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The infamous hole in Earth’s ozone layer has shrunk down to 7.6 million square miles wide (12,200,000 square kilometers), the smallest the gap has been since 1988. This healing of Earth’s main shield against ultraviolet radiation is due largely to efforts initiated in the mid-1980s, when the use of ozone-harming CFCs was phased out. Not only is this positive news in regards to our atmosphere’s ability to filter out harmful UV radiation, it also stands as an example of how humanity can make a positive, large-scale impact when efforts to reduce ecological harm are required, such as in the case of our need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Ever since a massive subsurface ocean was discovered under the ice on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, scientists have sought to uncover the reason behind the existence of liquid water on a world that should be frozen solid. However, a new study not only illustrates what may be the mechanism behind the presence of Enceladus’ liquid water, but also that the process has been going on for billions of years — more than long enough for life to gain a foothold there.
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A slowly growing field of biological research is uncovering evidence that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is steadily decreasing the concentration of nutrients in our food supply. Plants metabolize CO2 in the same way we metabolize oxygen, and increases in CO2 levels have proven to boost plant growth, but that increased growth causes the affected plants to pack on more carbohydrates at the cost of taking on nutrients such as vitamins and minerals — effectively turning crops we consider to be healthy dietary choices into junk food.
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An expedition has been launched that will spend the next two months studying the continent of Zealandia, a mostly-submerged land mass that was officially classified as a continent earlier this year. Stretching from the island of New Caledonia in the north to Campbell Island in the south, 95 percent of Zealandia lies under the ocean, with the island of New Zealand making up the largest portion of the continent’s dry land area.
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