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Stunning fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins

A stunning fossil discovery in Ethiopia shows that early Homo and a previously unknown Australopithecus species lived together around 2.6 to 2.8 million years ago. The find overturns the classic “ape-to-human” progression and paints human evolution as a crowded, branching tree with multiple species coexisting. Scientists dated the fossils using volcanic ash deposits and are now investigating what these ancient relatives ate and whether they competed for resources.

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May 15 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Film Review: "Erupcja" is Peak Entertainment

A volcanic comedy of fate and missed connections.

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May 3 • 9:09 AM EDT • Entertainment • artsfuse.org
Social media videos claim 213,000 Oregonians are in a volcanic death zone — here’s what scientists actually s
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May 11 • 10:27 AM EDT • Science • oregonlive.com
Scientists Stunned: Colossal Eggs Discovered 3,500 Meters Beneath an Active Volcano

Beneath an active seafloor volcano off Vancouver Island, researchers have documented a congregation of giant eggs at roughly 3,500 meters, a discovery that reframes how life can flourish under extreme conditions. The eggs belong to the Pacific white skate, an elusive deep‑sea species adapted to cold, crushing pressure and perpetual darkness. What seemed an unlikely nursery is actually a geothermally warmed refuge, where subtle heat helps embryos survive a marathon incubation. The finding links volcanic energy to a quiet engine of biodiversity, turning a hostile landscape into an incubator. A living volcano, a hidden nursery The seamount long assumed dormant now exhales mineral‑rich, shimmering plumes, proof of hydrothermal life at depth. Expedition cameras swept across black basalt and pale bacterial mats, revealing vents that pulse with warmth. That warmth, though modest by human standards, alters the physics of development for cold‑adapted embryos. In a realm where metabolism creeps, even a few degrees can mean faster growth and higher survival. The volcano is not only active; it is ecologically formative, drafting a blueprint for a thriving oasis. Giant eggs and a skate built for the abyss The Pacific white skate, Bathyraja spinosissima, is built for the abyss: broad wings, armored spines, and a life history that trades speed for endurance. Females lay outsized, rectangular “mermaid’s purses,” often 46–50 centimeters long, packed with rich yolk to fuel years of growth. In the frigid deep, embryos can require around four years to hatch, a timeline that magnifies every energetic advantage. The scale is striking—large eggs, large adults, and a textbook case of deep‑sea gigantism. The volcano’s gentle heat may literally shave months or years from the wait. Why heat matters at the bottom of the sea Hydrothermal circulation delivers low‑level warmth without the turbulence that would scatter fragile egg‑cases. Slightly elevated temperatures accelerate enzyme kinetics, nudging development along while keeping embryos within a safe range. Mineral‑laden fluids likely shape local microbiomes, which, in turn, can influence biofilms on egg surfaces. The environment acts like a slow, steady incubator, countering the deep sea’s tyrannies of cold and scarcity. For a species with long maturation and few offspring, every incremental boost compounds across generations. An ecosystem sculpted by fire and water Seafloor volcanoes create steep environmental gradients, stitching together hot vents, cool eddies, and mineral gardens into mosaic habitats. Microbes harvest chemical energy, seeding food webs that support crustaceans, fishes, and skates. Cameras documented egg‑cases nestled among rocky ledges, near communities nourished by vent‑driven chemistry. These islands of productivity behave like deep‑sea oases, sustaining life far beyond the vent orifice’s flickering light. The nursery’s success underscores how geological forces engineer biological opportunity. “Finding a cradle of life tucked beneath a breathing volcano reminds us that the planet’s harshest places can be profoundly generous.” What the discovery could change The nursery reframes conservation priorities in regions where volcanism quietly underwrites reproduction. Protecting hydrothermal corridors could safeguard entire lifecycles, not just charismatic adults spotted during occasional surveys. It also sharpens questions about how climate‑driven shifts in ocean circulation might influence vent activity, temperature fields, and embryo survival. With methodical mapping, time‑series cameras, and environmental DNA, scientists can track whether nurseries remain stable or drift with geologic rhythms. Key implications include: Enhanced understanding of deep‑sea reproduction at hydrothermal sites. New conservation targets centered on geothermal nurseries. Comparative studies with other volcanic regions, from the Galápagos to rift zones. Biotechnological insights from organisms adapted to long, cold development. Better models of how seafloor heat shapes regional biodiversity. Methods behind the revelation Remotely operated vehicles threaded through chimney fields, gathering video, temperatures, and mineral signatures. High‑definition imagery captured the distinctive, horned egg cases, their edges dusted with fine volcanic silt. Geochemical profiles mapped how heat and chemicals disperse, outlining the “thermal lanes” where eggs most cluster. Combined, these datasets reveal a nursery organized by geothermal topography, with egg‑cases concentrated in pockets of gentle, sustained warmth. A fragile boon in a changing ocean Deep‑sea environments feel remote, yet they intersect with global pressures: mining proposals, cable routes, and shifting oxygen levels. The nursery’s resilience hinges on stable heat flow, intact substrates, and minimal disturbance from noise or sediment. Safeguarding such places is not just about protecting novelty; it preserves a slow, ancient strategy that lets large, long‑lived animals endure in the coldest reaches of the Pacific. Where geology and biology meet, the planet’s deep time still writes living stories. This volcano‑warmed nursery adds a vital chapter to that story, revealing how subtle thermal gifts can tip the scales toward life in the abyss. With each dive, researchers trace the contours of an unseen world, where fire feeds water, and water—against all odds—feeds the future.

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Mar 29 • 5:00 PM EDT • Science • iowaparkleader.com
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Want To Know What The Last 2 Minutes Before Being Swallowed By A Volcanic Eruption Look Like? Now You Can

RIP Camera V3.

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Dec 12, 2025 • 11:24 AM EST • Science • iflscience.com
If the Volcanic Eruption Doesn’t Scare You, the Mudflow Should

Studying tree rings helped scientists pinpoint when Mount Rainier last sent a lahar down its steep slopes, which could help planners anticipate future mudflows.

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Jan 16 • 5:00 AM EST • Science • nytimes.com
A colossal magma system has been hiding beneath Tuscany

A massive magma reservoir has been detected deep beneath Tuscany, despite showing no obvious signs at the surface. Scientists mapped the roughly 6,000-cubic-kilometer body using natural ground vibrations recorded by dozens of seismic sensors. It poses no immediate danger, but the discovery reveals how enormous volcanic systems can remain hidden and could transform the search for geothermal energy and critical minerals.

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Aug 4 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Massive volcanic eruptions may have actually caused the Black Death | BBC Science Focus Magazine

New research suggests that a combination of volcanic activity, cold summers and famine brought the deadly plague to Europe.

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Dec 4, 2025 • 2:14 PM EST • Science • sciencefocus.com
Scoria Cones on Earth and Mars

The hill-shaped features are a sign of explosive volcanic activity—a rarity on the Red Planet.

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Mar 2 • 12:01 AM EST • Science • science.nasa.gov
Scientists stunned as volcano cloud destroys methane in the atmosphere

A colossal underwater volcano in the South Pacific may have revealed a surprising new weapon against climate change. After the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai, scientists detected enormous amounts of formaldehyde in the atmosphere — a telltale sign that methane, one of the planet’s most powerful greenhouse gases, was being destroyed. Researchers now believe volcanic ash mixed with salty seawater and sunlight created reactive chlorine particles that effectively “cleaned up” some of the methane released by the eruption itself.

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May 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Mars' 'young' volcanoes prove more complex than scientists once thought

What appears to be a single volcanic eruption is often the result of complex processes operating deep beneath the surface, where magma moves, evolves, and changes over long periods of time. To fully understand ...

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Feb 11 • 1:20 PM EST • Science • phys.org
Scientists just discovered Africa is closer to breaking apart than we thought - Futura-Sciences

The Turkana Rift in East Africa is well-known for its wealth of early human fossils and its intense volcanic activity, caused by tectonic plate movements. Now, scientists report that the crust beneath this region has thinned far more than we previously understood, signaling the long-term breakup of the African continent...

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May 6 • 10:00 AM EDT • Science • futura-sciences.com
Scientists Have a New Origin Story for Giant's Causeway

New research suggests this unique geological site was formed by a "globally significant volcanic event."

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Jun 15 • 11:50 AM EDT • Science • gizmodo.com
Pumice Rafts Encroach on Admiralty Islands

Buoyant volcanic rock fragments from an underwater eruption drifted across the Bismarck Sea and choked island coasts.

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Jun 15 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov
Volcanic Ash: Politics set on the extremes bring only extreme tensions

One of the most personally disturbing stories I’ve read lately was about a California state senator with a long record of supporting transgender people being run out of San Francisco’s annual Trans March by a small group of agitators who falsely accused him of endorsing genocide in Gaza.

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Jul 19 • 6:05 AM EDT • Politics • staradvertiser.com
Volcanic eruption may have sparked Europe's Black Death plague, scientists find

The plague killed between a third and half of the European population in the mid-14th Century. But it's unknown what triggered the pandemic.

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Dec 4, 2025 • 10:47 AM EST • Science • news.sky.com
Scientists create global treasure map pointing to hidden rare earth deposits

Scientists have created a global “treasure map” for rare earth elements by uncovering where the strange volcanic rocks that contain them are most likely to form. By combining thousands of rock samples with seismic images of Earth’s deep interior, the team discovered that these metal-rich rocks tend to appear along the ancient, thick roots of continents. These unusual rocks, once seen as geological oddities, are now incredibly important because they hold many of the materials used in smartphones, electric vehicles, and wind turbines.

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May 26 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists detect a sudden acceleration in global warming

Global warming has picked up speed in the past decade, according to a new analysis from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). By removing short term natural influences such as El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles from temperature records, researchers uncovered a clear acceleration in the planet’s long term warming trend beginning around 2015.

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Mar 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Ahuachapán and Its Restive Neighbors

From a geothermal hotspot to the one-time “Lighthouse of the Pacific,” the heat is on beneath the volcanic landscape of western El Salvador.

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May 5 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov
Europe’s Most Active Volcano Just Got Stranger – Here’s Why Scientists Are Rethinking It

New research suggests Mount Etna forms from deep mantle magma pockets, possibly classifying it as a rare “petit-spot” volcano rather than a typical tectonic or hotspot volcano.

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Apr 22 • 6:07 PM EDT • Science • scitechdaily.com
Scientists Make a Major Breakthrough in Solving a Hair-Raising Mystery About Static Electricity

The findings can help explain the physics behind phenomena like volcanic lightning

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Mar 20 • 11:29 AM EDT • Science • smithsonianmag.com
Giant “stealth” magma surge triggered thousands of earthquakes beneath Atlantic island

Deep beneath Portugal’s São Jorge Island, a massive surge of magma silently pushed upward from more than 20 kilometers underground in 2022, triggering thousands of earthquakes and briefly raising fears of a volcanic eruption. Scientists discovered that the molten rock climbed astonishingly fast — enough to fill 32,000 Olympic swimming pools — before stalling just 1.6 kilometers below the surface in what researchers call a “failed eruption.”

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May 14 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Mauna Loa Observatory Survives Lava, Budget Cuts And Politics

After a volcanic eruption and funding threats, NOAA says Mauna Loa's world-famous CO₂ record is secure, accessible again, and undergoing major upgrades.

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May 30 • 8:41 AM EDT • Politics • forbes.com
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This scientist is racing to predict deadly volcanic mudslides

One of the most deadly and dangerous volcano hazards isn’t lava. Mudflows called lahars can come without clear warning.

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Mar 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • nationalgeographic.com
Scientists make breakthrough in solving mystery of volcanic lightning

Research shows fine carbon coating on silica in updraught causes electrical charge – and spectacular display

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Apr 23 • 1:00 AM EDT • Science • theguardian.com
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Yellowstone’s supervolcano may be fueled by something unexpected

Scientists have uncovered a new explanation for what powers Yellowstone and other supervolcanoes. Instead of a deep plume rising from near Earth’s core, a broad “mantle wind” may push hot rock beneath Yellowstone, generating magma closer to the surface. This process helps create a massive underground magma network and may explain how supervolcanoes remain active for long periods.

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Jun 27 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Earth’s biggest volcanic event transformed an entire oceanic plate

Seismic waves have revealed that the oceanic plate beneath the Ontong Java Plateau was dramatically transformed by the colossal volcanic activity that created it more than 100 million years ago. Researchers found a complex structure of horizontal layers cut through by vast swarms of vertical magma channels, along with unusually slow seismic waves suggesting that deep-rising magma chemically altered the plate itself.

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Jul 18 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Discover Io, the most volcanic world in our solar system
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May 12 • 5:01 AM EDT • Science • bbc.com
Scientists may have discovered a brand-new mineral on Mars

Scientists studying Mars may have uncovered a brand-new mineral hidden in the planet’s ancient sulfate deposits. By combining laboratory experiments with orbital data, researchers identified an unusual iron sulfate—ferric hydroxysulfate—forming in layered deposits near the massive Valles Marineris canyon system. The mineral likely formed when sulfate-rich deposits left behind by ancient water were later heated by volcanic or geothermal activity, transforming their chemistry.

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Mar 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists detect a sharp acceleration in global warming

Global warming appears to have shifted into a faster gear. After removing the effects of El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles, researchers found that the planet has warmed at roughly 0.35°C per decade over the past ten years, compared with just under 0.2°C per decade from 1970 to 2015. The acceleration, which becomes visible around 2013 to 2015, appeared across five major global temperature datasets with more than 98% statistical certainty.

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Aug 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists just discovered a tiny signal that volcanoes send before they erupt

A new detection method called “Jerk” could dramatically improve how scientists forecast volcanic eruptions. By using a single broadband seismometer, the system can detect extremely subtle ground movements caused by magma pushing underground—often hours before an eruption begins. Tested for more than a decade at the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on La Réunion, the tool successfully predicted 92% of eruptions between 2014 and 2023, sometimes giving up to eight hours of warning.

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Mar 15 • 7:54 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Chang’e-6 lunar samples reveal a giant impact reshaped the Moon’s interior

A colossal ancient impact may have reshaped the Moon far more deeply than scientists once realized. By analyzing rare lunar rocks brought back by China’s Chang’e-6 mission from the Moon’s largest crater, researchers found unusual chemical fingerprints pointing to extreme heat and material loss caused by a giant impact. The collision likely stripped away volatile elements, reshaped volcanic activity, and left a lasting chemical signature deep below the surface.

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Feb 8 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to the Black Death, researchers find

A volcanic eruption in 1345 may have kicked off a series of events that led to the Black Death sweeping through medieval Europe.

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Dec 4, 2025 • 11:00 AM EST • Science • livescience.com
Glass Threads Spun From a Volcano’s Bubbly Magma

A volcanic formation known as Pele’s hair is produced when air-filled magma is stretched, according to a new study by a team of scientists and glass artists.

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Mar 26 • 10:17 AM EDT • Science • nytimes.com
Scientists uncover a volcanic trigger behind the Black Death

A newly analyzed set of climate data points to a major volcanic eruption that may have played a key role in the Black Death’s arrival. Cooling and crop failures across Europe pushed Italian states to bring in grain from the Black Sea. Those shipments may have carried plague-infected fleas. The study ties together tree rings, ice cores, and historical writings to reframe how the pandemic began.

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Dec 7, 2025 • 7:00 PM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists open a million-year-old time capsule beneath New Zealand

Deep inside a cave, scientists uncovered fossils from 16 species, including a newfound kākāpō ancestor that may have been able to fly. These remains reveal that New Zealand’s ecosystems were constantly disrupted by volcanic eruptions and rapid climate shifts. Long before humans, waves of extinction and replacement reshaped the islands’ wildlife. It’s a rare window into a missing chapter of natural history.

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Mar 25 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
A Volcanic Medley Near Mammoth Lakes

A massive, old caldera and more recently formed craters shape the landscape in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

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Apr 8 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov
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Volcanic Ash: Voters running for cover as the political f-bombs fly

Who knew Hawaii U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono was a trendsetter during the first Trump administration when she started conducting political discourse in vulgar language that almost got her mouth washed out with soap?

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Apr 12 • 6:05 AM EDT • Politics • staradvertiser.com
To read 2,000-year-old burned scrolls, scientists burn their own

Charred papyrus scrolls from a library inundated by volcanic ash in 79 C.E. are largely unreadable. UC Berkeley scientists teamed up to create and burn their own scrolls to test a new way to decipher them.

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Sep 16 • 2:00 PM EDT • Science • news.berkeley.edu
This mysterious hole on the Moon may open into a giant cave

NASA has selected the GIMLI project to investigate whether the Marius Hill Pit opens into a vast underground cave or lava tube. Using radar, seismic sensors, gravity measurements, and cameras, researchers will search beneath the lunar surface and estimate the size of any hidden void. Such caves could preserve clues to the Moon’s volcanic history and potentially provide protected shelters for future astronauts.

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Oct 4 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
'The system is likely to reach a breaking point': Major Italian volcano is speeding toward a transition, and a major eruption could be on the way

Campi Flegrei, a volcanic caldera near Naples, is speeding toward a transition, a new study suggests, but there are still a lot of questions as to whether it will erupt in the near future.

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May 20 • 5:00 AM EDT • Science • livescience.com
Scientists Discover a Giant Hidden Lava Tunnel Beneath Venus

Scientists have uncovered evidence of a gigantic empty lava tunnel beneath Venus, revealing a hidden volcanic world on Earth’s mysterious twin.

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Feb 9 • 5:00 AM EST • Science • scitechdaily.com
A Bright Spot at Mount Michael

With austral winter nearing its end, clouds cleared for a satellite view of volcanic activity in the remote South Atlantic.

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Sep 7 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov
Scientists May Have Cracked the Mystery of the Moon’s Unequal Hemispheres

Chang’e-6 samples suggest the Moon’s two very different sides may have formed when uneven heating drove magma from one hemisphere to the other. The Moon presents two dramatically different faces. Its Earth-facing hemisphere is rich in dark volcanic plains, while the farside is dominated by older highlands and a much thicker crust. New analyses of

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Sep 10 • 1:49 PM EDT • Science • scitechdaily.com
Scientists Sound Alarm as Disturbing Volcanic Scenario Unfolds Beneath Antarctica - Futura-Sciences

When Climate and Volcanoes Collide It’s well known that major volcanic events can influence the climate. But—as it turns out—the reverse is also true. The ongoing destabilization of the Antarctic ice sheet, driven by global warming, could actually lead to an increase in subglacial eruptions on this icy continent. You...

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Jul 11 • 7:00 AM EDT • Science • futura-sciences.com
Kīlauea's swelling summit helps scientists forecast lava fountain eruptions

Episodic lava fountaining is a rare volcanic behavior in which repeated, hours-long bursts of molten lava and gas are spewed from volcanic vents, with quiet pauses lasting days to weeks between episodes. ...

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Oct 9 • 12:40 PM EDT • Science • phys.org
Scientists discovered four snakes curled together in a burrow for 38 million years as the volcanic ash preserved their remarkable fossils

A snake fossil discovery in Wyoming has given palaeontologists an unusually close look at the lives of these ancient reptiles. Four complete skeletons belonging to a newly recognised species, have helped researchers understand an early member of the ‘boa family’ and the history of small, burrowing snakes in North America.

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Aug 20 • 5:10 AM EDT • Science • timesofindia.indiatimes.com
A love triangle and a volcanic 'Erupcja' that spotlights Poland

“Erupcja” opens April 17 in theaters in New York and LA

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Apr 17 • 2:21 PM EDT • Entertainment • spectrumlocalnews.com
Geologists reveal the Americas collided millions of years earlier than thought

Volcanic rocks in Colombia are rewriting the timeline of the collision between Central and South America. Their magnetic signatures show that major tectonic deformation had already weakened by the late Miocene, suggesting the most intense collision occurred earlier than previously believed.

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Sep 8 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Science diplomacy lessons from a North Korean volcano

Mount Paektu, a mythic, active volcano on the border between North Korea and China, is almost the epitome of a scientific challenge that crosses political lines. In 946 CE, it erupted in one of the five biggest volcanic events of the past 10,000 years, kicking up huge quantities of ash and sending destructive mud flows down river channels for hundreds of kilometres. Should this happen again, the entire region, including easternmost Russia, South Korea and even Japan could be hit. “It’s definitely got the potential to be big,” said James Hammond, a professor of geophysics at Birkbeck, University of London. An eruption on the scale of 946 would have “huge regional impact.” For the past 15 years, Hammond has helped lead a groundbreaking collaboration with North Korean scientists to study the volcano, navigating scientific sanctions, tough export controls on scientific equipment and a long, pandemic-enforced exodus from the country. Although he seems more at home on far-flung research expeditions – before speaking to Science|Business, Hammond was camping out on a Greenland ice sheet – he has also advised the European Commission on its changing science diplomacy strategy. His long experience with North Korea has made Hammond sceptical of blanket bans on science collaboration, no matter the country.This is a live question in Europe, where in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, institutional ties with Russian universities were almost entirely severed, although some scientists fear this could undermine our understanding of climate change’s impact on the Arctic. Here, Hammond tells the story of the Mount Paektu mission and the policy lessons he takes from it. Ominous rumblingsThe genesis of Hammond’s collaboration came in 2002, when Mount Paektu began to rumble ominously. Earthquake activity picked up and the volcano began to emit unusual gases. North Korean scientists took notice. “People felt we need to know more about this volcano,” said Hammond. In 2011, North Korean vulcanologists put out a request for international expertise to help them learn more. At the time, Hammond and his collaborator, Clive Oppenheimer, were working on a vulcanology project in another sanctioned country, Eritrea, and so decided to answer the call. Within a month, they had flown into Pyongyang. “It was pretty incredible,” recalls Hammond (left). “We were made to feel like honoured guests, and invited to official celebrations.” The scientific opportunity was huge. Paektu is unusually positioned, a thousand kilometres from where tectonic plates rub against each other in the Pacific. “It was an incredibly interesting volcano, but not much research had been done, at least not in the international community,” he said. “There was so much we felt we could do. And we had these partners that were super keen to engage.”The mission received an unusual visitor in the form of volcano-obsessed filmmaker Werner Herzog, who accompanied Hammond and Oppenheimer while directing his 2016 film Into the Inferno about volcanos across the world. Four days into the trip, the German director delivered a long speech about reunification to his North Korean hosts, recalls Hammond. “He got to the heart of the Koreans and how they felt, and how they thought, in a way that I'm not sure I ever will,” he said. UN sanctionsHowever, Hammond realised he’d been “naïve” about how difficult it would be to collaborate with North Korea, which was sanctioned far more heavily than Eritrea. “We didn’t fully appreciate the all-encompassing nature of restrictions,” he said. In 2016, as tensions escalated over Pyongyang’s nuclear tests, a United Nations resolution banned all joint scientific work with North Korea. However, the UN sanctions did allow countries to request carve outs, and the UK successfully requested an exemption for Hammond’s work. Related articlesEU pushes for joint science diplomacy, but care needed to avoid gridlock, experts sayRussia severs its last ties with German scienceAnchor Greenlanders in Arctic climate research, experts tell EU ahead of policy updateExport controls have also delayed Hammond’s work. In one case, it took 18 months to get approval from the UK government to take seismometers, which measure earthquakes, to North Korea. “It was frustrating,” he said. “But they didn’t just say no.” However, one instrument, called an induction coil, used to measure how the earth conducts electricity, was blocked entirely because it can in theory be used to detect submarines. Karaoke bondingSince the collaboration started in 2011, Hammond has visited the country around 15 times, although the pandemic closed off North Korea for more than five years. A trip last November was Hammond’s first since the outbreak. Despite this lengthy interlude, Hammond has deep bonds in the country. The North Korean scientists Hammond works with are somewhat isolated, as they struggle to access the latest research papers and travel to international conferences. That said, they are “excellent geophysicists” and are “very well trained in the field,” he said. Over karaoke and chats about their families, “we’ve made friendships, for sure,” he said. The authorities have to sign-off things like the placement of seismometers, for example, but Hammond said these requests have been approved. “Everything that we've asked for within a scientific context has been delivered.”Scientific backchannels? These kind of personal links between scientists across political lines are one purported benefit of science diplomacy. During the Cold War, some historians argue, scientific contact between the US and Soviet Union laid a groundwork of trust for other cooperation, such as on arms control. Hammond agrees that backchannel contacts to North Korean geophysicists are hardly likely to defuse a military crisis on the Korean peninsula, but the simple fact of the scientific collaboration makes contacts between diplomats that little bit easier. “It creates opportunities to understand each other a little bit better,” he said. “When maybe you have those more difficult discussions as diplomats, it's coming from a slightly better place.” Cutting tiesDrawing lessons from the Mount Paektu mission for today’s links with Russian science isn’t simple. The analogy is far from exact, Hammond said, “because one is essentially a Cold War, versus a pretty hot war in the case of Russia.” But Hammond’s broader argument is that the challenges we face, such as climate change, pandemics, biodiversity loss, pollution and so on, have globalised in an unprecedented way, making blanket shutdowns in collaboration with any country unwise.He’s somewhat critical of the UN scientific sanctions imposed on North Korea in 2016, even though they did allow for exceptions. “I think a blanket halt to some of these things, when we face big global challenges [. . .] that’s quite a risky thing to do,” he said.Institutional endorsement?European academics are still by and large free to work individually with Russian counterparts. However, official, institutional partnerships have largely ended. Shortly following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian university rectors wrote a public letter endorsing the war, meaning European universities fear official collaboration could also be seen as a kind of endorsement. Hammond acknowledges there is a risk of legitimising regimes, and state-controlled universities, through scientific cooperation. “That’s the trade off you have to make,” he said. Strategic projectsWith Russia, instead of giving a green light to restart all Arctic science, a middle ground might be firing up a few carefully selected “strategic” projects, said Hammond. After all, European countries are still collaborating with Russia on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, an experimental nuclear fusion plant in the south of France. However, even if Europe did try to revive Arctic science with Russia, there’s no guarantee Russian scientists would play ball. A series of high-profile arrests of physicists in Russia accused of sharing their findings with the outside world has made collaboration fraught. Even before the invasion of 2022, “the Russian regime made it increasingly difficult, and this sort of discouraged people,” Dag Rune Olsen, rector of the Arctic University of Norway, told Science|Business last year.

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May 7 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencebusiness.net
South American 'Pompeii': Volcanic eruption 22 million years ago preserved a snapshot of the Andes forming

An enormous volcanic eruption buried a snapshot of the baby Andes mountains, revealing a slow-and-steady growth rate.

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Sep 14 • 4:51 PM EDT • Science • livescience.com
Globally significant volcanic event formed Giant’s Causeway, scientists find

Geochronologists say Antrim coastline’s basalt columns developed over 5.5m years – 8m less than thought

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Jun 14 • 7:01 PM EDT • Science • theguardian.com
One of Earth’s most explosive supervolcanoes is recharging

Far beneath the ocean near Japan, scientists have discovered that the magma system linked to the most powerful eruption of the Holocene is slowly rebuilding. By using seismic imaging, researchers mapped a large magma reservoir under the Kikai caldera and confirmed it is the same system that fueled the massive eruption 7,300 years ago. However, the magma now present is newly injected, not leftover, as shown by changes in the chemistry of recent volcanic material and the growth of a lava dome over thousands of years.

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Mar 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists Reveal the Terrifying Truth Behind Earth’s Most Powerful Eruption - Futura-Sciences

Scientists Raise the Alarm This time, the University of Oxford has taken on the task, announcing that super volcanic eruptions—far more frequent than previously believed—could threaten our entire civilisation. Let’s not beat around the bush, because this is just about the worst natural disaster imaginable. An explosive display of such...

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Jun 8 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • futura-sciences.com
Teleporting across the Solar System? These are the most horrific places near Earth you could re-materialise | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

From volcanic moons to stormy gas giants, these are the worst places you could possibly teleport to in our Solar System.

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Mar 21 • 12:10 AM EDT • Science • skyatnightmagazine.com
Earth’s Core Has Been Quietly Leaking Water for Billions of Years

A new study offers an explanation for unusual chemical signatures found in some volcanic rocks.

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Oct 21 • 7:30 AM EDT • Science • gizmodo.com
Ever Restless Mount Dukono Erupts

The volcano on Indonesia’s Halmahera Island routinely ejects ash, volcanic gases, and volcanic bombs.

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May 27 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov
What Happens If You Drill Into Magma Beneath an Active Volcano? Scientists Accidentally Found Out In 2009

The drill cuttings contained fresh volcanic glass that “act like time capsules”.

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Mar 31 • 4:56 AM EDT • Science • iflscience.com
Scientists discover a surprising twist in Japan's 7,300-year-old volcanic apocalypse

A catastrophic volcanic eruption 7,300 years ago devastated Japan, but new research reveals that its impact on prehistoric populations was far more complex than previously believed. While some communities disappeared or declined, others unexpectedly flourished as survivors migrated, adapted, and found new ways to thrive.

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Oct 18 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Earth is tearing apart beneath the Pacific Northwest

Scientists have captured a subduction zone off Vancouver Island in the process of tearing itself apart, revealing that these massive tectonic systems may die piece by piece rather than all at once. The discovery could help explain ancient plate fragments, volcanic activity, and how hidden breaks beneath Cascadia may influence future earthquakes.

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Sep 25 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Chinese supercomputers help crack mystery of Yellowstone volcanic plumbing
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Apr 27 • 10:00 AM EDT • Science • scmp.com
Can spreading basaltic volcanic rock dust improve crops and the health of Florida’s soils?

UF researchers are testing volcanic rock dust to improve soil health across the state’s sandy and organic farmlands.

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May 12 • 9:27 AM EDT • Health • news.ufl.edu
BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES: BerkShares Business of the Month is Bizalion’s Fine Food in Great Barrington

Bizalion’s Fine Food co-owner Jean-François Bizalion emphasizes the unexpected connections between Provence and the Berkshires, the merits of Volcanic grown olive oil, and the importance of gaining fresh inspiration through travel and of valuing your community.

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Jun 29 • 12:05 AM EDT • Business • theberkshireedge.com
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One of Earth’s most powerful supervolcanoes is refilling with fresh magma

Deep beneath Japan’s Kikai caldera, a massive magma reservoir is refilling 7,300 years after one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in Earth's recent geological history. Scientists used underwater seismic surveys to reveal a vast store of magma that appears to have accumulated since the ancient catastrophe. The discovery could help explain how supervolcanoes like Yellowstone and Toba rebuild their magma supplies.

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Oct 22 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com