Category: Life on Earth

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Global Warming Climate Life on Earth Prehistoric

We are pumping 10 times more carbon into the atmosphere than when there were palm trees in the Arctic

Palm trees during the sunset
Palm trees during the sunset. Image source: Pxhere Around 55.5 million years ago, there was a time period with more than 5°C - 8 °C warmer global average temperature than today, which named "Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum" (PETM). As a result, there were crocodiles and even crocodiles in the Arctic and the region was completely ice-free. Now, a new study suggests that if we keep burning fossil fuels at the current rate, the Earth will be again 8 degrees warmer within the next few hundred years. We're going to face another PETM-like event soon.

Around 55.5 million years ago, there was a time period with more than 5°C – 8 °C warmer global average temperature than today, which named “Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum” (PETM). As a result, there were crocodiles and even crocodiles in the Arctic and the region was completely ice-free. Now, a new study suggests that if we keep burning fossil fuels at the current rate, the Earth will be again 8 degrees warmer within the next few hundred years. We are pumping 10 times more carbon into the atmosphere than when there were palm trees in the Arctic. We’re going to face another PETM-like event soon.

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Evolution Life on Earth Physics

Is Evolution “just a theory”?

Timeline evolution of life (cropped)
Yes, the Theory of Evolution is a theory, but guess what? When scientists use the word theory, it has a different meaning to normal everyday use. A scientific theory is an explanation of some aspect of the natural world that has been substantiated through repeated experiments or testing. In science, a theory is not a guess, not a hunch. It’s a well-substantiated, well-supported, well-documented explanation for our observations. It ties together all the facts about something, providing an explanation that fits all the observations and can be used to make predictions. In science, the theory is the ultimate goal, the explanation. It’s as close to proven as anything in science can be. Image: Timeline evolution of life on Wikimedia

I recently saw a question on Quora and it was like that: “Why is it called the ‘theory of evolution’ but the ‘law of gravity’?” This question is strongly related to a common misconception about evolution: “It is just a theory” – creationists always say “Evolution is just a theory”.

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Life on Earth Animals

A single cell becomes a complete organism in six min. of timelapse

Alpine newt embryo
The alpine newt (scientific name: Ichthyosaura alpestris) is a newt of the salamander order Caudata (or Urodela) in the class of amphibians. The biggest of the males can reach up to 9 cm (3.54 inches), and the females up to 12 cm (4.72 inches) in length. They typically inhabit forests with good access to water in hilly to mountainous regions of Central Europe and mountainous Southern Europe (where they were originally confined to). They also have isolated populations on the northern Iberian Peninsula and in Italy. The species was introduced into the United Kingdom in the 1930s, initially in southern England and since then several populations have become established as far north as Edinburgh. It has also been introduced to the Sierra de Guadarrama in Madrid Province Spain. They populate well in thick deciduous forests, as well as parkland and natural gardens. They are mostly absent in forest-poor areas.

A single cell becomes a complete organism (an alpine newt) in this amazing six pulsing minutes of a timelapse video named “Becoming” published by the Aeon Video channel. A film by Jan van IJken.

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Animals Environment Life on Earth

28% of vertebrates die because of humans on the land

Proboscis monkey
The proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) or long-nosed monkey is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey with an unusually large nose. It is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo and known as "the bekantan" in Indonesia. The proboscis monkey is a large species, being one of the largest monkey species native to Asia. Only the Tibetan macaque and a few of the gray langurs can rival its size. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced in the species. Males have a head-body length of 66 to 76.2 cm (26.0 to 30.0 in) and typically weigh 16 to 22.5 kg (35 to 50 lb), with a maximum known weight of 30 kg (66 lb). Females measure 53.3 to 62 cm (21.0 to 24.4 in) in head-and-body length and weigh 7 to 12 kg (15 to 26 lb), with a maximum known mass of 15 kg (33 lb). They generally live in groups composed of one adult male, some adult females and their offspring. All-male groups may also exist. Some individuals are solitary, mostly males. The proboscis monkey is assessed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and listed in Appendix I of CITES. Its total population has decreased by more than 50% in the past 36-40 years to 2008 due to ongoing habitat loss because of logging and oil palm plantations, and hunting in some areas due to the species being treated as a delicacy, as well as its use in traditional Chinese medicine. Text Source: Wikipedia Photo: PXHere

According to a study published in January in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, on the land, 28% of vertebrates (including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians) die because of humans.

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Solar System Animals Astronomy Evolution Life on Earth Planet Earth Plants

Earth without Moon: what would it be like?

Earth without moon - what it would be like
Have you ever wondered what Earth would be like without Moon? Without its closest celestial companion, our planet’s tides, climate, and even the length of days would change dramatically. The Moon stabilizes Earth’s axis, influencing seasons and weather patterns. Without it, life as we know it would be profoundly different.

The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite. It is also the fifth-largest natural satellite in the Solar System and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. It formed about 4.51 billion years ago from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia (this is known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis and is the most widely accepted explanation of the formation of the Moon). This impact happened not long after the Earth has been formed. But, what if that giant impact never happened? What would the Earth without Moon be like?

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Prehistoric Evolution Life on Earth Planet Earth

Dinosaurs were already doomed as the frequency of Asteroid Impacts increased 290 million years ago

Chicxulub impact
The Chicxulub impactor was an asteroid or comet at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter. Around 66 million years ago, it impacted a few miles from the present-day town of Chicxulub in Mexico, at around 64,000 kilometers per hour (40,000 mph). The impact has created a crater (Chicxulub crater) more than 180 km (110 miles) in diameter, making it the third largest known impact crater on Earth. Image credit: Joe Tucciarone/Science Photo Library

By studying lunar craters, scientists have discovered that asteroid impacts became more frequent about 290 million years ago. So was just a matter of time for dinosaurs to become extinct.

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Climate Animals Environment Global Warming Life on Earth

African musicians protest the destruction of the environment with a song titled “Samalilani” (Preserve)

Samalilani
Musicians from Zambia (Africa) protest the destruction of the environment and the wildlife with the song titled "Samalilani". They also draw attention to climate change and environmental issues facing Zambia, like deforestation and charcoal burning.

Musicians from Zambia (Africa) protest the destruction of the environment and the wildlife with the song titled “Samalilani” (means “preserve” in English). They also draw attention to climate change and environmental issues facing Zambia, like deforestation and charcoal burning.

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Planet Earth Evolution Life on Earth Solar System

What if the Earth was tidally locked to the Sun?

Sunrise from space (NASA)
Image: NASA - ISS013-E-78960 (9 Sept. 2006) - A rising sun and Earth's horizon are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 13 crew member on the International Space Station.

We only see one side of the moon, because it is tidally locked to the planet Earth (tidal locking the situation when an object’s orbital period matches its rotational period). What if the Earth was tidally locked to the Sun?

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Life on Earth Animals Evolution Planet Earth Plants Prehistoric

What If Earth’s History Compressed Into One Year

Earth from the Geostationary Orbit
Earth image taken by Japanese weather satellite Himawari 8, which takes a photo of Earth every 10 minutes. Himawari 8 is the 8th of the Himawari geostationary weather satellites operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Himawari 8 entered operational service on 7 July 2015 and is the successor to MTSAT-2 (Himawari 7) which was launched in 2006.

What if the Earth’s history (our planet’s age is approximately 4.54 billion years), compressed into just one year? @YearOnEarth just did that. At midnight on the 31st of December, Chris Jennings started a little project for the incoming year: tweeting the entirety of the geological history of the Earth, compressed into one year.

The result is an amazing timeline of the Earth’s history.

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Animals Life on Earth

Cheetah facts: 20 interesting things about the world’s fastest land animal

Cheetah running at full speed in South Africa (Acinonyx jubatus)
Cheetah running at full speed in South Africa (Acinonyx jubatus). Source: Deposit Photos

The cheetah (scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae, which specialized for high speed. Cheetahs live in North and East Africa, and a few localities in Iran. Here are 20 amazing cheetah facts.

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