Category: Planet Earth

How to reverse global wildlife declines by 2050

Post author By The Conversation
Post date November 3, 2020
No Comments on How to reverse global wildlife declines by 2050

Snow leopard — The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), also known as the ounce, is a large cat and one of the five species classified in the genus Panthera, others being the lion (Panthera leo), tiger (Panthera tigris), jaguar (Panthera onca), and leopard (Panthera pardus). It is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.

Species are going extinct at an unprecedented rate. Wildlife populations have fallen by more than two-thirds over the last 50 years, according to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund. The sharpest declines have occurred throughout the world’s rivers and lakes, where freshwater wildlife has plummeted by 84% since 1970 – about 4% per year.

Michael Obersteiner, University of Oxford; David Leclère, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and Piero Visconti, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Planet Earth

How High One Must Be to See the Curvature of the Earth?

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 9, 2020
13 Comments on How High One Must Be to See the Curvature of the Earth?

The curvature of the Earth - how high must one be to see it? — The curvature of the Earth is easily visible from space. But how high must one be to see it from the ground? Image: The sun shines above the Earth's horizon [NASA]

At what altitude can you start seeing the curvature of the Earth? Is it visible from the top of a skyscraper, a mountain peak, or a passenger plane? Can a high-altitude balloon provide a clear view, or is it something you can only witness from space?

Most people don’t realize how large the Earth is compared to the height of a mountain or the altitude of a passenger aircraft. It’s easy to think we’re really high up when standing on a mountain peak or flying in a passenger plane. However, even at these heights, we’re just skimming the surface of our planet. For perspective, commercial aircraft typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet (about 5.9 to 7.2 miles) high, which is higher than even Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth.

So, how high do you have to be to see the curvature of the Earth?

Animals Life on Earth

Snow Leopard: 20 Amazing Facts About the “Ghosts of the Mountains”

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 28, 2020
No Comments on Snow Leopard: 20 Amazing Facts About the “Ghosts of the Mountains”

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), also known as the ounce, is a large cat and one of the five species classified in the genus Panthera, others being the lion (Panthera leo), tiger (Panthera tigris), jaguar (Panthera onca), and leopard (Panthera pardus). It is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Here are 20 amazing snow leopard facts.

Geography Planet Earth

10 Fun Geography Facts

Fun geography facts: Greenland vs Iceland meme — Greenland vs Iceland meme

Earth is an amazing place. Not only it is a beautiful oasis in the vast, cold space, it also has many interesting and even strange features. Here are 10 fun geography facts.

Life on Earth Evolution

Funky Smells, Strange Sounds, and Weird Sights: Evolutionary Explanations About Our Senses

Post author By Frankie Wallace
Post date September 10, 2020
No Comments on Funky Smells, Strange Sounds, and Weird Sights: Evolutionary Explanations About Our Senses

Feeding a giraffe at the giraffe sanctuary in Nairobi Kenya. Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

The world looked very different for early humans, and their daily life was vastly different from that of people living in the 21st century. Our five senses, once crucial to our survival, are easy to take for granted. For most modern humans, food is easily accessed, and we spend the bulk of our time indoors, well protected from the elements and various dangers.

Planet Earth

Earth’s magnetic field is changing 10 times faster than previously thought

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date August 18, 2020
No Comments on Earth’s magnetic field is changing 10 times faster than previously thought

Van Allen Probes - artist's conception — The tiny CREPT (Compact Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope) instrument will augment the science of NASA’s Van Allen Probes, formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes. This artist’s rendering of the Van Allen Probes mission shows the path of its two spacecraft through the radiation belts that surround Earth, which are made visible in false color. Image: NASA

The magnetic field of Earth is constantly changing. And, at the moment, even more rapidly than previously thought – up to 10 times, as British researchers have now figured out. This has significant implications not just for the old-school magnetic compass navigation but also for the proper functioning of telecommunications networks and GPS – and thus for airlines, emergency services, and the military.

Planet Earth

How LONG is the Earth? The answer will surprise you!

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date July 14, 2020
No Comments on How LONG is the Earth? The answer will surprise you!

“How long is the Earth” is a weird question – but what if you cut it up into Minecraft-sized 1-meter cubes and lay them in a line through space, how far would the Earth stretch? It is a thought experiment and in the video published by the astrophysicist (and a famous poker player!) Liv Boeree below, we can get the answer and it is mind-blowing: the Earth would stretch across the entire Milky Way (more than 100,000 light-years!) if its volume is laid out in a line of 1-meter cubes.

Solar System Astronomy Planet Earth

How the moon was formed? An epic exploration of lunar origin theories

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date June 20, 2020
1 Comment on How the moon was formed? An epic exploration of lunar origin theories

How moon was formed? Giant impact hypothesis — This artist's concept shows a celestial body about the size of our moon slamming at great speed into a body the size of Mercury. Image: NASA

How the moon was formed? The most widely accepted theory of the Moon’s origin is known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis. The standard giant impact hypothesis, sometimes called the Big Splash, or the Theia Impact suggests the Mars-sized body, called Theia, impacted Earth, creating a large debris ring around Earth, and the Moon formed out of that debris. The hypothesis additionally suggests that this collision also resulted in the 23.5° tilted axis of the earth, thus causing the seasons.

Oceans Space Exploration

Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space now the first woman to reach the deepest point of the ocean

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date June 9, 2020
No Comments on Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space now the first woman to reach the deepest point of the ocean

Dr. Kathryn Sullivan becomes the first woman to reach the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the world's oceans.

Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space on October 11, 1984, now also becomes the first woman to reach the deepest point of the ocean, the Challenger Deep, at the southern end of the Mariana Trench. She also became only the eighth person ever to reach the Challenger Deep.

Animals Life on Earth

Akashinga “The Brave Ones” Trailer

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date June 6, 2020
No Comments on Akashinga “The Brave Ones” Trailer

Akashinga trailer — Akashinga "The brave ones" trailer (screenshot)

Akashinga: The Brave Ones tells the real story of Akashinga, the all-female anti-poaching unit in Zimbabwe that is revolutionizing the way animals (particularly elephants) are protected and communities are empowered.

The movie is executive produced by the well-known Canadian filmmaker and environmentalist James Cameron and directed by Maria Wilhelm, the Executive Director of the Avatar Alliance Foundation and President & COO of CAMERON Companies.