Scientists removed kangaroo rats from desert plots for 13 years, revealing how the rodents shape vegetation in the Chihuahuan Desert

Scientists removed kangaroo rats from desert plots for 13 years, revealing how the rodents shape vegetation in the Chihuahuan Desert

PC: Connor Long/Wikipedia In the Chihuahuan Desert, kangaroo rats play an important role in shaping vegetation. Between 1977 and 1990, researchers excluded three kangaroo rat species from experimental plots to see how their absence affected plants and other animals. The 13-year experiment found that two grasses became significantly more abundant in plots without the rodents … Read more

In 1945, Oklahoma opened a nearly 4,900-foot bridge across Lake Texoma; 81 years later a record $408 million project has begun to build its replacement while the old bridge stays open

In 1945, Oklahoma opened a nearly 4,900-foot bridge across Lake Texoma; 81 years later a record $408 million project has begun to build its replacement while the old bridge stays open

More than eight decades after the Roosevelt Bridge first carried traffic across Lake Texoma, Oklahoma has begun work on a massive replacement project that will reshape one of the region’s most important transportation links. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) says the more than $408 million project will replace the aging US-70 bridge while keeping … Read more

A former Australian miner spotted a ripple on Saturn from his backyard in 2024; two years later, he co-authored a world-first discovery of a 10-sided atmospheric wave

A former Australian miner spotted a ripple on Saturn from his backyard in 2024; two years later, he co-authored a world-first discovery of a 10-sided atmospheric wave

Recent Hubble images of Saturn reveal a 10-sided atmospheric wave at its south pole, stretching across several atmospheric layers (Image Credit: NASA) A mysterious ripple spotted on Saturn from an amateur astronomer’s backyard in Australia has helped lead to the identification of a giant, 10-sided atmospheric wave around the planet’s south pole. Trevor Barry, a … Read more

High school teacher searching for fossils discovers four footprints later confirmed as first reported T. rex trackway, dating back 66.5 million years

High school teacher searching for fossils discovers four footprints later confirmed as first reported T. rex trackway, dating back 66.5 million years

Image: ABC News/ Kent Hups A high school science teacher exploring a fossil-rich region of North Dakota made a discovery that could change what scientists know about how adult Tyrannosaurus rex moved. In 2025, Kent Hups spotted unusual impressions while volunteering on a fossil dig in the Hell Creek Formation. What initially appeared to be … Read more

Sydney duo attempted 9 gigs in 12 hours; after a firefighting helicopter delay and plane propeller failure, they finished with just 15 seconds to spare

Sydney duo attempted 9 gigs in 12 hours; after a firefighting helicopter delay and plane propeller failure, they finished with just 15 seconds to spare

Fathom will now compile its evidence and submit the claim to Guinness World Records. (Photo: Instagram/Fathom) Sydney dream pop duo Fathom recently attempted a Guinness World Records title by performing nine shows in just 12 hours across New South Wales and Canberra. For this, vocalist Cate Guirguis and keyboardist Jaxon Italiano travelled from Singleton to … Read more

Las Vegas company surprises nearly 10,000 workers with more than $70 million in stock; each gets $1,000 for every year they have worked there

Las Vegas company surprises nearly 10,000 workers with more than $70 million in stock; each gets $1,000 for every year they have worked there

Las Vegas company surprises nearly 10,000 workers with more than $70 million in stock (Image Credit: Red Rock Resorts) Nearly 10,000 employees of Las Vegas-based Station Casinos received an unexpected financial reward as the company marked its 50th anniversary. According to a September 9 announcement from Red Rock Resorts, the parent company of Station Casinos, … Read more

Scientists hung clean moss beside three Russian highways, and the plants began collecting metals linked to traffic pollution

Scientists hung clean moss beside three Russian highways, and the plants began collecting metals linked to traffic pollution

Researchers in Russia hung bags of moss beside three busy highways to see how much traffic pollution the plants would soak up. Published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the study exposed moss collected from a clean background site to roadside air along the Leningradskoye, Yaroslavskoye, and Dmitrovkoye highways in central Russia. After analysing the … Read more

In 2013, St Agnes and Gugh began removing invasive rats brought by 18th-century shipwrecks; 12 years later, Manx shearwater breeding sites rose from 22 to a record 225

In 2013, St Agnes and Gugh began removing invasive rats brought by 18th-century shipwrecks; 12 years later, Manx shearwater breeding sites rose from 22 to a record 225

In the latest 2025 monitoring data, St Agnes and Gugh recorded 225 apparently occupied breeding sites (AOBs) for Manx shearwaters In 2013, a major conservation effort began on St Agnes and Gugh in the Isles of Scilly to remove brown rats that had been harming nesting seabirds. According to the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, … Read more

In 1976, Buffalo turned a 264-acre industrial dump into a nature preserve; 50 years later, its 75-acre marsh is Erie County’s largest remnant wetland and 260+ bird species have been observed

In 1976, Buffalo turned a 264-acre industrial dump into a nature preserve; 50 years later, its 75-acre marsh is Erie County’s largest remnant wetland and 260+ bird species have been observed

Buffalo turned a 264-acre industrial dump into a nature preserve; 50 years later, its 75-acre marsh is Erie County’s largest remnant wetland (Image Credit: Tifft Nature Preserve) A former industrial site and municipal landfill on Buffalo’s Outer Harbor has spent the past five decades becoming something very different: a 264-acre urban nature preserve supporting wetlands, … Read more

In 1976, Minnesota residents fought plans for landfills and development along their river valley; 50 years later, the refuge they helped create protects more than 15,000 acres

In 1976, Minnesota residents fought plans for landfills and development along their river valley; 50 years later, the refuge they helped create protects more than 15,000 acres

Conservation challenges remain part of the conversation and the anniversary panel will examine issues facing the Minnesota River Valley, including water quality, flooding and development along the river’s bluffs. Half a century ago, a stretch of Minnesota river country faced a very different future. Plans for landfills and development threatened the Minnesota River bottoms, prompting … Read more