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Scientists finally solve 390 million-year-old 'murder mystery' from an ancient supercontinent
By Harry Baker published
Researchers mapped out "cake-like" fossil layers belonging to a group of ancient marine creatures from the supercontinent Gondwana that mysteriously died off 390 million years ago.

Collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet is 'unavoidable,' study finds
By Sascha Pare published
British Antarctic Survey researchers have found that the rate at which ice is melting and contributing to sea level rise will accelerate in the next century, regardless of actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Perilous expedition to uninhabited island in South Atlantic confirms existence of world's 8th lava lake
By Sascha Pare published
A new National Geographic "Explorer" episode follows an expedition to Saunders Island and the first documented ascent of Mount Michael, a volcano hosting the world's eighth lava lake.

'Ghost' of ancient river-carved landscape discovered beneath Antarctica
By Sascha Pare published
Satellite data have revealed an ancient landscape that may have escaped erosion and been preserved beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet since the continent froze over 34 million years ago.

California's supervolcano has a massive lid that causes swarms of earthquakes — and that's a good thing, scientists say
By Stephanie Pappas published
A dormant supervolcano in California's Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains lets off the occasional earthquake swarm, but new evidence suggests it's simmering down.

What percentage of the ocean have we mapped?
By Ethan Freedman published
"It's crazy to think that we don't have a complete map of our planet," one researcher involved in a project to map the entire seafloor by 2030 told Live Science.

Amazon's 'flying rivers' of vapor are drying up in an unprecedented drought. Here's how to save them.
By Lucas Ferrante published
A record drought, combined with a strong El Niño, is wreaking havoc on the Amazon. If steps aren't taken to curb illegal mining and deforestation, the ecosystem could collapse.

Jurassic pliosaur 'megapredator' was a giant 'sea murderer'
By Patrick Pester published
The earliest pliosaur 'megapredator' helped rule the oceans 170 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs.

What's the deepest-occurring gemstone on Earth?
By Amanda Heidt published
Very few gems can withstand the intense pressure of Earth's mantle, but some require it to crystallize.

Mystery blobs in Earth's mantle may be linked to ancient gold and platinum that arrived from space
By Stephanie Pappas published
The gold and platinum that came from giant space rocks should have sunk into Earth's core instead of rising to the crust. Scientists have now worked out how this happened — and it may explain some really weird blobs deep in our planet's mantle.
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