The Planet (on, and off)

Researchers in China have found evidence suggesting that 930,000 years ago, the ancestors of modern humans suffered a massive population crash. They point to a drastic change to the climate that occurred around that time as the cause. Our ancestors remained at low numbers — fewer than 1,280 breeding individuals Read more…

Tests of seawater near Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant have not detected any radioactivity, the environment ministry said on Sunday, days after authorities began discharging into the sea treated water used to cool damaged reactors. Japan started releasing water from the wrecked Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Read more…

Using data collected from the International Space Station (ISS), scientists found that a small yet growing percentage of tree leaves in tropical forests are approaching the maximum temperature threshold for leaves to photosynthesize. If this trend continues, it could spell disaster for Earth’s climate systems and biodiversity. The findings have Read more…

Switzerland’s MeteoSuisse reported another measure of record summer heat Monday when its weather balloon climbed to a record-high 17,400 feet before reaching what it calls the zero-degree line. The zero-degree line, which is the altitude at which the temperature falls below freezing, is considered a key meteorological marker, particularly in Read more…

India has become the first country to land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole. It launched Chandrayaan-3 in mid-July, with the spacecraft entering the moon’s orbit on Aug. 5. Earlier this week, Russia crashed its Luna-25 rocket in the same lunar region. It’s notoriously difficult to land a rover Read more…