaller neighbours, but the lack of light in the cave may impair their vision, the team said.

Instead, they appear to feast on non–biting midges which also call the dark cave their home.

Further analysis revealed the spiders living inside the cave are genetically different to their counterparts living outside, indicating they have adapted to their unique surroundings.

A male (left) and female (right) Prinerigone vagans, a tiny spider who also call the huge web home

Their giant web is strikingly similar to that of the lair of Shelob – an enormous, mystical spider that features in the Lord of the Rings 

'Often, we think we know a species completely, that we understand everything about it, yet unexpected discoveries can still occur,' Dr Urák added.

'Some species exhibit remarkable genetic plasticity, which typically becomes apparent only under extreme conditions.

'Such conditions can elicit behaviours that are not observed under 'normal' circumstances.'

Concluding their study, the researchers wrote: 'Sulfur Cave in the Vromoner Canyon located on the border between Greece and Albania contains exceptionally abundant and diverse invertebrate communities that thrive in total darkness.'

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

05-11-2025 om 22:33 geschreven door peter  

World's biggest spiderweb discovered inside 'Sulfur Cave' with 111,000 arachnids living in pitch black

{ https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth }

04-11-2025 om 22:20 geschreven door peter  

More than half of Antarctica's ice shelves could collapse by 2300 – sparking 32 FEET of irreversible global sea level rise, scientists warn

• READ MORE: Report warns 22 of Earth's 34 'vital signs' are at record highs

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Cities and towns around the world could be plunged underwater in just 275 years, a new study has warned. 

Scientists from Sorbonne University in Paris predict that up to 59 per cent of Antarctica's ice shelves could collapse by 2300. 

If this happens, it will result in up to 10 metres (32ft) of irreversible global sea–level rise. 

Here in the UK, Hull, Glasgow, and Bristol would be submerged, while over in the US, people living in Houston, New Orleans, and Miami would be forced to move inland. 

This might sound like something from the latest science fiction blockbuster. 

However, the experts say it could become a reality if greenhouse gas emissions continue to skyrocket. 

'Our results show that current choices to change emission pathways could significantly affect the likelihood of the long–term loss of most Antarctic ice shelves,' the researchers explained. 

'The viability of ice shelves strongly depends on the emission scenario, as only one ice shelf becomes likely or very likely non–viable by 2300 in the low–emission scenario compared with 59% in the high–emission scenario.'

Scientists from Sorbonne University in Paris predict that up to 59 per cent of Antarctica's ice shelves could collapse by 2300

Cities and towns around the world could be plunged underwater in just 275 years, a new study has warned. Pictured: impression of London underwater

Antarctica is home to 15 major ice shelves and many smaller ones. 

As the floating margins of the Antarctic ice sheet, these ice shelves are crucial for controlling ice loss. 

'As they restrain the ice flow from the grounded ice sheet to the ocean through so–called buttressing, they represent a safety band around Antarctica,' the researchers, led by Clara Burgard, explained in their study, published in Nature. 

'Their thinning and eventual collapse hence accelerates ice discharge into the ocean.'

In their study, the team conducted simulations to understand how the melting of 64 ice shelves could change as emissions continue to rise. 

Their results revealed that, under a low–emissions scenario in which global warming is kept below 2°C by 2300, only one of the 64 ice shelves would be at risk. 

However, under a high–emissions scenario, we face a bleak future. 

The simulation found that if global warming reaches 12°C by 2300, 38 (59 per cent) of the ice shelves could disappear – contributing to 10 metres (32ft) of sea–level rise. 

The simulation found that under a high-emissions scenario, by 2300, 38 (59 per cent) of the ice shelves could disappear – contributing to 10 metres (32ft) of sea–level rise

If sea levels do rise by 32ft (10 metres), entire cities around the world will be plunged underwater, according to Climate Central's Coastal Risk Screening Tool

And though 2300 feels quite far away, we'd begin feeling the impacts much sooner, according to the researchers.  

'The period between approximately 2085 and 2170 marks the period with the highest rate of ice shelves that would reach likely non–viability,' they explained. 

While this all feels quite dramatic, the researchers actually say that their estimate is 'conservative'. 

'This estimate is on the most conservative side, and actual thinning, retreat or collapse could occur sooner depending on the vulnerability of a given ice shelf to other processes such as damage, rifting, hydrofracturing or calving,' they added. 

If sea levels do rise by 32ft (10 metres), entire cities around the world will be plunged underwater, according to Climate Central's Coastal Risk Screening Tool. 

In the UK, people living in Portsmouth, Southend-on-Sea, Hull, Middlesbrough, Blackpool, Bristol, and Cardiff will be submerged. 

Huge swathes of London along the River Thames will also be underwater, including Hammersmith, Greenwich, Southwark, and Westminster.  

In Europe, the entire coast from Calais in France to Ringkobing in Denmark will be underwater, while Venice, Montpellier, Seville, and Lisbon will also be impacted. 

In the US, the entire coast of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas faces life underwater if sea levels rise by 32ft (10 metres)

Over in Asia, much of Bangladesh will be affected, along with cities like Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Karachi. 

And in the US, the entire coast of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas faces life underwater. 

Overall, the researchers hope the findings will highlight the need for urgent action to curb greenhouse gas emissions. 

'Our results show that current choices to change emission pathways could significantly affect the likelihood of the long-term loss of most Antarctic ice shelves,' they concluded. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

01-11-2025 om 20:17 geschreven door peter  

Revealed: What the world will look like in 2100 - so, can you guess where each location is?

• READ MORE: Map reveals English locations that could go underwater by 2050

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Climate change has previously been described as 'the greatest threat to our existence'. 

Now, an online game lets you see the damage climate change will do to the world in just 75 years' time. 

The free game, called FutureGuessr, presents hundreds of AI-generated locations as they're expected to look in 2100. 

According to scientists who created the game, FutureGuessr shows what will happen if no action is taken' to stop carbon emissions.  

From flooding to wildfires and drought, heatwaves and storms, global warming will change the face of the planet as we know it. 

'Showing the future of recognisable places we care about might be powerful in building support for climate action,' they say in The Conversation. 

'Games can create space for serious conversations about how to tackle climate change.'

Six locations from the game are included below – so, can you guess where they are? Scroll down for the answers! 

An online game lets you see the damage climate change will do to the world in just 75 years' time. Pictured: what London could look like in 2100

The free game, called FutureGuessr, presents hundreds of AI-generated locations as they're expected to look in 2100. Pictured: New Orleans in 2100 as imagined by the game

Image 1

Firstly, this image If a location in North America (below) is currently considered the world's largest intact forest ecosystem.  

Measuring 270 million hectares, it stores carbon, purifies the air and water, and regulates the climate.

But 75 years from now, FutureGuessr shows it to be a fiery landscape burnt to the ground with hellish orange skies and toxic smoke. 

According to experts, the whole territory 'will be reshaped by frequent wildfires, invasive insects and a reduced ability to absorb carbon'. 

'Wildfires will release millions of tons of CO2, weaken natural carbon sinks, and further accelerate global warming.'

Image 2

Today this serene oasis, a UNESCO world heritage site, comprises an abundance of palm trees, stunning waters and imposing cliffs. 

IMAGE 1: This forest in North America is reduced to a hellish landscape ravaged by wildfires in the year 2100

IMAGE 2: This UNESCO world heritage site will be a desiccated dessert landscape where vegetation cannot grow

How to play 

1. Go to the FutureGuessr webpage and select your language (English or French)
2. Hit the green button marked 'play' and you'll be presented with an image of a location, as it will look in 2100
3. Holding and dragging the screen lets you get a 360-degree view of your surroundings 
4. You then have to then identify the location by tapping on a map and tapping 'guess'
5. The game will tell you how far off you were in kilometres.  

But according to experts, this green sanctuary will be slowly buried under sand due to droughts and rising temperatures. 

The image shows cracked ground due to lack of rainwater and freshwater, leading to the loss of vegetation.

'Agriculture will become impossible and inhabitants may be forced to leave,' the site says. 

Image 3

Today, this area of Europe is packed with rolling golden hills, historical architecture, luscious vineyards and century-old olive trees.

But by 2100 these treasured features, which draw tourists from around the world, will turn reddish and cracked under the sun.

Rainfall will decline, but arrive in more violent bursts here, which means vineyards will struggle with low yields of poorer quality – which is bad news for wine lovers.

Experts say this part of the nation's countryside may 'lose its fertility and its charm' if summer temperatures here rise by just 4°C/7.2°F. 

Image 3: Rolling golden hills, once lined with century-old olive trees and terraced vineyards, will turn reddish and cracked under the sun

IMAGE 4: This location will be a withered 'landscape of ashes and scorched trunks' because of frequent uncontrollable wildfires

Image 4

Today it's a national park covering over 1.1 million acres, with grand conifers reaching more than 200 feet tall. 

But by 2100, this next location will be a withered 'landscape of ashes and scorched trunks' because of frequent uncontrollable wildfires. 

These vulnerable trees described as 'ancient giants' will be trapped in a climate that is too dry and too hot – factors known to make wildfires more intense. 

Smoke from the fires will also worsen air pollution and negatively impact public health.

Researchers warn that by as soon as 2050, nearly half of the forest could be at risk.  

Image 5 

This Asian 'megacity' will be 'fighting to stay above water' by 2100 when global warming has melted Earth's glaciers and ice sheets. 

IMAGE 5: This Asian 'megacity' facing a northern coast will be 'fighting to stay above water' by 2100, experts predict 

IMAGE 6: Experts say this region will be 'only cracked soil swept by scorching winds and abandoned greenhouses glinting under a now-hostile sun' 

Currently home to around 10 million residents, the northern part of the city nearer to the coast will already have vanished beneath the waves. 

Experts say it will be largely 'uninhabitable' with saltwater from the seas eroding soil, forcing thousands of families to flee. 

Read More

• The cities that 'will be flooded by global warming by 2100' - so, can you tell where they are? 

Image 6

Lastly, this image looks more like from the surface of Mars than anywhere on Earth, with sandy particles filling the air. 

But according to experts, this agricultural region shows what is already one of the driest places in Europe. 

By 2100, it will be a otherworldly desert zone with no more orchards or fields, but only cracked soil 'swept by scorching winds' under a hostile sun.

It will be 'stripped of its resources and its people' as the land will be to try to farm.

Locations that will be drastically altered by 2100 due to climate change - so did you guess them correctly?

1. Boreal forest of Canada 
2. Iherir oasis, Algeria 
3. Tuscany, Italy
4. Sequoia National Forest, California
5. Jakarta, Indonesia 
6. Almería, Spain

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

27-10-2025 om 21:16 geschreven door peter  

2026 volgens Nostradamus het Westen valt in de schaduw en drie vuren uit het Oosten ontwaken

©Shutterstock

2026 volgens Nostradamus het Westen valt in de schaduw en drie vuren uit het Oosten ontwaken
Nu de wereld zich opmaakt voor een nieuw jaar, vragen velen van ons zich af wat de toekomst voor de mensheid in petto heeft. En met die vraag komen de woorden van Nostradamus weer naar boven, misschien om te waarschuwen voor rampzalige gebeurtenissen die nog moeten plaatsvinden.

De Franse astroloog en beroemde ziener deed vele voorspellingen over de toekomst, en deze cryptische verzen blijven nieuwsgierigheid en onrust opwekken. Wat zou de oude arts voor onze planeet in 2026 hebben voorzien? Klik verder om het te ontdekken.

©Shutterstock

Het jaar 2026
Volgens veel interpretatoren springt 2026 in de voorspellingen van Nostradamus eruit als een bepalend jaar. Het wordt niet alleen gezien als een apocalyptische mijlpaal, maar ook als een periode van onrust, zuivering en mogelijke wedergeboorte voor de mensheid.

©Getty Images

Een dichter van voorspellingen
Nostradamus was veel meer dan alleen een profeet van vernietiging. Hij was een observator van menselijk gedrag die patronen van angst, macht en ambitie omzette in voorspellingen die nog steeds door de eeuwen heen weerklank vinden.

©Getty Images

De architect van de profetie
In het midden van de 16e eeuw schreef Nostradamus meer dan 940 kwatrijnen (gedichten bestaande uit vier regels) in een boek met de titel 'Les Prophéties'. Zijn gedichten waren bewust doorspekt met symboliek en verwijzingen naar astrologie, zodanig dat ze een raadsel vormen dat mensen al lang proberen te ontrafelen.

©Shutterstock

Uitgebreide voorspelling
Volgens sommige complottheoretici bevat het boek van Nostradamus voorspellingen die ver in de toekomst reiken. Velen geloven zelfs dat de gedichten gebeurtenissen voorspellen tot het jaar 3797.

©Getty Images

Collectieve spanning
De wereld die we vandaag om ons heen zien, weerspiegelt vermoedelijk de spanningen die Nostradamus in zijn kwatrijnen beschrijft. Politieke crises, milieurampen, technologische desoriëntatie en een diepe spirituele leegte in de samenleving maken zijn oude profetieën griezelig actueel.

©Shutterstock

Het raadsel van 2026
Nu de speculaties over 2026 toenemen, worden de woorden van de Franse mysticus met nieuwe urgentie opnieuw onder de loep genomen. Zijn poëtische waarschuwingen lijken een echo te zijn van de huidige onzekerheden van de mensheid en roepen zowel fascinatie als angst op. Wat voorspelde Nostradamus voor volgend jaar?

©Shutterstock

1. Mars heerst over de hemel
In een kwatrijn domineert Mars (de planeet die symbool staat voor oorlog, agressie en vuur) de hemel. Astrologisch gezien voorspelt deze stand verhoogde spanningen, mogelijke conflicten en wereldwijde onrust in verband met politieke of ideologische herschikkingen.

©Shutterstock

Meer dan fysieke oorlogsvoering
Terwijl velen bang zijn voor oorlog, zien anderen de invloed van Mars als een metafoor voor een ingrijpende wereldwijde herstructurering. Oude machten kunnen instorten, nieuwe kunnen opkomen en de mensheid zou getuige kunnen zijn van een radicale herverdeling van de wereldorde.

©Shutterstock

Geopolitieke breuklijnen
De huidige spanningen tussen de Verenigde Staten en China, een hernieuwde rivaliteit tussen Oost en West en AI-gedreven militarisering weerspiegelen allemaal de vurige 'heerschappij van Mars'. Maar de mensheid staat mogelijk voor een transformatie door machtsverschuivingen en niet door een daadwerkelijke totale oorlog.

©Getty Images

2. Venus verliest haar kracht
De voorspellingen van Nostradamus zeggen dat Venus, de planeet van liefde en verbinding, in 2026 haar invloed zal verliezen. Dit betekent dat empathie en emotionele verbondenheid snel zullen afnemen door de digitale afstandelijkheid.

©Shutterstock

De kille intimiteit van een digitale samenleving
Terwijl kunstmatige intelligentie gedichten en liefdesliedjes schrijft, worden menselijke relaties steeds meer bemiddeld door schermen. Ondanks hyperconnectiviteit zal eenzaamheid toenemen naarmate intimiteit bezwijkt onder het gewicht van technologische vooruitgang.

©Shutterstock

Culturele erosie
De afnemende invloed van Venus duidt op een culturele malaise: het verval van mededogen, kunst en echte schoonheid in ruil voor algoritmisch gemak. De samenleving wordt efficiënt maar emotioneel verarmd, en blijft voortdurend verlangen naar betekenis.

©Shutterstock

3. De 'drie vuren' uit het Oosten ontwaken
Nostradamus' beeld van 'drie vuren die oprijzen uit het Oosten' symboliseert nieuwe krachten die het mondiale evenwicht hervormen. Deze kunnen staan voor de opkomende machten China, India en Zuidoost-Azië, die een technologische renaissance leiden.

©Shutterstock

De opkomst van Azië
De dominantie van China op het gebied van kunstmatige intelligentie en biotechnologie, de demografische en digitale expansie van India en de innovatie van andere Aziatische landen wijzen erop dat het mondiale leiderschap gestaag naar het oosten verschuift en de moderne beschaving herdefinieert.

©Shutterstock

De technologische brand
Naast de politiek kan het derde vuur ook verwijzen naar technologie zelf (met name AI) als de transformatieve vlam die samenlevingen verenigt en destabiliseert, economieën verandert en het gevoel van controle van de mensheid op de proef stelt.

©Shutterstock

4. De dominantie van AI
Hoewel kunstmatige intelligentie in 2025 aan belang heeft gewonnen, heeft Nostradamus voorspeld dat deze technologie in 2026 de wereld zal gaan domineren. De snelle ontwikkeling van AI zal een belangrijk keerpunt betekenen.

©Getty Images

Verlies van roeping
Blijkbaar zullen mensen in 2026 in nog grotere mate hun baan verliezen, aangezien AI-technologie belangrijke sectoren begint te veroveren en te domineren. En dit kan zelfs gelden voor technologie die verder gaat dan eenvoudige AI.

©Shutterstock

Tesla's robotica
Elon Musk is al van plan om in 2026 humanoïde robots op de markt te brengen, met een waarde van ongeveer 21.000 euro per stuk. Deze 'universele assistenten' zouden in staat zijn om te helpen bij allerlei taken, waaronder huishoudelijke klusjes, kinderopvang en gezelschap.

©Shutterstock

5. Het vervagende licht van het Westen
Een van de profetische kwatrijnen van Nostradamus spreekt over het Westen dat zijn licht verliest en in de schaduw valt. Dit voorspelt hoogstwaarschijnlijk de ondergang en vernietiging van de westerse wereld. Dit betekent niet noodzakelijkerwijs dat westerse landen fysiek in verval zullen raken, maar eerder moreel en cultureel.

©Shutterstock

De uitholling van westerse idealen
De tanende dominantie van Amerika en de gestage afglijding van Europa naar bureaucratische stagnatie laten zien hoe de liberale democratieën in de westerse wereld, ooit symbolen van vrijheid, aan het instorten zijn.

©Shutterstock

Op zoek naar vernieuwing
Maar het goede nieuws is dat de crisis in het Westen misschien minder te maken heeft met achteruitgang dan met transformatie. De voorspellingen van Nostradamus suggereren dat het Westen in 2026 een morele afrekening te wachten staat, een kans voor vernieuwing en herontdekking.

©Shutterstock

6. Een belofte van hoop
Te midden van chaos eindigen de verzen van Nostradamus niet in wanhoop, maar in vernieuwing. Hij schreef: "Schaduwen zullen vallen, maar de man van het licht zal opstaan, en de sterren zullen hen leiden die naar binnen kijken."

©Shutterstock

Chaos overstijgen
De mysticus suggereert dat de mensheid door zelfonderzoek en zelfbewustzijn in 2026 de duisternis kan overstijgen in plaats van erdoor te worden verteerd. De boodschap dringt aan op persoonlijke transformatie in plaats van collectieve verlossing.

©Shutterstock

Spirituele wedergeboorte
Nostradamus suggereert dat de verlossing van de mensheid niet zal komen van regeringen of goden, maar van mensen die hun innerlijke kracht en spirituele helderheid herontdekken.

©Shutterstock

Meditatie als modern verzet
In de huidige wereld vol lawaai, afleiding en ontkoppeling wordt introspectie een vorm van rebellie. Praktijken als meditatie en mindfulness kunnen in 2026 opnieuw opkomen als essentiële hulpmiddelen voor emotioneel overleven en het herwinnen van menselijke aanwezigheid.

©Shutterstock

Het licht van hoop
In een eeuw die wordt gekenmerkt door angst, wordt hoop revolutionair. De voorspellingen voor 2026 herinneren ons eraan dat licht niet iets is dat we simpelweg van jaar tot jaar meedragen. Het wordt juist gecultiveerd, vaak in de donkerste tijden van onzekerheid.

©Shutterstock

De morele uitdaging
Afgezien van politiek en oorlog zal de echte test van 2026 een morele zijn: of de mensheid in staat is om medelevend, ethisch en zelfbewust te blijven te midden van snelle veranderingen en sluipende ontmenselijking.

©Getty Images

De eeuwige vraag
Als alle voorspellingen terzijde worden geschoven, blijft één vraag over: zullen we mee evolueren met de wereld die verandert? De echte uitdaging van Nostradamus is misschien wel de eenvoudigste: kunnen we er nog steeds voor kiezen om mens te blijven in een wereld die dat steeds minder wordt?

Bronnen:

• (City Magazine)
• (LADbible)

RELATED

{ Stars Insider }

22-10-2025 om 17:04 geschreven door peter  

(Image Credit: Pixabay/The Debrief)

The Cortex

The cerebral cortex maps what the brain perceives in space. When we focus on our surroundings, theta-frequency waves sweep across them, searching for visual anomalies that might demand attention. Using animal subjects, the researchers sought to understand why performance in visual working memory tasks varies and why memory capacity appears limited.

Their work builds on previous studies identifying theta waves as being strongly correlated with attention—particularly during tasks requiring the brain to track multiple points at once. Miller’s earlier research supported the theory that different brainwave frequencies act as carriers for distinct forms of neural computation. The new study takes this a step further, revealing how those traveling waves may actively drive such computations.

“It shows that waves impact performance as they sweep across the surface of the cortex,” said Professor Miller, also of MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. “This raises the possibility that traveling waves are organizing, or even performing, neural computation.”

Brainwaves and Video Games

For their experiments, the team trained animals to play a simple video game: an array of colored squares appeared briefly on-screen, followed by a second array in which one square had changed color. The animals’ task was to look at the altered square as quickly as possible. Researchers tracked their eye movements and reaction times while recording brainwave activity in the frontal eye fields—a region of the cortex responsible for mapping visual information from the retina.

After analyzing hundreds of trials, the researchers found that both theta brainwave activity and the vertical location of the changed square were strongly correlated with how accurately and quickly the animals detected changes. Certain horizontal bands of the cortex appeared tuned to specific theta frequencies, meaning that a subject’s performance depended on whether the brain’s internal rhythm aligned with the position of the visual change.

“The optimal theta phase for behavior varied by retinotopic target location, progressing from the top to the bottom of the visual field,” the researchers wrote in Neuron. “This could be explained by a traveling wave of activity across the cortical surface during the memory delay.”

Continuing to Understand Visual Scanning

From this data, the team concluded that the brain’s ability to spot visual changes follows a distinct rhythm. The closer a visual change occurred to a band’s optimal theta phase, the faster it was recognized. The team says continued research will be needed to understand how this rhythmic mechanism evolved.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/tech/ }

21-10-2025 om 22:12 geschreven door peter  

Boeing is pitching a new class of unmanned vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft — a modular, high-speed tiltrotor — that could operate alongside, support, and even protect crewed platforms like the AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook. 

By unveiling the CxR, Boeing is entering a high-stakes race to supply the next generation of collaborative rotorcraft, with the potential to shift tactical aviation paradigms.

According to Aviation Week, the CxR is projected to weigh between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds and will be powered by a single turboshaft engine driving a pair of tilting propellers, enabling speeds of 200 to 250 knots. The aircraft is also expected to have a maximum gross weight between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds, with a payload capacity of 1,000 to 2,000 pounds.

This configuration would make the CxR roughly twice the size of the MQ-1 Predator, giving it significantly more heft and operational flexibility than many of the smaller unmanned systems in the U.S. Army’s current arsenal.  

Despite its size, Boeing emphasizes that the CxR is designed to be expeditionary, fitting compactly inside a C-130 Hercules transport to allow for rapid deployment to remote or contested theaters.

Boeing is presenting the CxR as part of a “family of systems” tailored to the Army’s future vertical lift ecosystem, with two specific variants already envisioned to address distinct mission needs.

One variant, dubbed the “Collaborative Combat Rotorcraft” (CCR), would be designed for front-line combat operations. In this configuration, the CxR would be equipped with weapons, sensors, and electronic warfare systems, allowing it to perform strike, reconnaissance, or escort missions. 

It could also serve as a “mothership” for smaller launched effects (LEs) — miniature drones that can be deployed mid-flight for surveillance, jamming, or precision attacks deep within enemy territory.

Boeing suggests the CCR variant of the CxR could be specifically designed to integrate seamlessly with the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, extending its reach and capabilities on the battlefield.

Under the Army’s Manned-Unmanned Teaming-Extended (MUMT-X) architecture, Apache crews can already control sensors and flight paths of assets like the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone. Boeing aims to extend that control paradigm to the CxR, making it a “true wingman” rather than an autonomous sidecar. 

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/defense/ }

16-10-2025 om 17:58 geschreven door peter  

Native Americans Had Their Own Tales to Tell About Space Aliens — and Here's a New One

By Alan Boyle  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

14-10-2025 om 20:45 geschreven door peter  

A group of former US Defense Department experts has called on the current Pentagon leadership to pay more attention to the development of hypersonic weapons. They say that the United States is already significantly behind Russia and China in this area due to road development.

Hypersonic weapons

Hypersonic weapons include aircraft capable of traveling at speeds of several thousand kilometers per hour, i.e., 6, 8, or even 10 times faster than the speed of sound. Only recently, experts who previously worked for the US Department of Defense stated that the country was moving too slowly in developing such systems and risked falling behind its competitors.

These specialists are now part of the so-called Task Force, i.e., they are consultants who conduct independent external assessments of the situation in the military department. Their latest report suggests that the US has significant problems in the field of hypersonic weapons, even though officials may not think so.

• Posted in News, TechTaggedUSA,war

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

13-10-2025 om 16:13 geschreven door peter  

Hidden, supercharged 'thermostat' may cause Earth to overcorrect for climate change

With both thermostats working in tandem, it's possible that the next ice age could start on time, instead of being delayed by the effects of climate change, study co-author Andy Ridgwell, a professor of geology at the University of California, Riverside, told Live Science.

The newfound thermostat does not protect humans living now from the effects of global warming, said study co-author Dominik Hülse, a mathematician and biogeochemical modeler at the University of Bremen in Germany. "It's not to say that we will be safe from global warming in the next 100 or even 1,000 years," he told Live Science.

Scientists have long suspected that Earth regulates its climate on geological timescales. Since the 1980s, researchers have theorized about a mechanism called the silicate weathering feedback, which occurs when rain captures CO₂ from the air and sprays it onto silicate rocks — rocks with minerals made of oxygen and silicon that constitute about 90% of the planet's crust. CO₂ reacts with these rocks, dissolving them and forming molecules that leach into the ground and eventually end up in the ocean. Once there, what was once CO₂ forms limestone and chalk, meaning it is locked away for millions of years.

The silicate weathering feedback is like a thermostat because the more CO₂ that is in the atmosphere, the warmer Earth gets and the more the water cycle intensifies. As precipitation increases, silicate weathering accelerates, meaning more CO₂ is transferred to the ocean and atmospheric CO₂ sinks to background levels again.

The feedback also works the other way around. "If you get too cold and CO₂ is too low, then the thermostat is consuming too little CO₂ compared with a background of constant release of CO₂ from the mantle, from volcanoes and other magma features," Ridgwell said. In this scenario, less CO₂ ends up in the ocean and atmospheric levels slowly increase back to average levels, he said.

But the silicate weathering feedback moves slowly; it can take up to 1 million years after a perturbation to rebalance CO₂ levels. As a result, there are climate events it can't explain, including Earth's glacial and interglacial cycles, which are characterized by huge fluctuations in CO₂ levels and temperature that occur roughly every 100,000 years, Ridgwell said.

Silicate weathering also can't explain snowball Earth events, which completely cover the planet in ice, Hülse said. If silicate weathering were the only thermostat regulating Earth's climate, its smooth balancing act would prevent it from tipping into such extreme conditions, Hülse explained.

A second "thermostat"

The new research was inspired by Hülse's doctoral dissertation, in which he calculated how much organic carbon was preserved in ocean sediments during past climatic events. His results showed that after periods of intense volcanic activity and warming, mountains of organic carbon were deposited onto the seafloor. This finding suggested there might be a link between atmospheric CO₂ levels and organic carbon burial in the ocean.

"There are definitely times in Earth's history when a lot of organic carbon has been deposited," Ridgwell said. "We've sort of known that there must be other things going on [besides silicate weathering], but it's much more complex to put in a model."

But Hülse and Ridgwell tackled this challenge in the new study by amalgamating their individual projects into a single global climate carbon cycle model that accounted for organic carbon burial in the seafloor. Their results revealed a second "thermostat" rooted in Earth's phosphorus cycle, which starts on land with rocks containing minerals such as apatite, the researchers said.

Weathering of these rocks due to precipitation releases phosphorus, which leaches into the ground, enters streams and rivers, and eventually ends up in the ocean. There, phosphorus is a key nutrient for tiny photosynthetic creatures known as phytoplankton, which use it to fuel cellular processes. When phytoplankton die, they sink to the ocean bottom, where they deposit organic carbon, phosphorus and other nutrients.

In a warmer world, more phosphorus is washed into the ocean and phytoplankton proliferate, meaning more organic carbon and phosphorus reach the seafloor. However, warmer oceans also hold less oxygen because oxygen becomes less soluble as temperatures increase. This deoxygenation releases deposited phosphorus back into the water column while burying organic carbon in sediments.

"Exactly how that happens is not mechanistically entirely known, but we know it happens," Ridgwell said. "Where we've had these events in the past where we see massive amounts of organic carbon being buried after a warming event, there's very, very, very little phosphorus in that material compared with normal material. If it's not being buried, it must have been returned to the ocean."

As phosphorus gets recycled, it reenters the food chain and phytoplankton continue to proliferate as they feast on phosphorus from both the land and the ocean. This leads to a phytoplankton boom, which sucks more and more CO₂ out of the atmosphere and deposits more and more organic carbon onto the seafloor, which brings down global temperatures.

So, the warmer the world gets, the more productive the oceans become and the more carbon is locked away, which cools the climate. But the difference between phosphorus and silicate weathering is that phosphorus in the ocean doesn't decline as soon as Earth cools, because it continues to be released at the seafloor.

"The organic carbon thermostat is a little bit like the silicate thermostat, except it has this supercharger," Ridgwell said. "You end up with so many nutrients in the ocean — and they're being recycled very efficiently — that it's very difficult to get rid of them again."

The phosphorus cycle eventually regains its balance, but the planet can "overcorrect" in the meantime, triggering events like snowball Earth, the researchers said. It's unclear how this second thermostat will respond to climate change now, but the ocean is so rich in oxygen compared with in the past that a snowball Earth is unlikely, they said.

Instead, it's possible that the organic carbon thermostat will make up for the delay expected for the next ice age. Climate change is disturbing Earth's natural cycles, and previous research suggests it could push back the next glacial period, which is due in about 11,000 years, by tens of thousands of years. But if the organic carbon thermostat activates, atmospheric CO₂ could return to background levels much faster, ensuring that the next ice age arrives on time.

"Whatever delay we'll end up with for the next ice age ... thinking about this mechanism might bring it back forward again," Ridgwell said. "One is going to start at some point for sure; it's all about when it starts."

{ https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth }

11-10-2025 om 22:22 geschreven door peter  

Is Earth on track for a mass extinction? More than 48,000 animals are now at risk of being wiped out, report warns

• READ MORE: What the end of the world will REALLY look like

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

From the dodo to the Tasmanian tiger, many majestic creatures have become extinct over the years. 

Now, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned that 48,646 animals that could be next. 

The IUCN has updated its 'Red List', revealing that three species of Arctic seal have moved closer to extinction. 

The update also warns that the majority (61 per cent) of bird species globally are in decline – a huge increase on the 44 per cent at risk in 2016. 

However, it's not all doom and gloom. 

The green sea turtle has increased in population by approximately 28 per cent, thanks to decades of conservation action. 

'Today's Red List update, launched at the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi, shines a light on both the urgent challenges and the powerful possibilities before us,' said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General. 

'While species like Arctic seals and many birds face growing threats, the recovery of the green turtle reminds us that conservation works when we act with determination and unity.'

The IUCN has updated its 'Red List', revealing that three species of Arctic seal have moved closer to extinction.

Pictured: a bearded seal pup

The update also warns that the majority (61 per cent) of bird species globally are in decline – a huge increase on the 44 per cent at risk in 2016.

Pictured Schlegel's asity

Species on the IUCN Red List are animals of the highest conservation priority that need 'urgent action' to save. 

This year's list includes 172,620 animals – 48,646 of which are threatened with extinction. 

Three species of Arctic seal have moved closer to extinction, with the hooded seal now listed as Endangered, and the bearded seal and harp seal now listed as Near Threatened. 

These animals are under a variety of pressures, including shipping, noise, oil and mineral exploitation, hunting, and bycatch in fisheries. 

However, the biggest threat to these seals is climate change, according to Dr Kit Kovacs, Co–Chair of IUCN's Species Survival Commission Pinniped Specialist Group.

'Each year in Svalbard, the retreating sea ice reveals how threatened Arctic seals have become, making it harder for them to breed, rest and feed,' she explained. 

'Their plight is a stark reminder that climate change is not a distant problem – it has been unfolding for decades and is having impacts here and now. 

'Protecting Arctic seals goes beyond these species; it is about safeguarding the Arctic's delicate balance, which is essential for us all.' 

However, it's not all doom and gloom. The green sea turtle has increased in population by approximately 28 per cent, thanks to decades of conservation action

The Red List update also revealed that 61 per cent of all birds have declining populations – with species living in Madagascar, West Africa, and Central America most at risk.

This is mostly due to habitat loss, driven by agricultural expansion and logging, according to the IUCN. 

'That three in five of the world's bird species have declining populations shows how deep the biodiversity crisis has become and how urgent it is that governments take the actions they have committed to under multiple conventions and agreements,' said Dr Ian Burfield, BirdLife's Global Science Coordinator (Species) and Bird Red List Authority Coordinator. 

The green sea turtle, on the other hand, has actually improved in status, from Endangered to Least Concern. 

Since the 1970s, populations have increased by around 28 per cent, thanks to conservation efforts focusing on protecting nesting females and their eggs on beaches.

'The ongoing global recovery of the green turtle is a powerful example of what coordinated global conservation over decades can achieve to stabilise and even restore populations of long–lived marine species,' said Roderic Mast, Co–Chair of IUCN's Species Survival Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group. 

Sadly, the Red List update also sees six species moved to the Extinct category. 

This includes the Christmas Island shrew, the slender–billed curlew, and the south–eastern striped bandicoot. 

Read More

• Ominous warning for humanity as birds suddenly adopt 'unsettling' behavior 

The update comes just one month ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, which will be held in Belém, Brazil, from 10–21 November. 

'As we look ahead to the Climate COP in Belém, governments and communities have a pivotal opportunity to accelerate action that protects biodiversity, stabilises our climate, and builds a future where people and nature flourish together,' Dr Aguilar added. 

You can explore the full IUCN Red List here. 

Researchers claim the Earth is going through a 'man made' sixth mass extinction with the 'biological annihilation' of wildlife

The world has experienced five mass extinctions over the course of its history, and experts claim we are seeing another one happen right now.   

A 2017 research paper claimed a 'biological annihilation' of wildlife in recent decades has triggered the sixth mass extinction and says the planet is heading towards a 'global crisis'. 

Scientists warn humanity's voracious consumption and wanton destruction is to blame for the event, which is the first major extinction since the dinosaurs.

Two species of vertebrate, animals with a backbone, have gone extinct every year, on average, for the past century.

Currently around 41 per cent of amphibian species and more than a quarter of mammals are threatened with extinction.

There are an estimated 8.7 million plant and animal species on our planet and about 86 per cent of land species and 91 per cent of sea species remain undiscovered.

Of the ones we do know, 1,204 mammal, 1,469 bird, 1,215 reptile, 2,100 amphibian, and 2,386 fish species are considered threatened.

Also threatened are 1,414 insect, 2,187 mollusc, 732 crustacean, 237 coral, 12,505 plant, 33 mushroom, and six brown algae species.

More than 25,000 species of 91,523 assessed for the 2017 'Red List' update were classified as 'threatened'. 

The number of invertebrates at risk has also peaked. 

Scientists predict insects may go extinct within 100 years as a result of crippling population decline.   

The dawn of the mass extinction coincides with the onset of the Anthropocene - the geological age defined by human activity being the dominant influence on climate and the environment.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

10-10-2025 om 18:36 geschreven door peter  

Earth's largest ocean current is grinding to a halt: Crucial system is now flowing three times slower than it was 130,000 years ago – and the consequences could be disastrous

• READ MORE: Key North Atlantic current is on the brink of COLLAPSING

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Five times stronger than the Gulf Stream and 100 times larger than the Amazon River, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is by far the world's largest ocean current.

But this key system is grinding to a halt, a new study has warned. 

Analysing core samples, scientists from the University of Bonn have found that the ACC has undergone a major slowdown.

In fact, the ocean current is now running three times slower than it was 130,000 years ago.

Worryingly, if it continues, this dramatic slowdown could have disastrous consequences.

The ACC is largely driven by westerly winds, which allow the circling flow to transport heat, dissolved carbon, and nutrients from ocean to ocean.

That makes it essential for sustaining not only regional temperatures, but also the entire global climate and ecosystem.

'If this current "engine" breaks down, there could be severe consequences, including more climate variability, with greater extremes in certain regions, and accelerated global warming due to a reduction in the ocean's capacity to act as a carbon sink,' warned Dr Bishakhdatta Gayen, associate professor at the University of Melbourne, who was not involved in the study. 

Scientists have found that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (illustrated), the world's largest ocean current, was over three times faster 130,000 years ago 

The ACC circles the Antarctic continent from East to West, connecting the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. 

While it's critical for global heat transport, how it has changed through the years has remained unclear until now. 

To get to the bottom of it, the University of Bonn scientists looked at sediment samples collected by a research vessel in the Scotia Sea north of Antarctica.

This allowed them to work out how the ACC has changed in speed and position over the last 160,000 years.

'The velocity in the second–to–last warm period, roughly 130,000 years ago, was more than three times greater than in the last millennia comprising the current warm period,' said expedition lead Dr Michael Weber.

While the reason for this slowdown remains unclear, the researchers suggest that most of the change can be attributed to the differences in Earth's orbit around the sun.

The Earth orbits the sun in an elliptical pattern that repeats once every 100,000 years.

At the same time, the Earth's axis changes in tilt and rotation once every 21,000 years. 

Using sediment cores gathered by the research vessel Joides Resolution, researchers were able to see how the current has changed its speed and position over the last 160,000 years

This creates a pattern of radiation intensity from the sun that has a strong influence on the speed of winds and, therefore, on the speed of wind–driven currents like the ACC.

This could explain why the current was moving so much faster 130,000 years ago – despite the climate looking largely the same as today.

Those same patterns of radiation likely forced the ACC at least 370 miles (600 km) closer to the south pole during the last warm period than it is today.

Dr Webber explained: 'Both parameters showed a simultaneous, mutually reinforcing maximum exclusively during the last warm period.' 

However, research has also shown that human activity is further slowing down the ACC.

Using Australia's fastest supercomputer, researchers from the University of Melbourne recently simulated how the ACC will respond to a warming climate.

Worryingly, they found that human–caused climate change will likely cause the ACC to slow down by a further 20 per cent by 2050.

Scientists had previously thought that the current would actually get faster as the planet warmed, since warmer air produces faster winds and warm water is less dense. 

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), highlighted here in green, could slow by a further 20 per cent due to the effects of human–caused climate change 

However, these simulations revealed that the impacts of climate change on Antarctica's Ice shelves meant climate change was actually slowing the ACC overall.

As ice melts, it dumps vast quantities of cold, fresh water into the oceans, which fills the deep oceans and counteracts the effects of ocean warming – leading to a slower current.

If the ACC slows down further, it is likely to have dramatic and devastating effects on the global climate.

The ACC helps circulate nutrients around Antarctica that feed fish populations that global fisheries rely on.

The current also acts like a barrier, keeping warm water and invasive species like Southern Bull Kelp out of Antarctica.

Read More

• Earth's strongest ocean current is slowing due to climate change - consequences could be disastrous 

If this barrier weakens, more warm water will reach the Antarctic sea ice, further accelerating ice melt and exacerbating the slowdown effect.

That could lead to widespread disruption of global climate patterns and reduce the oceans' ability to help regulate world temperatures.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds around 90 per cent of all the fresh water on Earth and has the potential to cause massive increases in sea levels should it melt.

While researchers don't believe the ice sheet will vanish anytime soon, even modest accelerations in sea level rise could be catastrophic for the 230 million people who live within three feet of the high tide line today.

ATLANTIC OCEAN CIRCULATION PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN REGULATING THE GLOBAL CLIMATE

When it comes to regulating global climate, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role.

This is due to a constantly moving system of deep-water circulation often referred to as the Global Ocean Conveyor Belt which sends warm, salty Gulf Stream water to the North Atlantic where it releases heat to the atmosphere and warms Western Europe.

The cooler water then sinks to great depths and travels all the way to Antarctica and eventually circulates back up to the Gulf Stream.

When it comes to regulating global climate, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role

This motion is fuelled by thermohaline currents – a combination of temperature and salt.

It takes thousands of years for water to complete a continuous journey around the world.

Researchers believe that as the North Atlantic began to warm near the end of the Little Ice Age, freshwater disrupted the system, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

Arctic sea ice, and ice sheets and glaciers surrounding the Arctic began to melt, forming a huge natural tap of fresh water that gushed into the North Atlantic.

This huge influx of freshwater diluted the surface seawater, making it lighter and less able to sink deep, slowing down the AMOC system.

Researchers found the AMOC has been weakening more rapidly since 1950 in response to recent global warming.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

08-10-2025 om 18:43 geschreven door peter  

Key North Atlantic current is on the brink of COLLAPSING – plunging Europe into a 'Little Ice Age', scientists warn

• READ MORE: The Gulf Stream is 'closer to collapsing than ever before'

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

A key ocean current in the North Atlantic Ocean is weakening to the point of total collapse due to climate change, a new study warns. 

Scientists say the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre – a massive system of rotating ocean currents south of Greenland – has been losing stability since the 1950s.

It is now approaching a 'tipping point' – a critical threshold in the system which, if passed, could cause sudden and dramatic climate changes. 

The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre moves heat from the tropics to the North Atlantic, helping to regulate temperatures in Europe and North America. 

But this movement slowing down or 'weakening' could plunge Europe into another 'Little Ice Age', a dramatic period of regional cooling like the one between around 1300 to 1850.

During the last Little Ice Age, rivers froze over and crops were decimated when average temperatures dropped by about 3.6°F (2°C).

Study author Dr Beatriz Arellano Nava, a lecturer in physical oceanography at the University of Exeter, called the findings 'highly worrying'. 

'Our results provide independent evidence that the North Atlantic has lost stability, suggesting that a tipping point could be approaching, although it remains uncertain when this threshold might be reached,' she said. 

The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is a massive system of rotating ocean currents that transports heat from the tropics to the North Atlantic, helping to regulate temperatures in Europe and North America

In oceanography, a gyre is a large system of ocean surface currents moving in a circular fashion driven by wind movements. 

The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is one of five major subtropical gyres around the world that are part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – the vast system of ocean currents that distributes heat around the world, as well as transferring nutrients and carbon dioxide to deeper ocean parts.

Described as 'the conveyor belt of the ocean', AMOC delivers warm water near the ocean's surface northwards from the tropics up to the northern hemisphere, keeping Europe and the US east coast 'temperate' – neither very hot nor very cold. 

But due to climate change, both systems could pass a tipping point and even collapse, which would mean much of the northern hemisphere, including Europe and North America, could experience harsh, freezing cold winters. 

For the study, the researchers analysed data from clams found around the North Atlantic region, which have secrets hidden in their shells. 

They focused on shells of the ocean quahog and dog cockle, two species of clam that live buried in the North Atlantic seabed. 

The clam forms a new shell growth band every year and the width of this band reflects environmental conditions for hundreds of years – much like the concentric rings within a tree trunk. 

In other words, the chemical composition of the shells encodes information about the state of the seawater in which the clam was growing. 

In the Hollywood blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow (pictured), ocean currents around the world stop as a result of global warming, triggering a new ice age on Earth

Researchers based their findings on clam shells recovered from around the North Atlantic region. In this colour map, redness indicates greater loss of current stability preceding rapid circulation changes

What is the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre?

The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is a massive system of rotating ocean currents in the North Atlantic. 

It transports heat from the tropics to the North Atlantic, helping to regulate temperatures in Europe and North America.

It also helps to power the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – a key part of the global ocean conveyor belt that moves heat and nutrients around the world.

Crucially, oxygen and carbon isotopes in the shells provide insights on a range of processes in the marine environment, such as regional changes in circulation. 

'We don't have ocean observations going back into the distant past, but the bands in clam shells give us an unbroken annual record covering hundreds of years,' said Dr Nava. 

The data revealed that the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre has had two 'destabilisation episodes' over the past 150 years where it has lost stability – suggesting that a tipping point could be approaching. 

The first destabilisation episode happened in the early 20th century before the 1920s, while the second stronger episode began around 1950 and continues to the present day. 

This suggests that the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is moving toward a tipping point that could lead to a cascade of 'catastrophic, irreversible changes' to our climate, such as more extreme weather events, particularly in Europe, and changes in global precipitation patterns. 

While it would be less catastrophic than the collapse of the AMOC, it would still bring substantial impacts including more frequent extreme weather in the North Atlantic region and deep freezes in Europe. 

The UK and northern Europe could experience much harsher winters typical of parts of Canada, while the east coast of the US could see dramatic sea level rises due to changes in ocean circulation. 

While the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre looks likely to 'weaken abruptly', it 'would not completely collapse' as it is also driven by winds, Dr Nava said. 

North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is part of, and helps power, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation  Earth's vast system of ocean currents that distributes heat and nutrients around the world. The new study finds evidence of 'stability loss' that suggests the region is 'moving towards a tipping point'

The Little Ice Age was a period of major mountain-glacier expansion that spanned from around the early 14th century through to the mid-19th century, when rivers froze over and crops were decimated 

Read More

• Cost of climate change: Extreme weather cost Europe €43 BILLION this summer, experts warn 

'Such a weakening would reduce the northward flow of heat carried by ocean currents, likely triggering a chain of climate changes including more frequent extreme weather events, stronger seasonal contrasts in Europe, and shifts in global rainfall patterns,' she told the Daily Mail.

However, a weakening North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is what occurred during the early years of the Little Ice Age – suggesting similar climate effects could be seen again even if the wider AMOC doesn't collapse. 

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, offers independent evidence that the North Atlantic has 'lost stability over recent decades and is vulnerable to crossing a tipping point'. 

'Melting of polar ice due to climate change is certainly contributing to the weakening of ocean currents and pushing them closer to a tipping point, so rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the best way to prevent tipping points in the Atlantic Ocean,' the expert added. 

How does global warming affect global currents?  

Scientists think melting glaciers could cause the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC, the system of ocean currents.

Described as 'the conveyor belt of the ocean', the AMOC transports warm water near the ocean's surface northwards – from the tropics up to the northern hemisphere.

When the warm water reaches the North Atlantic (Europe and the UK, and the US east coast), it releases the heat and then freezes. As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water.

Due to the large amount of salt in the water, it becomes denser, sinks, and is carried southwards – back towards the tropics – in the depths below.

Eventually, the water gets pulled back up towards the surface and warms up in a process called upwelling, completing the cycle.

Scientists think AMOC brings enough warmth to the northern hemisphere that without it, large parts of Europe could enter a deep freeze.

Prior studies have already shown that due to climate change, the AMOC is weakening (meaning the movement of heat is slowing down)

The engine of this conveyor belt is off the coast of Greenland, where, as more ice melts from climate change, more freshwater flows into the North Atlantic and slows everything down. 

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

06-10-2025 om 18:08 geschreven door peter  

Background: What are Ammonites?

Belonging to the Phylum Mollusca, these extinct marine invertebrates resemble a nautilus, complete with a spiral shell. Ammonites lived around 408-65 million years ago in Earth’s ancient seas, and because these creatures are related to cuttlefish, nautilus, octopus, and squid, their soft bodies did not fossilize well, leaving mainly their shells behind for scientists to study.

These shells have helped scientists date other fossils, as well as tell scientists the approximate locations of Earth’s ancient oceans. However, there are still mysteries surrounding these creatures, especially when it comes to how they moved and why their shells were such particular shapes. 

Analysis: Building Robotic Ammonites

To study ammonite movement, researchers at the University of Utah created robotic ammonites out of 3D-printed materials. The robots helped the researchers to better understand how the ammonites maneuvered through the water as well as the best shell shape for balanced movement. According to David Peterman, a postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Utah, “These results reiterate that there is no single optimum shell shape…My broader research goal is to provide a better understanding of these enigmatic animals, their ecosystem roles, and the evolutionary processes that shaped them.”

The researchers built three different robotic ammonites with designs based on nautilus shells and ammonite fossils. The three robots were tested in the water by doing laps. This helped the researchers see the pros and cons of each shell type. “Throughout their evolution, externally shelled cephalopods navigated their physical limitations by endlessly experimenting with variations on the shape of their coiled shells,” explained Peterman. This was illustrated in the differences in the fossils, as the spirals of the shells shifted into something similar to the ones we have today.

Outlook: Using Robots to Study the Past

While this study helped the researchers to better understand the evolutionary process behind ammonite movement and shell shape, it also illustrated the utility of using robotics to study the past. Robotics can help to bring fossils to life, allowing scientists to better understand the possible movements of these ancient animals. With other advanced technology like AI and virtual reality (VR), recreating the past will be easier than ever.

AI is already helping us to determine our ancient human roots, and with the help of virtual reality, we are closing in on recreating lifelike representations of extinct animals like mammoths in a virtual setting. In the years ahead, such advances may prove to be key assets for scientists in the years ahead, who will now have access to a clearer idea of how these extinct animals once thrived on our planet. 

• Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a staff writer at the Debrief and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). She focuses on deep tech, the metaverse, and quantum technology. You can find more of her work at her website: https://kennacastleberry.com/

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/science/ }

04-10-2025 om 23:33 geschreven door peter  

Microbes trapped in permafrost AWAKEN after 40,000 years – as scientists warn they could spark the next pandemic

• READ MORE: Scientists discover hundreds of giant VIRUSES in the ocean

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

It may sound like the start of a horror film, but ancient infectious lifeforms are being brought back to life. 

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have deliberately resurrected microorganisms that have been frozen in Alaska for around 40,000 years. 

These tiny bugs, invisible to the naked eye, have been trapped in 'permafrost' – frozen earth material containing soil, rock and ice. 

In controlled experiments, the scientists discovered that if you thaw out permafrost, the microbes don't immediately become active. 

But after a few months, like waking up after a long nap, they begin to form flourishing colonies.

Worryingly, the microbes have the potential to unleash dangerous pathogens that could spark the next pandemic.

'These are not dead samples by any means,' warned study author Dr Tristan Caro, a geological scientist at University of Colorado Boulder. 

What's more, as they reawaken, the microorganisms release carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that fuels global warming. 

Back in 2022, an ancient virus called Pandoravirus that had lain frozen in Siberian permafrost for 48,500 years was revived. Pictured, digital rendering of Pandoravirus

For their experiments, the team travelled to Alaska's Permafrost Research Tunnel – an underground passage dug through permafrost in the 1960s

For their experiments, the team travelled from Colorado to the Permafrost Research Tunnel near Fairbanks in Alaska, just south of the Arctic Circle. 

This spooky underground passage was dug through permafrost in the 1960s for the purpose of facilitating scientific research into climate change. 

Described as an 'icy graveyard', permafrost is a frozen mix of soil, ice and rocks that underlies nearly a quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere.

The team collected samples of permafrost that was a few thousand to tens of thousands of years old from the walls of the tunnel. 

They then added water to the samples and incubated them at temperatures of 3°C (39°F) and 12°C (54°F) – which is chilly for humans but warm for the Arctic. 

'We wanted to simulate what happens in an Alaskan summer, under future climate conditions where these temperatures reach deeper areas of the permafrost,' Dr Caro said.

Although the microbes 'likely couldn't infect people', the team kept them in sealed chambers regardless. 

In the first few months, the colonies grew gradually, in some cases replacing only about one in every 100,000 cells per day – described as a 'slow reawakening'. 

Robyn Barbato of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory drills a sample from the walls of the Permafrost Research Tunnel

Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen even during summer months. Pictured, melting ice in the Arctic in spring

However, within six months, microbial communities underwent 'dramatic changes', forming strong communities distinct from the surrounding surfaces. 

Some had formed 'biofilms' – slimy layers made from a thriving community of micro–organisms that are hard to remove. 

Overall, the results suggest it could take a few months for microbes to become active enough that they begin to emit greenhouse gases into the air in large volumes following a hot spell. 

But this suggests that the longer Arctic summers last, the more likely microbes will become thawed and reawaken.

'You might have a single hot day in the Alaskan summer, but what matters much more is the lengthening of the summer season to where these warm temperatures extend into the autumn and spring,' Dr Caro said. 

Thawing could lead to the release of the permafrost’s enormous reserves of greenhouse gases CO2 and methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas. 

The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, also notes that microbes in permafrost rely on different kinds of fatty lipids to construct their cell membranes.

These compounds may have helped them survive freezing, dark conditions for millenia.

The ability of the microbes to survive for so long before reawakening is triggering concerns that the melting Arctic could release a deadly disease, new to humanity. 

One possible defence is that permafrost–based microbes need to find a host in order to survive and spread, like an animal. 

Fortunately, permafrost is remote by nature because it is found in high–latitude and high–altitude regions. 

Still, it may only take a single unfortunate infection scenario for such a microbe to make the initial jump to a wild mammal or human. 

Back in 2022, an ancient virus called Pandoravirus that had lain frozen in Siberian permafrost for 48,500 years was revived.

Although the viruses are not considered a risk to humans, scientists warned that other viruses exposed by melted ice could be 'disastrous' and lead to new pandemics. 

Dr Brigitta Evengård, an infectious disease specialist from Sweden, thinks there could be possible pandemics from the Arctic that are caused by bacteria highly resistant to antibiotics. 

'The two that we know could come out of the permafrost are anthrax and pox viruses, other than that it’s pandora's box,' she told Greenpeace. 

KILLER VIRUSES COULD BE RELEASED FROM MELTING ICE IN THE ARCTIC, STUDY WARNS 

Glaciers that are melting amid rising global temperatures could be the cause of the next deathly pandemic, a study said. 

Scientists investigated how climate change may affect the risk of 'spillover' – a virus jumping to another species – by examining samples from Lake Hazen in the Arctic. 

Lake Hazen, seen from above in this NASA image, is the largest High Arctic freshwater lake in the world

They found that the chance of a spillover event increases with the melting of glaciers, as the meltwater can transport pathogens to new hosts. 

A warming climate could bring viruses in the Arctic into contact with new environments and hosts, increasing the risk of this 'viral spillover', the experts warn. 

'Spillover risk increases with runoff from glacier melt, a proxy for climate change,' say the researchers in their paper, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 

'Should climate change also shift species range of potential viral vectors and reservoirs northwards, the High Arctic could become fertile ground for emerging pandemics.' 

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

03-10-2025 om 15:39 geschreven door peter  

In a video by the Harte Research Institute in Texas, Director of Community Engagement Jace Tunnell revealed that the pink meanies have flooded the Texas coast, searching for moon jellyfish to feed on.

Pink meanies, whose official scientific name is Drymonema larsoni, can weigh up to 50 pounds and have a collection of tentacles which grow to be 70 feet long.

Although Tunnell said they were first spotted in the Gulf around 25 years ago, their appearances on Texas beaches are pretty rare, and Tunnell added he had been looking for this species for nearly a year.

With their favorite food swimming into the warm waters of the Gulf this summer, sightings have spiked, with Tunnell noting he's discovered over 10 of these giant jellies in a just a 10-miles stretch of US beaches.

Others on social media added they've seen even more giant pink meanies in the ocean, including one man on Facebook claiming to see 30 to 40 a few hundred miles south of Galveston this month.

'When the moon jellies are there, these are eating on them and then once the moon jellies are gone, you're not going to find them anymore' Tunnell explained.

Pink meanies, also known as Drymonema larsoni, have been washing up on Texas beaches this month

Jace Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute in Texas (pictured) revealed that sightings of these jellyfish can be fairly rare

Catching these giant creatures in the wild can be an extremely hard task.

The marine expert from Corpus Christi explained that pink meanies die off quickly if their supply of moon jellyfish dwindles.

If the water gets too cold, that will also kill off pink meanies before they reach their full size in the wild.

Right now, the jellyfish predators are thriving in the warm ocean temperatures of late summer and early fall, especially in the Gulf, the Mediterranean, and along the coast of South Africa.

'I saw one of these for the 1st time while snorkeling this weekend!' another person on Facebook commented next to a picture of the giant pink jellyfish.

Underwater, these creatures can look like a huge pink cloud, with a long flowing mass of tentacles that extends for several yards.

When they wash up on shore, both large and small pink meanies look like a ball of jelly with a deep pink color making them easy to spot.

However, Tunnell warned viewers that this type of jellyfish is not edible and added that they do sting when touched.

Pink meanies can grow to weigh 50 pounds and have tentacles that reach 70 feet in length

This species of jellyfish only eat moon jellyfish. If moon jellyfish aren't around, pink meanies tend to die quickly

As the wildlife expert held a baby jellyfish in his hand, he admitted that his fingers were beginning to tingle, noting that the pain of the pink meanie's sting was about a 'two out of 10.'

Despite Tunnell's comments about the pain, others revealed that the stings of the pink meanie could be much worse than the expert felt. 

'I got stung on my back it hurt pretty bad,' one woman posted on social media.

'I encountered one today at South Packery just free swimming. And they ARE mean, definitely pack a punch,' another person wrote. 

Jace Tunnell revealed that the pink meanie (pictured) has a mild sting, but others claim the pain can be much worse

According to National Geographic, when scientists discovered that the pink meanies were a new species, they also concluded that Drymonema larsoni was unique enough to have its own biological family, known as Drymonematidae.

The jellyfish got its name from marine scientist Ron Larson, who conducted early research on the species.

However, its more popular nickname comes from its bright color and aggressive nature towards the common moon jellyfish.

If you happen to be stung by one of these creatures, Tunnell recommended pouring vinegar on the area.

This can help remove the tentacles from your skin and also cut down some of the stinging sensation the creature left behind. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

24-09-2025 om 20:53 geschreven door peter  

Chinese scientists uncover strange life forms at 31,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean

Researchers documented a variety of life in the newly discovered system in the Pacific northeast of Papua New Guinea. 

(Image credit: Image by Prof. SUN Weidong, et al., 2025.)

A research team led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered extraordinary deep-sea life in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Using a manned submersible, the team explored ocean trenches in the northwest Pacific, reaching depths of over 31,000 feet. 

There, they recorded stunning footage of strange ecosystems, including beds of clams, mats of bacteria resembling ice, and fields of tube worms. The discovery, published in a study in the journal Nature, sets a new milestone in deep-sea exploration, surpassing the previous record for filmed marine vertebrate, which included a snailfish spotted at 27,350 feet deep off the coast of Japan in 2023.

Map locating the Mariana Trench

The study area, situated in the northwest Pacific, is demarcated by a white rectangle in the inset. Orange dots represent dive sites where chemosynthesis-based communities were observed and sampled and crosses indicate dive sites lacking such communities. Open orange circles delineate potential seep sites characterized by black sediments. White arrows illustrate the direction of subduction for the Pacific Plate beneath the Okhotsk Plate and the Bering Sea Plate. The dashed white lines indicate the transitional connection zones between the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench and the Aleutian Trench. Bathymetric data were acquired using the KM-EM122 multi-beam bathymetric system during the research expedition. Scale bar, 200 km.

Credit: map created using Global Mapper 14 software, with background data sourced from GeoMapApp (http://www.geomapapp.org), under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

a, Free-moving polychaetes Macellicephaloides grandicirra (white; reaching 6.5 cm in size) navigate among dense colonies of frenulate siboglinids, with tubes 20–30 cm in length and approximately 1 mm in diameter, at 9,532 m at The Deepest. b, Clusters of frenulate siboglinids extending red haemoglobin-filled tentacles, with small Gastropoda (white spots) on tops of the tubes near the tentacles, at 9,320 m at Wintersweet Valley. c, Tightly packed frenulate siboglinids are home to abundant free-moving polychaetes M. grandicirra (white) at 9,332 m at Cotton Field. d, Dense aggregation of vesicomyid bivalves A. phaseoliformis (reaching 23 cm in size) in the sediment, with approximately 6–8 cm of valves exposed and often hosting Actiniaria, at 5,743 m at Clam Bed. e, Tube-dwelling polychaetes Anobothrus sp. and Actiniaria are dominant at 6,870 m at Aleutian Deepest, with spots of white microbial mats. f, Dense aggregation of vesicomyid bivalves I. fossajaponicum (reaching 3 cm in size) associated with black sediments and accompanied by tube-dwelling polychaetes Anobothrus sp. at 6,928 m at Aleutian Deepest. g, Dark blue muds surrounded by clusters of frenulate siboglinids, mark methane seeps at 6,800 m at Blue Marsh. h, Large patches of white, snow-like microbial mats stretch tens of metres, accompanied by frenulate siboglinid tubeworms at 6,700 m at Icy River. The images were taken by the manned submersible equipped with a high-definition camera system. The name of each cold seep indicated in the lower left corner. The distance between laser beams is 10 cm. An expanded showcase of cold-seep fauna is given in Supplementary Video 1.

Life found where sunlight never reaches

Hadal trenches are deep-sea depressions between 19,700 and 36,100 feet, formed where one tectonic plate dives beneath another. These remote regions—among the least explored on the planet—have long been suspected of supporting life that relies on chemosynthesis rather than sunlight. 

The new findings confirm that these extreme environments do, in fact, harbor unique and resilient biological communities. The research team documented thriving species of deep-sea life fueled by chemosynthesis, clustered around abundant methane seeps in the Kuril-Kamchatka and western Aleutian Trenches. 

As per the study’s findings, these ecosystems are sustained by methane and hydrogen sulfide–rich fluids rising through faults in deep sediment layers. Isotopic analysis suggests that the methane is generated by microbes breaking down organic material buried in the seabed. 

Recent discoveries challenge long-held beliefs about life’s limits at extreme depths. Reflecting on the experience of descending into the pitch-black depths, Du added that while some might find it frightening, she encourages her students to look out the submersible’s window—where the view can be truly inspiring.

The research itself is part of the Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP), a decade-long international project led by the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering. The program focuses on exploring the Earth’s deepest oceans using advanced deep-diving technology.

You can view the full study here.

The mission on November 10 beamed up the world's first live video from Challenger Deep.

RELATED VIDEOS

{  https://interestingengineering.com/news }

18-09-2025 om 17:13 geschreven door peter  

When you go this deep, you'd expect any sign of life to be pretty terrifying.

So scientists were delighted to discover an adorable new species of snailfish thousands of feet below the ocean's surface.

The large–eyed pink creature was first detected in 2019 by researchers who were exploring the seafloor off California using a remotely operated vehicle at a depth of 3,268m (10,722ft).

They came across this individual, an adult female 9.2cm (3.6 inches) long, happily swimming along amongst the crushing pressure, frigid cold and perpetual darkness.

New analysis now reveals this animal was a species previously unknown to science – and has been named the bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi).

The snailfish family tend to have a large head, a jelly–like body covered in loose skin, and a narrow tail. Many have a disk on their belly that allows them to grip the seafloor or hitchhike on larger animals.

Fans of the snailfish described it as 'adorable' and 'the cutest sea monster' they've ever seen.

Commenting on a YouTube video of the new species, one even compared it to a 'real life Pokémon'.

Analysis now reveals this animal was a species previously unknown to science – and has been named the bumpy snailfish

These creatures tend to have a large head, a jelly–like body covered in loose skin, and a narrow tail

Some fans said the new species looked like a Pokémon. Pictured: Whiscash, a water/ground-type Pokémon

'The deep sea is home to an incredible diversity of organisms and a truly beautiful array of adaptations,' Mackenzie Gerringer, associate professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo said.

'Our discovery…is a reminder of how much we have yet to learn about life on Earth and of the power of curiosity and exploration.'

A team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) first made the discovery during an expedition to the outer reaches of Monterey Canyon, approximately 100km (62 miles) offshore of Central California.

They collected this individual but noticed it had features unlike other deep–sea snailfishes they had encountered.

Scientists used microscopes, micro–CT scans and careful measurements to determine it was different from any other known species.

They also analysed two other specimens and found they, too, were new to science – the dark snailfish and the sleek snailfish.

The bumpy snailfish has a distinctive pink colour, a round head with large eyes, wide pectoral fins with long uppermost rays, and a bumpy texture.

The dark snailfish has a fully black body with a rounded head and horizontal mouth.

The robotic submersible used in the expedition which first uncovered the new species of bumpy snailfish

Many deep–sea snailfishes are hard to identify from video alone. MBARI researchers have observed a snailfish that appears to be the newly described slender snailfish, but without collecting a specimen for closer analysis, they say they can't be sure

The sleek snailfish is distinguished from other snailfishes by a long, black, laterally compressed body, absence of a suction disk, and prominently angled jaw.

This encounter is the only confirmed observation of the bumpy snailfish, so further detail on their full geographic distribution and depth range are unknown.

Steven Haddock, senior scientist at MBARI, led the research expedition that first  encountered the bumpy snailfish.

He said documenting deep–sea biodiversity is 'critical to detecting any changes that may be occurring in this environment'.

Scientists have described more than 400 different species of snailfish worldwide.

These fish make their homes in a variety of ocean habitats, from shallow tide pools to deep–sea trenches.

They also hold the record for the deepest–dwelling fish.

The new species was described in the journal Ichthyology and Herpetology. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

17-09-2025 om 22:31 geschreven door peter  

The ozone layer is healing! Hole over Antarctica is recovering – and could soon close for good, promising study reveals

• READ MORE: Ozone may be weakening Earth's important cooling mechanism

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

It has been four decades since scientists discovered the growing hole in Earth's ozone layer.

But a promising new study has revealed that this protective shield – around 20 miles above our planet's surface – could be well on its way to recovery.

Experts from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) say that, compared to previous years, total stratospheric ozone cover was higher over much of the globe in 2024.

What's more, the ozone hole that appears over Antarctica every spring was well below the 1990–2020 average. 

'The ozone layer is healing,' said Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary–General. 

'This achievement reminds us that when nations heed the warnings of science, progress is possible.'

If progress continues at the current pace, the ozone layer could soon recover to its 1980 values (before the appearance of the ozone hole). 

The experts predict that a full recovery could take place by around 2066 over the Antarctic, by 2045 over the Arctic, and by 2040 for the rest of the world.

Experts from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) say that, compared to previous years, total stratospheric ozone cover was higher over much of the globe in 2024

The ozone layer is Earth's 'natural sunscreen' that protects humans, plants, and animals by filtering out harmful UV–B radiation. 

Without it, we'd be at significantly increased risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and ecosystem damage due to excessive UV exposure.

Back in the 1970s, scientists first raised concerns about the effect of man–made chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) on the ozone layer. 

Concerningly, CFCs were used in a range of products, including refrigeration, air conditioning, firefighting foam, and even hairspray. 

An international treaty called the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987, leading to the phase–out of over 99 per cent of these ozone–depleting chemicals. 

However, it was too late – a huge hole had already appeared in the ozone layer over Antarctica. 

Beyond CFCs, the ozone hole has also been kept open by global warming. 

'A side effect of global warming is that the temperature of the ozone layer is falling slightly,' explained the British Antarctic Survey. 

The ozone hole that appears over Antarctica every spring was well below the 1990–2020 average

'This means that more of the stratospheric clouds can form over Antarctica, and hence delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole.' 

Now, promising data shows that the depth of the ozone hole was below average in 2024, with a maximum ozone mass deficit of 46.1 million tonnes on 29 September.

'Its onset was relatively slow, and delayed ozone depletion was observed through the month of September, followed by a relatively rapid recovery after the maximum deficit was reached,' WMO explained in its report. 

'The below-average level of ozone loss persisted through mid-November.' 

While this is promising, the experts say our work is 'not yet finished'. 

'There remains an essential need for the world to continue careful systematic monitoring of both stratospheric ozone and of ozone-depleting substances and their replacements,' said Matt Tully, Chair of WMO's Scientific Advisory Group on Ozone and Solar UV Radiation. 

The Ozone layer sits in the stratosphere 25 miles above the Earth's surface and acts like a natural sunscreen

Ozone is a molecule comprised of three oxygen atoms that occurs naturally in small amounts. 

In the stratosphere, roughly seven to 25 miles above Earth's surface, the ozone layer acts like sunscreen, shielding the planet from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer and cataracts, suppress immune systems and also damage plants. 

It is produced in tropical latitudes and distributed around the globe. 

Closer to the ground, ozone can also be created by photochemical reactions between the sun and pollution from vehicle emissions and other sources, forming harmful smog.

Although warmer-than-average stratospheric weather conditions have reduced ozone depletion during the past two years, the current ozone hole area is still large compared to the 1980s, when the depletion of the ozone layer above Antarctica was first detected. 

In the stratosphere, roughly seven to 25 miles above Earth's surface, the ozone layer acts like sunscreen, shielding the planet from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation

This is because levels of ozone-depleting substances like chlorine and bromine remain high enough to produce significant ozone loss. 

In the 1970s, it was recognised that chemicals called CFCs, used for example in refrigeration and aerosols, were destroying ozone in the stratosphere.  

In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was agreed, which led to the phase-out of CFCs and, recently, the first signs of recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer. 

The upper stratosphere at lower latitudes is also showing clear signs of recovery, proving the Montreal Protocol is working well.

But the new study, published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, found it is likely not recovering at latitudes between 60°N and 60°S (London is at 51°N).

The cause is not certain but the researchers believe it is possible climate change is altering the pattern of atmospheric circulation - causing more ozone to be carried away from the tropics.

They say another possibility is that very short-lived substances (VSLSs), which contain chlorine and bromine, could be destroying ozone in the lower stratosphere.

VSLSs include chemicals used as solvents, paint strippers, and as degreasing agents.

One is even used in the production of an ozone-friendly replacement for CFCs.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

16-09-2025 om 17:57 geschreven door peter