Latest articles by Chris Simms
'An increasing attack on water resources from multiple fronts': Scientists warn 'day zero droughts' could hit before 2030
Three-quarters of the world's drought-prone areas are at risk of extreme water shortages — known as "day zero droughts" — this century, and some could be hit before 2030.
Some naked mole rats are designated toilet cleaners, study suggests
Naked mole rats may have specific roles, such as cleaning the toilet chamber or transporting waste, rather than being generalist helpers. The findings suggest naked-mole-rat colonies are even more complex than we thought.
Iran among 'world's most extreme subsidence hotspots' with some areas sinking up to 1 foot per year, study finds
The extraction of water from aquifers in Iran is causing an area the size of Maryland to sink, exposing an estimated 650,000 people to the risks of subsidence and freshwater depletion.
Gigantic dinosaur with 'claws like hedge trimmers' found with croc leg still in its jaws in Argentina
Speedy megaraptor Joaquinraptor casali had big arms and claws like hedge trimmers that would have made T. rex's forelimbs look puny.
'Rare' ancestor reveals how huge flightless birds made it to faraway lands
The mystery of how related flightless birds ended up so far apart on different continents may have been solved.
Scientists are finally learning what's inside mysterious 'halo' barrels submerged off Los Angeles
At first thought to hold the pesticide DDT, some mysterious barrels dumped in the deep sea near Los Angeles actually contain caustic alkaline waste that stops most life from living nearby.
Return of wolves to Yellowstone has led to a surge in aspen trees unseen for 80 years
Gray wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park in 1995 to help control the numbers of elk that were eating young trees, and it is finally paying off for quaking aspen.
A peatland in the Amazon stopped absorbing carbon. What does it mean?
Peatlands cover just a fraction of Earth's surface, but store huge amounts of carbon. In the Peruvian Amazon, one of these swamps has switched to carbon neutral.
Salmon-hat wearing orcas also give each other massages with kelp, scientists discover
Orcas have been spotted giving each other rubdowns with kelp tools, rubbing pieces of the seaweed between their bodies.
Groundwater in the Colorado River basin won't run out — but eventually we won’t be able to get at it, scientists warn
The Colorado River basin has lost a Lake Mead’s worth of water in the last 20 years — and scientists say we’re passing a "critical point" where pumping groundwater will become too expensive.
Meet 'Dragon prince' — the newly discovered T. rex relative that roamed Mongolia 86 million years ago
A new species of dinosaur that was probably a princely ancestor of T. rex, the king of the dinosaurs, has been identified from fossils excavated in Mongolia.
Capuchins have started abducting newborn howler monkeys in bizarre, deadly fad
Young male capuchins have developed a strange trend of acquiring baby howler monkeys. It doesn't end well for the babies.
