Tardigrades' kryptonite? Climate change.

Not so indestructible after all.

  • Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic creatures best known for their ability to withstand a variety of extreme conditions, such as high heat, extreme cold, high pressure, and even the vacuum of space.
  • However, new research shows that the famously durable creatures aren't so robust against the long-term heat of climate change.
  • The findings underscore how fundamentally humans have affected life at every level.
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environment weather biology climate change

What do people around the world think about climate change?

Global warming appears to be front of mind for people worldwide.

Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images

Climate change is reversible – that's the view of 80% of Chinese people, according to a report from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

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global issues natural disaster resources society weather climate change

How long will a volcanic island live?

Plate tectonics and mantle plumes set the lifespan of volcanic islands like Hawaii and the Galapagos.

Phil Yeo/Getty Images

When a hot plume of rock rises through the Earth's mantle to puncture the overlying crust, it can create not only a volcanic ocean island, but also a swell in the ocean floor hundreds to thousands of kilometers long.

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oceans weather natural disaster environment physics geology

The surprising link between sunshine and suicide

Lengthening daylight isn't necessarily good news where mental health is concerned.

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Studies dating back to the 1800s have found that suicides peak in the spring and are lowest in winter.

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weather depression mental health psychology neuroscience suicide

Investing $1.8 trillion in climate adaptation could yield $7.1 trillion

A new report argues that we stand to gain a lot economically by investing in 5 key areas.

Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash
  • The Global Commission on Adaptation, an organization led by Ban Ki-Moon, Bill Gates, and Kristalina Georgieva, breaks down the costs and benefits of investing in five key areas for climate adaptation.
  • Whereas climate mitigation focuses on reducing future greenhouse gas emissions, climate adaptation focuses on how to deal with the changing world that climate change will bring.
  • Both mitigation and adaptation projects are commonly criticized as being too expensive, but the new report underscores the quantitative benefits that could be realized.
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natural disaster weather global issues environment climate change economics politics