Advocacy

The Star That Keeps Dimming for No Known Reason
In 2015, astronomers analyzing data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope discovered a star designated KIC 8462852, located about 1,470 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus, that was exhibiting brightness fluctuations unlike anything that had been observed in over 150,000 stars surveyed by the Kepler mission, and the pattern of dimming was so unusual and irregular that it could not be explained by any known natural phenomena including planets orbiting the star, stellar pulsations, or dust clouds, leading some scientists to seriously propose that the dimming might be caused by artificial structures built by an advanced alien civilization, specifically something like a Dyson swarm of solar collectors orbiting the star to harvest its energy, though this explanation while exciting was considered a hypothesis of last resort only to be entertained after all natural explanations had been exhaustively ruled out. The star, which became known informally as Tabby's Star after astronomer Tabetha Boyajian who led the research team studying it, showed dimming events where its brightness dropped by up to 22 percent, far more than could be explained by a planet passing in front of it, which typically causes dimming of only a fraction of a percent, and the dimming events were irregular and aperiodic, meaning they did not repeat on any predictable schedule, and different dimming events had different characteristics with some showing gradual dimming over days and others showing more sudden brightness drops.
By The Curious Writerabout 13 hours ago in Earth
The Bloop
NOAA detected an ultra-low frequency sound in 1997 that matched no known animal or geological phenomenon In the summer of 1997, an array of underwater microphones operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detected an extremely powerful ultra-low-frequency sound originating from a remote point in the South Pacific Ocean west of South America, and the sound, which was nicknamed "the Bloop" because of the blooping noise it made when sped up to be audible to human ears, was so loud that it was detected on sensors over 3,000 miles apart, making it the loudest underwater sound of unknown origin ever recorded, and the frequency pattern and characteristics of the Bloop did not match any known geological phenomena like volcanic activity or earthquakes, but intriguingly it did show characteristics similar to sounds produced by living creatures, specifically matching the frequency profile of sounds made by marine animals, though the Bloop was many times louder than the loudest sounds produced by the largest known animal, the blue whale, leading to speculation that it might have been generated by an enormous unknown marine animal far larger than any creature known to science.
By The Curious Writerabout 13 hours ago in Earth
Hormuz on Fire
Hormuz on Fire The narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz have once again become one of the most dangerous flashpoints on Earth. Located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, this strategic passage connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and ultimately to the global ocean. Though small in size, the strait carries enormous global importance. Nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through this narrow corridor every day.
By Wings of Time about 14 hours ago in Earth
The Ancient Meteorite That Changed Earth’s Climate
Throughout Earth’s long and dramatic history, many natural events have shaped the planet’s climate and life. Among the most powerful of these events are meteorite impacts. Scientists believe that one of the earliest and most significant meteorite collisions with Earth may have played a crucial role in ending the last great ice age and transforming the planet’s environment.
By Irshad Abbasi about 24 hours ago in Earth
How Bad Is AI for the Environment, Really?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life. From chatbots and image generators to recommendation algorithms and automated customer service, AI systems are now embedded in countless digital tools.
By Navigating the World2 days ago in Earth
The Last Forest: Witnessing the Destruction of the Amazon and What It Means for Human Survival
The first thing you notice when you stand at the edge of an area where rainforest has been recently cleared is the silence, an absence of sound so complete and unnatural that it seems to press against your eardrums like physical weight, because a healthy rainforest is never quiet, never still, but rather pulses with constant life, the calls of hundreds of bird species layering over insect buzzing and monkey vocalizations and the rustling of creatures moving through the canopy, a symphony of biodiversity that represents millions of years of evolution creating intricate webs of interdependence, and when that forest is cut down, when the chainsaws finish their work and the fires burn out, what remains is a silence that feels like death, because that is exactly what it is, the death of an ecosystem and all the countless beings who called it home. I have stood at that terrible edge dozens of times over the past decade working as an environmental journalist documenting the accelerating destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and each time the silence hits me with fresh force, a reminder of what we are losing, not in some distant future but right now, in this moment, at a pace that should terrify anyone who understands what the Amazon means for global climate stability, biodiversity preservation, and ultimately human survival on this planet.
By The Curious Writer2 days ago in Earth
When Can a City Be Lived In Again After a Nuclear Explosion? Airburst vs Ground Burst
The question of how long a city would remain uninhabitable after a nuclear explosion depends largely on one crucial factor: whether the bomb detonated in the air or on the ground. The altitude of the explosion determines how much radioactive material contaminates the environment. Two cities struck by weapons of similar size could experience very different recovery timelines depending on this single variable.
By Algieba5 days ago in Earth
What Nuclear War Does to the Human Body: Burns, Blindness, and Radiation Explained
When a nuclear weapon explodes, the damage to the human body occurs in several distinct stages. Within fractions of a second, intense light, extreme heat, powerful shockwaves, and radiation spread outward from the detonation point. Each of these forces harms the body in different ways, and the severity depends mainly on distance from the explosion and the size of the weapon.
By Algieba5 days ago in Earth
The Day After Nuclear War: Fallout, Climate, and Survival
When the first nuclear explosions occur, the world changes in seconds. Cities vanish in blinding flashes of light hotter than the surface of the sun, shockwaves flatten buildings for kilometers, and millions of lives are lost almost instantly. Yet the most profound consequences of nuclear war do not end with the explosions themselves. They begin afterward, in the silent hours and days that follow, when the planet must absorb the environmental shock of weapons powerful enough to reshape human history.
By Algieba5 days ago in Earth
Earth has warmed considerably more quickly over the last 15 years, according to new analysis.
The Earth's temperature has been rising for decades due to global warming. However, recent studies indicate that during the previous ten years, the rate of warming may have accelerated.
By Francis Dami5 days ago in Earth
A Planet the Size of Earth with an Atmosphere Like Our Own
For centuries, humans have looked up at the night sky and wondered whether Earth is the only world capable of supporting life. Advances in modern astronomy have brought us closer than ever to answering that question. Recently, astronomers announced the discovery of a planet roughly the size of Earth with an atmosphere that appears surprisingly similar to our own. This finding has sparked excitement among scientists and renewed hope that life might exist elsewhere in the universe.
By Irshad Abbasi 9 days ago in Earth
A Cold Earth-Sized Planet Surprisingly Close to Our Solar System
For decades, astronomers have searched the universe for planets that resemble Earth. While many discoveries have revealed massive gas giants or extremely hot rocky worlds, the discovery of a cold, Earth-sized planet near our cosmic neighborhood has sparked new excitement in the scientific community. This intriguing world demonstrates that small rocky planets like our own may be more common in the galaxy than once believed.
By Irshad Abbasi 9 days ago in Earth