The Swiss village of Blatten has been partially destroyed after a huge chunk of glacier crashed down into the valley. Although the village had been evacuated some days ago because of fears the Birch glacier was disintegrating, one person has been reported missing, and many homes have been completely flattened. Blatten’s mayor, Matthias Bellwald, said…
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Tim Dodd Climate and science reporter Getty Images Cats use their strong sense of smell to identify and communicate with other cats Domestic cats can tell the difference between the smell of their owner and that of a stranger, a new study suggests. The study by Tokyo University of Agriculture found cats spent significantly longer…
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Local weather alerts are familiar warnings for potentially dangerous conditions, but an alert that puts all of Earth on warning is rare. On May 31, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) space-based instrumentation captured real-time observations of a powerful Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that erupted from the Sun initiating a “severe geomagnetic storm” alert for Earth….
A passing star could send planets scattering Triff/Shutterstock Stars whizzing by our solar system could cause more havoc than astronomers previously thought, from sending Pluto’s orbit haywire to forcing Mercury to fly into the sun – or even catastrophically altering Earth’s orbit and climate. The overall risk of these events is still low, but the…
Esme Stallard Climate and science correspondent Getty Images A key planning restriction that heat pumps need to be one metre from a neighbour’s property has been lifted as the government seeks to accelerate the take up of the low-carbon technology. The change, which is part of the government’s Warm Homes Plan to lower household bills…
We answer a selection of fascinating science questions, from Nikola Tesla to microplastics Source link
Galaxy SDSS J0946+1006 acts as a gravitational lens, helping astronomers see the signs of dark matter NASA/ESA/R. Gavazzi, T. Treu/University of California/SLACS An unusually dense galaxy could be the first clear evidence for the existence of an unconventional form of “sticky” dark matter, altering our understanding of this mysterious cosmic substance. In the standard picture…
“I was speechless,” said Matthias Huss, a leading glacier specialist at Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology. “It was the worst case that could happen.” Mr Huss had been aware of the situation in Blatten; he and his team check Switzerland’s glaciers all year round, and their annual reports show a clear, accelerated thaw, linked to…
