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First of its kind 'butt drag fossil' discovered in South Africa — and it was left by a fuzzy elephant relative 126,000 years ago
By Charles Helm, Lynne Quick published
The first hyrax fossil tracks and traces ever to be discovered were identified on South Africa's coast.

Greenland is twisting, tensing and shrinking due to the 'ghosts' of melted ice sheets
By Sascha Pare published
Earth's mantle is so gooey, it takes eons for material that has been displaced by the weight of ice sheets to flow back. And Greenland is very much still processing its glacial past, a new study shows.

Eternal Flame Falls: New York's mini waterfall that hides a grotto filled with undying fire
By Sascha Pare published
Eternal Flame Falls sits on a bed of shale rocks rich in organic matter. As this matter breaks down, it produces highly flammable natural gas that escapes through cracks in the ground.

Rare half-pink rough diamond with 'astounding' weight of 37.4 carats discovered in Botswana
By Sascha Pare published
Experts at a laboratory in Botswana managed by the Gemological Institute of America recently examined an extraordinary natural diamond with two distinct color zones.

Scientists discover first direct evidence that slivers of 'proto-Earth' may survive today
By Sascha Pare published
In a first, researchers have discovered fragments of Earth's precursor that contain distinctive chemical fingerprints in ancient rocks from Greenland, Canada and Hawaii.

Stalagmites adhere to a single mathematical rule, scientists discover
By Skyler Ware published
Scientists discover all stalagmites growing from cave floors follow a mathematical rule that explains how these mineral formations develop into different shapes.

Satellites detected strange gravity signal coming from deep within Earth almost 20 years ago, study reveals
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have discovered there was an anomaly in Earth's gravitational field between 2006 and 2008, potentially caused by a mineral shift deep within Earth's mantle. GRACE satellites detected a strange gravity signal at the time.

Plate tectonics may be why Earth has life — and the key to finding life elsewhere in the universe
By Stephanie Pappas published
Feature Emerging evidence suggests that plate tectonics, or the recycling of Earth's crust, may have begun much earlier than previously thought — and may be a big reason that our planet harbors life.

Sea of Saharan 'star dunes' clashes with otherworldly terrain where 2 countries meet
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2017 satellite photo shows the stark contrast along the boundary between a giant field of golden "star dunes" and a barren rocky wilderness in the Sahara, which overlaps with an international border.
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