An international team of researchers from twelve institutions across ten European countries has achieved an unprecedented milestone in climate sciences. This group successfully drilled through Antarctic ice to reach the bed beneath the glacier at a depth of 2,800 meters, recovering a continuous climate record spanning at least 1.2 million years. This breakthrough sets a […]
Climatology
Posted inModern Era, Science
The Collapse of the Ming Dynasty Began with a Megadrought, Revealed by Tree Rings
Climate change has played a crucial role in shaping societies throughout history. Recently, a study led by Chinese researchers has shown how these climatic changes may have significantly influenced the fall of the Ming Dynasty, one of the most prominent and long-lasting in China’s history. The findings suggest that the collapse of this dynasty, usually […]
Posted inScience
“Brittle Stars” Help Identify a New Climatic Period in Earth’s History, Lasting from 50 to 450 AD
A group of researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Pisa has identified a new climatic period on our planet, named the Ophiuroid Optimum, which spanned from 50 to 450 A.D. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was conducted in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the […]
Posted inAntiquity, Science
The Greatest Climate Catastrophe in Human History May Have Originated the Myth of Ragnarok and Led to the Invention of Rye Bread
In Norse mythology, the end of the world, Ragnarok, begins with a three-year winter with no intervening summers: the Fimbulvetr. Now, a new research study from the National Museum of Denmark, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, shows that the myth could have roots in a real climate catastrophe that occurred 1,500 years […]
Posted inScience
Anomalous El Niño Events Caused the Largest Mass Extinction in Earth’s History
A groundbreaking study published in Science, co-led by researchers from the University of Bristol and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), has uncovered new insights into the causes of the most catastrophic mass extinction in Earth’s history: the Permian-Triassic extinction. This event, which took place around 252 million years ago, wiped out approximately 90% of marine […]
Posted inScience
Paleoclimatic Paradox of Exceptional Global Warming 400,000 Years Ago Resolved
In Europe, there were pre-Neanderthals, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth had less ice than today, and sea levels were approximately 10 meters higher. We are in the Lower Paleolithic, 400,000 years ago, a period called MIS 11c, the warmest on our planet in the last few million years. According to a newly published study […]
Posted inGeography
The Coldest Place on Earth, where Temperatures Drop Below -90°C (-130°F) and the Wind Stops
In geology, a ice dome is the dome-shaped structure formed over an ice cap, mainly in Antarctica. They are not mountains, as they are composed of ice, but they can reach considerable altitudes, making them the highest points of the Antarctic Plateau. The Antarctic Plateau is the ice-covered area located in the center of the […]
