Back in the first millennium A.D., waves of human migration across Europe created an elaborate genetic puzzle that researchers have now started to unravel with a leap in DNA analysis. An enhanced look at the movement of populations during the time of the Roman Empire and the Vikings has illustrated the genetic impact of this consequential era of history.New research led by the Francis Crick Institute and published in Nature centers around a data analysis method known as Twigstats, which focuses ...read more
Dinosaur fossils have been dug up across the world, but one of the newest discoveries involves a ferocious creature with a familiar name that left its teeth behind in coastal England. Researchers recently unearthed fossil evidence denoting the presence of Tyrannosaurs in the Bexhill-on-Sea region of East Sussex, along the southern coast of England. A December 2024 study published in Papers in Paleontology details the process leading researchers to determine that a slew of dinosaur predators sto ...read more
In this final installment of a three-part series recapping some of the most dramatic and significant events of 2024, I'll start with a look at the record-setting hurricane season that recently ended. And then, to balance things out, I'll finish with some dazzling events that brought us great beauty during the year.But first, for Part 1 of the series, go here. And for Part 2, here. And now, let's get to it — Part 3 of "A Year on Planet Earth":Above Average Atlantic Hurricane SeasonThe Atlantic ...read more
It really has been a drama-filled year for our home planet. With relentless, record-setting global heating, rampaging wildfires, and extreme storms, we've had ample reason to be seriously concerned about the future. But other events, have amazed us with great beauty and displays of creative energy. Among them were awesome volcanic eruptions of lava in Iceland and Hawaii, as well as mind-boggling eruptions of plasma from the Sun that caused dazzling displays of the Northern Lights. During 2024, I ...read more
