Abstract Here we report the discovery of fossils representing partial vertebral column of a giant madtsoiid snake from an early Middle Eocene (Lutetian, ~ 47 Ma) lignite-bearing succession in Kutch, western India. The estimated body length of ~ 11–15 m makes this new taxon (Vasuki indicus gen et sp. nov.) the largest known madtsoiid snake, which thrived during a warm geological…

Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day, the 54th annual celebration of our planet and all of its rich and varied life. The theme for this year’s Earth Day is Planet vs. Plastics. Here in Corvallis, as usual, we have a packed week of events, including nature walks, webinars, talks, and even a family-friendly parade.    Our…

WASHINGTON — The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing titled “Academic Malpractice: Examining the Relationship Between Scientific Journals, the Government, and Peer Review” to explore any potential inappropriate influence exerted by the federal government related to COVID-19 over research publications. The Select Subcommittee is disappointed that the Editors-in-Chief of Nature and The…

Volcanoes are the homes of gods, language tells us – across most of Europe, people who may never have laid eyes on one call them after the smoking forge of Vulcan, Roman god of fire and smithery. (In the tectonic hotspot of Iceland, where people live cheek-by-jowl with 130-odd volcanoes, they are simply “fire mountains”.)…

Borderlands Science is a casual mini-game released within a mass-market video game that crowdsources the alignment of one million RNA sequences from the human microbiome. In 3 years, 4 million participants generated over 135 million puzzle solutions that were used to build a reference alignment and improve microbial phylogeny. This is a preview of subscription…

Daniel Balakov, iStock This post is authored by Brian Buma, Senior Climate Scienist, Environmental Defense Fund. Nature is vital to our success in fighting climate change and its real-world impacts. To unlock nature’s climate potential, we need investments to go to impactful nature-based climate solutions (NbCS), which refer to strategies to conserve, restore or improve…

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Meet local nonprofits and live animals at the Leslie Science & Nature Center (LSNC) during this year’s Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 21. From 1-4 p.m., more than 20 environmental organizations and nonprofits will be on site with family-free displays. There will be presentations about topics ranging from sustainable living…

Abstract Using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment, this study investigated an association between natural diversity on mental wellbeing. A sample of 1,998 participants completed 41,448 assessments between April 2018 and September 2023. Environments which included a larger range of natural features, such as trees, plants and birdlife (high natural diversity) were associated with greater mental wellbeing…

The Union County Board of County Commissioners invites residents and visitors of all ages to celebrate wildlife and learn about environmental conservation at Wild Earth Fest, hosted by the Trailside Nature and Science Center on Sunday, April 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., rain or shine. Trailside is located in Union County’s scenic 2,000-plus…

Policymakers often work behind closed doors — but the documents they produce offer clues about the research that influences them.Credit: Stefan Rousseau/Getty When David Autor co-wrote a paper on how computerization affects job skill demands more than 20 years ago, a journal took 18 months to consider it — only to reject it after review.…