Arctic, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 14, 2022

Dramatic Arctic Ice Melt Blows Away Previous Record

This summer's unprecedented melt for the icy white cap over Arctic waters appears to have come to a stop on Sunday, Sept. 16, setting a new record low for Arctic sea-ice extent that far surpasses the previous low set in 2007. This summer, melt pushed the sea ice back to...

Jun 7, 2023

Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' megaslump is revealing 650,000 year-old secrets from its permafrost

Ground that has been frozen for 650,000 years is the oldest permafrost in Siberia — and the second-oldest ever discovered on Earth, scientists have discovered. The researchers took samples from the Batagay megaslump, a huge collapsed section of hillside in the Yana Uplands of northern Yakutia, Russia that is known...

Jun 13, 2023

Ethereal ice swirls dance around Arctic peninsula in stunning new satellite image

A stunning new satellite image shows an enormous mass of melting sea ice elegantly swirling around a Russian peninsula in the Arctic. Although beautiful, the scene is a sombre reminder of the ever-increasing effects of climate change. NASA's Aqua satellite snapped the dazzling ice display on May 28 twirling around...

Jul 25, 2023

Watch drone delve into Siberia's growing 'gateway to the underworld,' the largest permafrost depression in the world

A massive crater in Siberia dubbed the gateway to the underworld by locals is continuing to grow larger, new drone footage reveals. The footage, which was released on July 12, offers viewers a bird's-eye view of the Batagay (also spelled Bagatayka and Batagaika) crater, considered to be the largest permafrost...

Jul 27, 2023

Nematode resurrected from Siberian permafrost lay dormant for 46,000 years

A microscopic worm survived in the Siberian permafrost for a record-breaking 46,000 years, scientists have discovered — tens of thousands of years longer than previously resurrected worms. The ancient roundworm, or nematode, belongs to the newly described species Panagrolaimus kolymaensis. Researchers discovered it nestled inside a fossilized squirrel burrow that...

Aug 2, 2023

'Black swan' pathogens from ancient permafrost may be getting ready to wake up

Ancient pathogens that have been locked away for hundreds of thousands of years are starting to emerge from permafrost as climate change takes hold — and around 1% of these could pose a substantial risk to modern ecosystems, a study has found. It is the first attempt to try modeling...

Nov 8, 2023

Alarming collapse of Greenland ice shelves sparks warning of sea level rise

North Greenland's ice shelves have lost more than a third of their volume since 1978 and could collapse with dramatic consequences, scientists have warned. Out of the region's eight enormous ice shelves, three have already experienced complete collapse, and the remaining five are in rapid retreat, scientists announced in a...

Dec 27, 2023

Northern lights photographer of the year winners

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are a worldwide natural wonder. They form when solar wind from the sun slams into Earth's atmosphere, ionizing the oxygen and nitrogen molecules there. As they release that extra energy, they give off an ethereal glow. This year's winners for the Northern lights photographer...