Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) are among the most feared creatures on coral reefs. Covered in sharp, toxin-filled spines, these predators are notorious for consuming coral and leaving widespread destruction in their wake. However, new research from the University of Sydney suggests these infamous reef destroyers may also have a surprisingly beneficial side. When their populations remain […]

Global warming has accelerated sharply over the past decade, with Earth heating up faster than at any point since modern temperature records began in 1880. A new study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) provides the first statistically significant evidence that the pace of global warming has increased since around 2015, even […]

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that severely bleached corals can fully recover after spending just a few days in contact with healthy, genetically identical corals. In laboratory experiments, corals that had turned white and were close to dying regained their health within seven weeks. According to a study published on October 14 in […]

Scientists at the University of St Andrews have identified a previously unknown process that may help explain how Earth entered past ice ages. Their findings reveal a surprising connection between ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere and ocean changes near Antarctica, suggesting that cooling in one part of the world could trigger a chain reaction […]

A new computer model suggests that Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, often called the “Doomsday Glacier,” could contribute far more to rising sea levels than scientists previously estimated. Developed by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the model predicts that melting from the massive West Antarctic glacier could raise global sea […]