livescience--2020-12-31--Would you eat a python to save the Everglades?

Floridians could begin seeing a new slithery item on their menus — Burmese pythons .
The invasive species is so out of control in the state that the government may begin encouraging the new meal as a way to help keep the snake 's numbers under control , as long as they are n't filled with toxic mercury .
Before the recommendation , though , the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ( FWC ) has teamed up with the Florida Department of Health to find out if the levels in pythons are safe to consume .
If that 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is already ahead of the game .
She hunts pythons for the South Florida Water Management District and estimates that she 's eaten a dozen pythons over the last three years or so , according to the .
`` It 's a wonderful tasting meat , '' Kalil told the Sentinel .
She describes it as an `` acquired thought process '' more than an `` acquired taste . ''
Burmese pythons became established in the mid-1990s in the Everglades National Park , in South Florida , likely as released or escaped pets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the .
A species becomes invasive when it ends up somewhere it should n't , due to humans , and upsets the balance of its new ecosystem , which has not evolved to cope with alien invaders , .
Recent data suggests the population of pythons is expanding north and west within the Sunshine State .
The was over 18 feet ( 5.4 meters ) long .
Typically , they average between 6 and 9 feet ( 1.8 and 2.7 m ) .
Due to their large size , the snakes have few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals , including mammals , birds and even alligators .
Some of these prey are threatened or endangered native species , according to the FWC .
It 's not unheard of for an invasive or just pesky species to be eaten as a means of controlling their populations .
In Florida , the non-native and wild boar can be consumed for example .
Even iguanas have been dubbed the `` chicken of the trees , '' with the University of Florida publishing .
So what is different about pythons ?
Python meat may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which poses a threat to human health .
Mercury is a naturally occurring element in Earth 's crust but human activities , such as mining and burning fossil fuels , have led to high levels of mercury being released into the atmosphere .
It is then carried back to Earth through rainfall .
Mercury pollution in the Everglades is especially high as water evaporating off its lush vegetation leads to the formation of giant mercury-absorbing rain clouds hovering above the area for most of the year , .
When mercury enters our freshwater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pick it up and convert it into methylmercury .
This form builds up in the food chain as one contaminated animal is eaten by another .
For a giant snake , cruising through mercury-infested swamps eating almost anything that moves , the risk of contamination is very real .
Some of the pythons found in the Everglades have previously registered `` strikingly high levels of mercury , '' more than double what the state of Florida considers safe for edible fish , .
If consumed by humans , may cause various conditions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defects .
In the new research , scientists will measure mercury levels in tissue from captured pythons .
The objective of the study is to develop and share `` consumption advisories for Burmese pythons in South Florida to better inform the public , '' FWC wildlife commission spokeswoman Susan Neel told .
If you are worried about Kalil , who eats python several times a week , you need n't be .
Her daughter bought her a mercury-testing kit to confirm the snakes she eats are safe , according to the Sentinel .

Wildlife biologist Jenny Ketterlin Eckles and wildlife technician Edward Mercer, both with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, hold a Burmese python during a press conference in the Florida Everglades about the non-native species on Jan. 29, 2015 in Miami, Florida.
Floridians could begin seeing a new slithery item on their menus — Burmese pythons. The invasive species is so out of control in the state that the government may begin encouraging the new meal as a way to help keep the snake's numbers under control, as long as they aren't filled with toxic mercury.
Before the recommendation, though, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has teamed up with the Florida Department of Health to find out if the mercury levels in pythons are safe to consume.
If that's the case, python hunter Donna Kalil is already ahead of the game. She hunts pythons for the South Florida Water Management District and estimates that she's eaten a dozen pythons over the last three years or so, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel .
"It's a wonderful tasting meat," Kalil told the Sentinel. She describes it as an "acquired thought process" more than an "acquired taste."
Related: 7 shocking snake stories
The python problem
Burmese pythons became established in the mid-1990s in the Everglades National Park, in South Florida, likely as released or escaped pets and then became invasive, according to the FWC . A species becomes invasive when it ends up somewhere it shouldn't, due to humans, and upsets the balance of its new ecosystem, which has not evolved to cope with alien invaders, Live Science previously reported .
Recent data suggests the population of pythons is expanding north and west within the Sunshine State. The longest Burmese python captured in Florida was over 18 feet (5.4 meters) long. Typically, they average between 6 and 9 feet (1.8 and 2.7 m). Due to their large size, the snakes have few predators and will consume a variety of animals, including mammals, birds and even alligators. Some of these prey are threatened or endangered native species, according to the FWC.
It's not unheard of for an invasive or just pesky species to be eaten as a means of controlling their populations. In Florida, the non-native lionfish and wild boar can be consumed for example. Even iguanas have been dubbed the "chicken of the trees," with the University of Florida publishing recipe ideas . So what is different about pythons?
Mercury accumulates
Python meat may be particularly vulnerable to mercury contamination, which poses a threat to human health.
Mercury is a naturally occurring element in Earth's crust but human activities, such as mining and burning fossil fuels, have led to high levels of mercury being released into the atmosphere. It is then carried back to Earth through rainfall. Mercury pollution in the Everglades is especially high as water evaporating off its lush vegetation leads to the formation of giant mercury-absorbing rain clouds hovering above the area for most of the year, Live Science previously reported .
When mercury enters our freshwater and seawater systems, certain microorganisms can pick it up and convert it into methylmercury. This form builds up in the food chain as one contaminated animal is eaten by another. For a giant snake, cruising through mercury-infested swamps eating almost anything that moves, the risk of contamination is very real.
Some of the pythons found in the Everglades have previously registered "strikingly high levels of mercury," more than double what the state of Florida considers safe for edible fish, Live Science previously reported . If consumed by humans, mercury poisoning may cause various conditions, including neurological and chromosomal problems and birth defects.
In the new research, scientists will measure mercury levels in tissue from captured pythons. The objective of the study is to develop and share "consumption advisories for Burmese pythons in South Florida to better inform the public," FWC wildlife commission spokeswoman Susan Neel told CNN .
If you are worried about Kalil, who eats python several times a week, you needn't be. Her daughter bought her a mercury-testing kit to confirm the snakes she eats are safe, according to the Sentinel.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-31--10 steamy signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up

As the world turned its eyes to a dire , another global catastrophe was not-so-quietly gaining steam : has been simmering since the Industrial Revolution , but 2020 was a year that really drove home how fast it 's accelerating .
We blazed past ominous milestones that were supposed to take decades to arrive , broke records every month , and watched the frozen North melt even faster than anticipated .
From record wildfires to a bumper crop of hurricanes to melting poles , here are some of the biggest signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ As climate change dumps heat into our oceans and atmosphere , there 's more energy around to spark hurricanes .
One side effect : Tropical storms that died are being resurrected more often .
Case in point : In mid-September , Tropical Storm Paulette formed as a Category 1 before strengthening , then petering out over the Atlantic Ocean five and a half days later .
But Paulette was not quite dead .
Paulette opened her eye on Sept. 21 , and regained strength to form into a tropical storm .
Such zombie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost steam as they rolled north into cooler waters , but thanks to climate change , extreme ocean heating is giving them a second boost , Donald Wuebbles , a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , told Live Science .
Extreme heating in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico , where many storms strengthen before slamming into the U.S. , could be particularly vulnerable to climate change , Wuebbles said .
Read more : Zombie storms are rising from the dead thanks to climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retreating glaciers , blistering summer heat and vanishing snow cover — nowhere on Earth has changed as dramatically due to climate change as the Arctic .
And that change could be permanent , a disturbing 2020 report suggests .
The Arctic report card , a yearly summary of the Frozen North 's environmental status conducted in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , shows climate change accelerating much more rapidly than was expected .
At this pace , and without drastic action `` there 's no reason to think that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is today , '' Rick Thoman , an Alaska climate specialist with the International Arctic Research Center ( IARC ) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks ( UAF ) , said at the time .
What does that mean ?
Huge swaths of ice-free seas and zombie wildfires as permanent fixtures on land , the experts said .
Read more : Dramatic transformation of the Arctic landscape could be permanent Godzilla can thank climate change , too But what happens in the Arctic does n't stay in the Arctic .
This year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and warming conditions in the Arctic may have fueled its formation , a December study in the journal found .
During the month of June , a global express train of wind trapped a high-pressure system above northwest Africa , whipping up winds above the Sahara for days .
In the end , this Godzilla dust storm broke records for the biggest one ever , creating a 5,000-mile-long ( 8,000 kilometers ) blob that darkened the skies from the Atlantic to the southeastern United States .
But why blame climate change ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have formed because sea-ice extent was extra low at that time .
This may have created a vast `` anomaly '' that allowed Arctic winds to creep lower on the globe than they normally do , supercharging the high-pressure system and northeasterly winds that birthed the monster dust storm .
Read more : Sahara 's 'Godzilla ' dust storm have been triggered by warming in the Arctic Warming oceans mean more fuel for hurricanes , and 2020 brought proof of that in spades .
The Atlantic shattered records with 30 named storms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The next busiest season , in 2005 , brought 29 named storms .
The 2020 season started early with Tropical Storm Arthur on May 16 , and we barreled through all the named storms on the list by Sept. 14 .
The season ended with a bang , as — the strongest of the season — with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph ( 260 km/h ) .
The season had several other damaging and deadly storms , including Hurricanes Laura and Marco , which devastated the Gulf Coast region .
Climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it may not even make storms more common .
But accumulating evidence suggests that warming oceans will make storms stronger and more deadly on average .
Greenland may need new maps Global warming is dramatically reshaping — literally .
The coastline is changing thanks to unprecedented ice loss and sea-level rise .
Warming , and the resulting ice loss , have changed where glaciers dump their water into the ocean , which could reshape ecosystems around the island , an October study found .
Greenland is losing 500 gigatons of ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be made up by snowfall .
And melting ice has created a giant slip n ' slide for the island 's massive ice sheet as it moves above the bedrock , meaning even faster melt .
If this process does n't slow down , the coastline could look very different in the years to come , the study found .
When things dry out and heat up , fire follows , and this year , the American West learned that the ( very ) hard way .
Thanks to massive lightning storms and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to years of drought , catastrophic fires swept through over and over , racing through and creating several of the biggest wildfires on record .
The biggest fire in California by far was the August Complex Fire that was sparked on Sept. 16 - 17 by massive lightning strikes , and it has since devoured more than 1 million acres ( 417,000 hectares ) — and it is still burning .
All but one of the top five fires in the state occured this year .
Explosive wildfires also erupted in Colorado , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires happening in 2020 .
Read more : Explosive growth of Colorado wildfire seen from space Where there 's fire , there 's smoke , lots and lots of it .
Nothing says `` apocalypse now , '' like walking outside at Noon and seeing the skies as dark as night .
In September , the skies across the Bay Area turned an eerie orange , thanks to a thick , choking blanket of smoke heading south from Oregon wildfires .
These conflagrations were visible from space , with the fast-moving and at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collided with the record-breaking wildfire season , creating a truly disturbing image of the twin catastrophes seen from space .
Read more : Stark new imagery shows the scary extent of West Coast fires from space Our warming planet is now breaking records for warmest , hottest and driest , so fast we can barely keep up .
This September , for instance , was the hottest on record .That 's 0.05 degrees Celsius ( 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit ) warmer than the previous record holder , September 2018 .
Some of the hottest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires were blazing , as well as South America , Australia and the Middle East .
Sadly , this is n't the only record-breaker this year ; January and May were also the hottest on record .
Los Angeles recorded its hottest temperature , a blazing 121 F ( 49.4 C ) , while in June , a small town in Siberia , the mercury hit 100.4 F ( 38 C ) .
And sea ice was at a record low this year as well .
Read more : Earth just had its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought to be relatively insulated from climate change .
But that 's changing fast .
The massive Thwaites glacier , one of the biggest on the coldest continent , is sliding into the sea , thanks to rivers of warm water that are lubricating its base .
Some of these hidden channels beneath the glacier are 800 feet ( 243 m ) deep .
This is bad news , because the glacier is truly gigantic ; if the entire hunk of ice were to fall into the ocean , sea levels could rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Earth is facing a form of heat not seen in 50 million years Earth is barreling toward a `` hothouse '' state that it has n't seen for eons , a scary study in September found .
By analyzing the chemicals in the shells of tiny sea-dwellers known as forams , which build their shells out of calcium and other elements permeating the ocean , scientists were able to recreate a record of climate on the planet going back to the , when went extinct .
Over that time , Earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Warmhouse states , thanks to shifts in the planet 's tilt , greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere and the size of polar ice caps .
Those long-dead sea creatures show how anomalous our current warming is , even on geologic time scales .
The current warming far outpaces normal fluctuations in the planet 's temperature , and could catapult us out of our current Icehouse state into a Hothouse state , the study found .
Read more : Earth is barreling towards a 'Hothouse ' state not seen for 50 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This site had been used by nesting penguins at least three times over the last 5,000 years , but it was hidden and preserved beneath layers of snow .
While the northern tip of Antarctica was melting fast , Cape Irizar in southern Antarctica , flanked by the icy waters of the Ross Sea , had long been buffered from such extreme changes .
But in the last decade , streamlets of meltwater have carried away snow , unveiling the bodies of those black-and-white birds .
As global heating accelerates , nesting sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may disappear , but the newfound site at Cape Irizar may once again be used , Steve Emslie , a professor at the University of North Carolina , Wilmington , told Live Science .
Read more : Dozens of penguin 'mummies ' discovered at lost nesting site in Antarctica It 's not too late Despite the dire warnings our planet is flashing , it 's still not too late to hit the brakes on warming .
The U.S. could reach by 2050 , a new report found .
No single approach will work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single approach must be pursued to slow warming .
Among the steps that could help : Putting 50 million electric cars on the road , increasing electric heating in homes and quadrupling solar and wind energy generation .
And just slowing our greenhouse gas emissions may not be enough : Pulling carbon out of the air , through agricultural practices , forest replanting , carbon capture and even sucking carbon out of the rocks could also help reverse dangerous warming trends , experts told Live Science .
But to get there , we @ @ @ @ @ @

As the world turned its eyes to a dire pandemic , another global catastrophe was not-so-quietly gaining steam: Climate change has been simmering since the Industrial Revolution, but 2020 was a year that really drove home how fast it's accelerating. We blazed past ominous milestones that were supposed to take decades to arrive, broke records every month, and watched the frozen North melt even faster than anticipated. From record wildfires to a bumper crop of hurricanes to melting poles, here are some of the biggest signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up.
Zombie storms are rising from the dead
(Image credit: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East Band 13)
As climate change dumps heat into our oceans and atmosphere, there's more energy around to spark hurricanes. One side effect: Tropical storms that died are being resurrected more often. Case in point: In mid-September, Tropical Storm Paulette formed as a Category 1 before strengthening, then petering out over the Atlantic Ocean five and a half days later. But Paulette was not quite dead. Paulette opened her eye on Sept. 21, and regained strength to form into a tropical storm. Such zombie storms used to be rare because hurricanes lost steam as they rolled north into cooler waters, but thanks to climate change, extreme ocean heating is giving them a second boost, Donald Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told Live Science. Extreme heating in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where many storms strengthen before slamming into the U.S., could be particularly vulnerable to climate change, Wuebbles said.
Read more: Zombie storms are rising from the dead thanks to climate change
Arctic transformation may be permanent
(Image credit: NOAA/Photo courtesy of Caitlin Bailey, GFOE, The Hidden Ocean 2016: Chukchi Borderlands)
Melting sea ice, burning permafrost, retreating glaciers, blistering summer heat and vanishing snow cover — nowhere on Earth has changed as dramatically due to climate change as the Arctic. And that change could be permanent, a disturbing 2020 report suggests.
The Arctic report card, a yearly summary of the Frozen North's environmental status conducted in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows climate change accelerating much more rapidly than was expected. At this pace, and without drastic action "there's no reason to think that in 30 years anything will be as it is today," Rick Thoman, an Alaska climate specialist with the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), said at the time.
What does that mean? Huge swaths of ice-free seas and zombie wildfires as permanent fixtures on land, the experts said.
Read more: Dramatic transformation of the Arctic landscape could be permanent
Godzilla can thank climate change, too
(Image credit: NASA/NOAA, Colin Seftor)
But what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic. This year, a Godzilla dust storm formed in the Sahara , and warming conditions in the Arctic may have fueled its formation, a December study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found.
During the month of June, a global express train of wind trapped a high-pressure system above northwest Africa, whipping up winds above the Sahara for days. In the end, this Godzilla dust storm broke records for the biggest one ever, creating a 5,000-mile-long (8,000 kilometers) blob that darkened the skies from the Atlantic to the southeastern United States.
But why blame climate change? The whirling winds in the Sahara may have formed because sea-ice extent was extra low at that time. This may have created a vast "anomaly" that allowed Arctic winds to creep lower on the globe than they normally do, supercharging the high-pressure system and northeasterly winds that birthed the monster dust storm.
Read more: Sahara's 'Godzilla' dust storm have been triggered by warming in the Arctic
A deadly hurricane season
(Image credit: NHC/NOAA)
Warming oceans mean more fuel for hurricanes, and 2020 brought proof of that in spades.
The Atlantic hurricane season shattered records with 30 named storms, many of which were strong and deadly. The next busiest season, in 2005, brought 29 named storms. The 2020 season started early with Tropical Storm Arthur on May 16, and we barreled through all the named storms on the list by Sept. 14. The season ended with a bang, as Hurricane Iota strengthened into a 'catastrophic' Category 5 storm — the strongest of the season — with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h). The season had several other damaging and deadly storms, including Hurricanes Laura and Marco, which devastated the Gulf Coast region.
Climate change may not fuel any particular storm, and it may not even make storms more common. But accumulating evidence suggests that warming oceans will make storms stronger and more deadly on average.
Read more: 2020 Atlantic hurricane season shatters records
Greenland may need new maps
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Global warming is dramatically reshaping Greenland — literally. The coastline is changing thanks to unprecedented ice loss and sea-level rise. Warming, and the resulting ice loss, have changed where glaciers dump their water into the ocean, which could reshape ecosystems around the island, an October study found.
Greenland is losing 500 gigatons of ice every year, way more than can be made up by snowfall. And melting ice has created a giant slip n' slide for the island's massive ice sheet as it moves above the bedrock, meaning even faster melt.
If this process doesn't slow down, the coastline could look very different in the years to come, the study found.
Read more: Greenland ice melt is reshaping its coastline
The west was ablaze
(Image credit: NOAA)
When things dry out and heat up, fire follows, and this year, the American West learned that the (very) hard way. Thanks to massive lightning storms and forests full of dry kindling, thanks to years of drought, catastrophic fires swept through Oregon, Washington and California over and over, racing through iconic redwood forests and creating several of the biggest wildfires on record.
The biggest fire in California by far was the August Complex Fire that was sparked on Sept. 16 - 17 by massive lightning strikes, and it has since devoured more than 1 million acres (417,000 hectares) — and it is still burning. All but one of the top five fires in the state occured this year.
Explosive wildfires also erupted in Colorado, with all the state's top recorded fires happening in 2020.
Read more: Explosive growth of Colorado wildfire seen from space
Apocalyptic skies from coast to coast
(Image credit: CIRA)
Where there's fire, there's smoke, lots and lots of it. Nothing says "apocalypse now," like walking outside at Noon and seeing the skies as dark as night. In September, the skies across the Bay Area turned an eerie orange , thanks to a thick, choking blanket of smoke heading south from Oregon wildfires.
These conflagrations were visible from space, with the fast-moving California Creek Fire forming a vast fire cloud and at one point, the record-breaking hurricane season collided with the record-breaking wildfire season, creating a truly disturbing image of the twin catastrophes seen from space .
Read more: Stark new imagery shows the scary extent of West Coast fires from space
Earth breaks records left and right
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Our warming planet is now breaking records for warmest, hottest and driest, so fast we can barely keep up. This September, for instance, was the hottest on record .That's 0.05 degrees Celsius (0.09 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the previous record holder, September 2018. Some of the hottest hots occurred in Siberia, where zombie fires were blazing, as well as South America, Australia and the Middle East.
Sadly, this isn't the only record-breaker this year; January and May were also the hottest on record. Los Angeles recorded its hottest temperature, a blazing 121 F (49.4 C), while in June, a small town in Siberia, the mercury hit 100.4 F (38 C) . And sea ice was at a record low this year as well.
Read more: Earth just had its hottest September on record
Massive Antarctic glacier in danger
(Image credit: Alex Mazur/British Antarctic Survey)
Antarctica was once thought to be relatively insulated from climate change. But that's changing fast. The massive Thwaites glacier, one of the biggest on the coldest continent, is sliding into the sea, thanks to rivers of warm water that are lubricating its base .
Some of these hidden channels beneath the glacier are 800 feet (243 m) deep.
This is bad news, because the glacier is truly gigantic; if the entire hunk of ice were to fall into the ocean, sea levels could rise a whopping 25 inches (63.5 centimeters).
Read more: Rivers of warm water threaten vast Antarctic glacier
Earth is facing a form of heat not seen in 50 million years
(Image credit: Public domain.)
Earth is barreling toward a "hothouse" state that it hasn't seen for eons, a scary study in September found.
By analyzing the chemicals in the shells of tiny sea-dwellers known as forams, which build their shells out of calcium and other elements permeating the ocean, scientists were able to recreate a record of climate on the planet going back to the Cenozoic era , when dinosaurs went extinct. Over that time, Earth moved through Hothouse, Coolhouse, Icehouse and Warmhouse states, thanks to shifts in the planet's tilt, greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere and the size of polar ice caps.
Those long-dead sea creatures show how anomalous our current warming is, even on geologic time scales. The current warming far outpaces normal fluctuations in the planet's temperature, and could catapult us out of our current Icehouse state into a Hothouse state, the study found.
Read more: Earth is barreling towards a 'Hothouse' state not seen for 50 million years
Lost penguin colony revealed by Antarctic melt
(Image credit: Steve Emslie)
Dozens of Adelie penguin mummies were recently uncovered on a dry, windy cape in southern Antarctica. This site had been used by nesting penguins at least three times over the last 5,000 years, but it was hidden and preserved beneath layers of snow.
While the northern tip of Antarctica was melting fast, Cape Irizar in southern Antarctica, flanked by the icy waters of the Ross Sea, had long been buffered from such extreme changes. But in the last decade, streamlets of meltwater have carried away snow, unveiling the bodies of those black-and-white birds.
As global heating accelerates, nesting sites for millions of penguins in northern Antarctica may disappear, but the newfound site at Cape Irizar may once again be used, Steve Emslie, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, told Live Science.
Read more: Dozens of penguin 'mummies' discovered at lost nesting site in Antarctica
It's not too late
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Despite the dire warnings our planet is flashing, it's still not too late to hit the brakes on warming.
The U.S. could reach "net-zero" carbon emissions by 2050, a new report found. No single approach will work to stop our climate emissions — every single approach must be pursued to slow warming. Among the steps that could help: Putting 50 million electric cars on the road, increasing electric heating in homes and quadrupling solar and wind energy generation.
And just slowing our greenhouse gas emissions may not be enough: Pulling carbon out of the air , through agricultural practices, forest replanting, carbon capture and even sucking carbon out of the rocks could also help reverse dangerous warming trends, experts told Live Science.
But to get there, we need to take steps immediately.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-31--6 ways the hunt for dark matter changed in 2020

Perhaps the most confounding problem in astrophysics is dark matter .
Vera Rubin discovered it in the 1970s , showing that galaxies spin much faster than the visible matter in them can explain .
Now researchers believe dark matter makes up 85 % of the mass of the universe , and is largely responsible for giving galaxies their shape .
But years have gone by without any major new revelations about dark matter , and the hunt is ongoing .
Here are the most important ways the search grew and changed in 2020 .
A new way to hunt for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us because we live in the Milky Way 's dark matter halo , but we ca n't directly detect it .
If it 's influencing us in any way but gravity , it 's probably due to rare interactions between dark matter particles and regular particles .
In 2020 , writing for Live Science , astrophysicist Paul Sutter wrote that exoplanets near the center of the galaxy , where the halo is thicker , should experience more of those interactions .
Those interactions are expected to transfer small amounts of energy from dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's happening , over time it should warm the exoplanets up in ways very precise telescopes can detect .
And the James Webb Space Telescope , scheduled to launch next October , may be able to detect that added warmth .
If it does , that will offer scientists new clues with which to unlock the mysteries of the dark universe .
In recent years , there have been claims of galaxies with either far too much dark matter for current theories to explain or far too little .
Both would require ideas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be adjusted .
But in 2020 , two major claims along these lines fell apart .
Dragonfly 44 ( DF44 ) , detected in 2016 , seemed to have a huge dark matter halo and very few stars , making its mass 98 % dark matter .
Here 's why : DF44 seemed to have a big handful of globular clusters ( pockets dense with stars ) outside its dim main body , and they seemed to be moving very fast , as if tugged by the gravity of something very heavy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , moving too fast for the paltry central star mass of the galaxy to explain .
But a follow up measurement in 2019 found the globular clusters were n't moving as fast as first measured .
And in 2020 , researchers re-counted the clusters , finding significantly fewer than the original observers .
DF44 is a normal , dwarf galaxy after all .
Another galaxy , DF4 , posed the opposite problem : It seemed to have way too little dark matter for its large number of stars .
But in 2020 researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DF4 had missed a neighboring galaxy tugging on it , stripping away dark matter from its halo .
That normal process , where dark matter is pulled from a galaxy before most of its stars , explains the unusual behavior first reported .
Both DF4 and DF44 are regular galaxies with typical amounts of dark matter after all , no theories need to change .
Most theories that try to explain dark matter assume it 's something new , a type of particle scientists have never detected before .
But in 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made of the d* ( 2380 ) hexaquark , or `` d-star , '' which was first detected in 2014 .
The d-star , made up of six quarks , is short-lived .
And dark matter has been around for eons .
But its possible , researchers proposed in 2020 , that d-stars might cluster together in ways that extend their life .
Neutrons , short-lived on their own , do something similar when they cluster in atomic nuclei and live billions of years .
If conditions of the early universe clustered d-stars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might explain dark matter , at least according to one research team .
A new dark matter signal might have emerged Dark matter probably does n't live forever , and many theories assume it slowly decays , emitting gamma rays in the process .
Researchers have been looking for those gamma rays for a long time , but in 2020 they got one of their best hints yet .
It comes from all over the sky : the `` unresolved gamma ray background . ''
That 's all the faint gamma rays that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filtered out as part of the normal work of gamma ray astronomy .
Similar backgrounds exist in other frequencies , like radio waves and X-rays .
But in 2020 , researchers compared the gamma background to a map of mass density across the sky .
They found that regions with lots of stars and galaxies , and therefore lots of dark matter , also had more intense gamma ray backgrounds .
Does that mean that these extra , unexplained gamma rays definitely come from dark matter ?
No , but it 's an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signal may not really exist One theory of dark matter holds that it 's made of `` sterile neutrinos , '' an as-yet undiscovered flavor of neutrino with lots of mass that interacts with other matter even more faintly with other matter .
In 2020 , an important clue that seemed to support that theory ran into a big problem .
For decades , researchers have thought that if sterile neutrinos exist , their decay would produce a faint glow on the X-ray spectrum , at an energy level of 3.5 kilo-electron volts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy level of the particles producing the light ) .
In 2014 , adding together the X-ray emissions of 73 galaxy clusters , researchers did detect a faint spike in X-rays at 3.5 KeV .
But in 2020 , researchers went looking for the so-called `` 3.5 KeV line '' in the Milky Way , where it should be brightest .
And they found nothing , dealing a major blow to the theory .
Other researchers raised objections with the methods used though , so for now the presence of a 3.5 KeV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be up for debate .
Yet another theory of dark matter suggests it 's made of ultralight particles known as axions .
And researchers have built a 3.5 ton ( 3.2 metric ton ) tank of liquid xenon deep underground to prove it .
The XENON1T detector looks for glimmers of light in the dark tank , evidence of interactions with unseen particles .
In 2020 , pulling together years of data , the XENON1T researchers announced a first detection of axions streaming from the sun .
But these axions do n't appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that some think makes up dark matter , and some researchers are still skeptical that XENON1T really discovered axions at all .

The galaxy DF4 (center). was originally a big problem for dark matter researchers, having little dark matter at all. But in 2020 astronomers cracked its mystery. Image caption
Perhaps the most confounding problem in astrophysics is dark matter. Vera Rubin discovered it in the 1970s, showing that galaxies spin much faster than the visible matter in them can explain. Now researchers believe dark matter makes up 85% of the mass of the universe, and is largely responsible for giving galaxies their shape. But years have gone by without any major new revelations about dark matter, and the hunt is ongoing. Here are the most important ways the search grew and changed in 2020.
A new way to hunt for dark matter
This is an artist's illustration of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which detects exoplanets. (Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)
Dark matter is all around us because we live in the Milky Way's dark matter halo, but we can't directly detect it. If it's influencing us in any way but gravity, it's probably due to rare interactions between dark matter particles and regular particles. In 2020, writing for Live Science, astrophysicist Paul Sutter wrote that exoplanets near the center of the galaxy, where the halo is thicker, should experience more of those interactions.
Those interactions are expected to transfer small amounts of energy from dark matter to regular matter. If that's happening, over time it should warm the exoplanets up in ways very precise telescopes can detect. And the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch next October, may be able to detect that added warmth. If it does, that will offer scientists new clues with which to unlock the mysteries of the dark universe.
Dark matter mysteries fell apart
The Dragonfly 44 galaxy looks like a smear across space. (Image credit: Teymoor Saifollahi and NASA/HST (HST Proposal 14643, PI: van Dokkum))
In recent years, there have been claims of galaxies with either far too much dark matter for current theories to explain or far too little. Both would require ideas about dark matter and how galaxies form to be adjusted. But in 2020, two major claims along these lines fell apart.
Dragonfly 44 (DF44), detected in 2016, seemed to have a huge dark matter halo and very few stars, making its mass 98% dark matter. Here's why: DF44 seemed to have a big handful of globular clusters (pockets dense with stars) outside its dim main body, and they seemed to be moving very fast, as if tugged by the gravity of something very heavy. There were too many of them, moving too fast for the paltry central star mass of the galaxy to explain. But a follow up measurement in 2019 found the globular clusters weren't moving as fast as first measured. And in 2020, researchers re-counted the clusters, finding significantly fewer than the original observers. DF44 is a normal, dwarf galaxy after all.
Another galaxy, DF4, posed the opposite problem: It seemed to have way too little dark matter for its large number of stars. But in 2020 researchers found an explanation: early observers of DF4 had missed a neighboring galaxy tugging on it, stripping away dark matter from its halo. That normal process, where dark matter is pulled from a galaxy before most of its stars, explains the unusual behavior first reported. Both DF4 and DF44 are regular galaxies with typical amounts of dark matter after all, no theories need to change.
The d-star emerged as a dark matter contender
The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search is one of the most sensitive efforts to track down dark matter particles. But the best dark-matter detector may be Earth itself, a new study suggests. (Image credit: SuperCDMS/Slac National Accelerator Laboratory)
Most theories that try to explain dark matter assume it's something new, a type of particle scientists have never detected before. But in 2020, researchers proposed that it might actually be made of the d*(2380) hexaquark, or "d-star," which was first detected in 2014.
The d-star, made up of six quarks, is short-lived. And dark matter has been around for eons. But its possible, researchers proposed in 2020, that d-stars might cluster together in ways that extend their life. Neutrons, short-lived on their own, do something similar when they cluster in atomic nuclei and live billions of years. If conditions of the early universe clustered d-stars together in the right way, that might explain dark matter, at least according to one research team.
A new dark matter signal might have emerged
The sky is ablaze with explosive, invisible gamma-rays (shown here in yellow and red). According to a new study, some of those rays may be the products of dark matter. (Image credit: NASA Goddard)
Dark matter probably doesn't live forever, and many theories assume it slowly decays, emitting gamma rays in the process. Researchers have been looking for those gamma rays for a long time, but in 2020 they got one of their best hints yet.
It comes from all over the sky: the "unresolved gamma ray background." That's all the faint gamma rays that turn up in telescopes and are usually filtered out as part of the normal work of gamma ray astronomy. Similar backgrounds exist in other frequencies, like radio waves and X-rays. But in 2020, researchers compared the gamma background to a map of mass density across the sky. They found that regions with lots of stars and galaxies, and therefore lots of dark matter, also had more intense gamma ray backgrounds. Does that mean that these extra, unexplained gamma rays definitely come from dark matter? No, but it's an important clue.
An important dark matter signal may not really exist
A Hubble Space Telescope image shows the Lagoon Nebula, part of the small portion of matter in the Milky Way that isn't made of dark matter. (Image credit: NASA)
One theory of dark matter holds that it's made of "sterile neutrinos," an as-yet undiscovered flavor of neutrino with lots of mass that interacts with other matter even more faintly with other matter. In 2020, an important clue that seemed to support that theory ran into a big problem.
For decades, researchers have thought that if sterile neutrinos exist, their decay would produce a faint glow on the X-ray spectrum, at an energy level of 3.5 kilo-electron volts (keV is a measure of the energy level of the particles producing the light). In 2014, adding together the X-ray emissions of 73 galaxy clusters, researchers did detect a faint spike in X-rays at 3.5 KeV. But in 2020, researchers went looking for the so-called "3.5 KeV line" in the Milky Way, where it should be brightest. And they found nothing, dealing a major blow to the theory. Other researchers raised objections with the methods used though, so for now the presence of a 3.5 KeV line in the Milky Way may still be up for debate.
A first axion detection?
A team works on assembling the XENON1T dark matter experiment.. (Image credit: XENON1T)
Yet another theory of dark matter suggests it's made of ultralight particles known as axions. And researchers have built a 3.5 ton (3.2 metric ton) tank of liquid xenon deep underground to prove it. The XENON1T detector looks for glimmers of light in the dark tank, evidence of interactions with unseen particles. In 2020, pulling together years of data, the XENON1T researchers announced a first detection of axions streaming from the sun. But these axions don't appear to be the same type of axion that some think makes up dark matter, and some researchers are still skeptical that XENON1T really discovered axions at all.


livescience--2020-12-31--10 ways COVID-19 changed the world

10 ways COVID-19 changed the world

The year 2020 was defined by the coronavirus pandemic , arguably the worst pandemic the world has seen in 100 years .
COVID-19 has caused more than 75 million cases and 1.6 million deaths worldwide as of mid-December .
The illness has affected nearly every aspect of life , from work and school to everyday activities like getting groceries , and even our wardrobes .
Here are just some of the ways COVID-19 changed the world in 2020 .
A number of new words and phrases entered the general lexicon in 2020 .
We were told we need to `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so that we could `` , '' or slow the disease 's spread in order to reduce the burden on the healthcare system .
People even became familiar with relatively obscure epidemiological terms like the `` `` ( R0 , pronounced R-nought ) , or the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person .
And of course the name of the illness itself , COVID-19 , is a new term , with the World Health Organization officially naming the disease on Feb. 11 .
The must-have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piece of cloth to put around your face .
With medical masks in short supply at the beginning of the year , sewing enthusiasts began churning out for their communities .
Then , clothing companies and retailers got on board , adding masks to their fashion lines .
Now , in many parts of the world , you ca n't leave your house without putting on a mask .
At first , it was unclear whether wearing cloth masks would protect against COVID-19 , but as the year went on , numerous studies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearer and those around them .
The pandemic took a serious toll on people 's mental health in 2020 .
One study published in August by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) found that levels of amid the pandemic .
The study could not determine the reason for the rise in mental health conditions , but factors relating to the pandemic , such as social isolation , school and university closures , unemployment and other financial worries , as well as the threat of the disease itself , may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Another insidious side effect of the pandemic was .
A study published in October in the journal found that alcohol consumption in the United States rose 14 % during pandemic shutdowns .
Women in particular reported worrying increases in heavy drinking during the spring of 2020 , according to the study .
`` In addition to a range of negative physical health associations , excessive alcohol use may lead to or worsen existing mental health problems , '' the authors concluded .
As businesses began to open after initial lockdowns , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reduce the risk of .
Businesses implemented universal mask policies .
Dining switched to outdoors only .
Waiting rooms became a thing of the past .
You needed a reservation to go to the gym .
And large gatherings and events were banned completely in many areas .
Although there is no way to ensure zero risk of catching COVID-19 , officials said taking precautions could reduce the risk of spread .
However , as the fall began , many areas went into lockdown again amid surging COVID-19 cases .
From the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus was as a bioweapon , the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a flurry of misinformation .
Indeed , one study , published Aug. 10 in the , found that the pandemic has hatched more than and reports of discrimination .
Such false information can have serious consequences — the researchers of the new study found that COVID-19 related rumors were linked to thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths .
`` Health agencies must track misinformation associated with ... COVID-19 in real time , and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With orders to stay at home as much as possible , many people decided to get a furry friend during quarantine .
The coronavirus pandemic has been a boon for pet adoptions , particularly dog adoptions .
Many shelters , breeders and pet stores reported a surge in applications for dogs , with the demand far exceeding supply , according to .
Some shelters reported double the number of adoptions compared with the previous year , and needed to resort to waitlists to handle the demand .
Not only is this good news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also for their humans , given that many studies show there are mental health benefits to pet ownership , .
Children seem to be largely spared from the most severe effects of COVID-19 , but they can still act as spreaders of the disease .
So many schools across the U.S. and the world made the in 2020 , and opt for virtual learning instead .
Questions around how long to remain closed and were the subject of much debate .
As fall arrived with a number of schools still closed , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning .
Statewide polls have found that nearly 9 in 10 parents are worried about their children falling behind at school due to the pandemic closures , according to .
Coronavirus lockdowns , which slowed the normal hustle and bustle of cities to a near halt , also appeared to around the world .
A study published May 19 in the journal found that daily global carbon dioxide emissions dropped by 17 % in early 2020 , compared with levels in 2019 .
That appears to be one of the biggest drops in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is far from enough to undo the harmful effects of man-made climate change .
`` Although this is likely to lead to the largest cut in emissions since World War II , it will make barely a dent in the ongoing build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere , '' Richard Betts , Head of Climate Impacts Research at the Met Office Hadley Centre in England , .
Developing a new vaccine normally takes years to decades .
But in an unprecedented feat , researchers in the U.S. and several other countries created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lab bench to bedside — in just under 12 months .
When 2020 began , COVID-19 and the virus that causes it , SARS-CoV-2 , were unknown to science .
But once the virus was identified , scientists acted quickly to begin developing a vaccine .
By mid-March , early trials in humans had begun , and by late summer , the vaccines were ready for more advanced trials with thousands of participants .
In December , the United States authorized two , from Pfizer and Moderna , after trials showed impressive results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mRNA to stimulate an immune response against the coronavirus , marking the first time that any has been authorized for use in people .
The vaccines were heralded as an , and the first doses were administered to healthcare workers in the U.S. in mid-December .

The year 2020 was defined by the coronavirus pandemic, arguably the worst pandemic the world has seen in 100 years. COVID-19 has caused more than 75 million cases and 1.6 million deaths worldwide as of mid-December. The illness has affected nearly every aspect of life, from work and school to everyday activities like getting groceries, and even our wardrobes.
Here are just some of the ways COVID-19 changed the world in 2020.
New vocabulary
(Image credit: CDC)
A number of new words and phrases entered the general lexicon in 2020. We were told we need to " social distance ," or stay six feet apart, so that we could " flatten the curve ," or slow the disease's spread in order to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. People even became familiar with relatively obscure epidemiological terms like the " basic reproduction number " (R0, pronounced R-nought), or the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person. And of course the name of the illness itself, COVID-19, is a new term, with the World Health Organization officially naming the disease on Feb. 11.
Wardrobe addition
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The must-have fashion item of 2020 was a small piece of cloth to put around your face.
With medical masks in short supply at the beginning of the year, sewing enthusiasts began churning out homemade masks for their communities. Then, clothing companies and retailers got on board, adding masks to their fashion lines. Now, in many parts of the world, you can't leave your house without putting on a mask.
At first, it was unclear whether wearing cloth masks would protect against COVID-19, but as the year went on, numerous studies showed the benefits of wearing masks , for both the wearer and those around them .
Anxiety and depression
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The pandemic took a serious toll on people's mental health in 2020. One study published in August by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that levels of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts skyrocketed amid the pandemic.
The study could not determine the reason for the rise in mental health conditions, but factors relating to the pandemic, such as social isolation, school and university closures, unemployment and other financial worries, as well as the threat of the disease itself, may play a role, the authors said.
Pandemic drinking
(Image credit: Shutterstoc)
Another insidious side effect of the pandemic was increases in alcohol consumption . A study published in October in the journal JAMA Network Open found that alcohol consumption in the United States rose 14% during pandemic shutdowns.
Women in particular reported worrying increases in heavy drinking during the spring of 2020, according to the study.
"In addition to a range of negative physical health associations, excessive alcohol use may lead to or worsen existing mental health problems," the authors concluded.
New normal
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
As businesses began to open after initial lockdowns, people needed to adjust to a new normal to reduce the risk of spreading the disease from everyday activities . Businesses implemented universal mask policies. Dining switched to outdoors only. Waiting rooms became a thing of the past. You needed a reservation to go to the gym. And large gatherings and events were banned completely in many areas.
Although there is no way to ensure zero risk of catching COVID-19, officials said taking precautions could reduce the risk of spread. However, as the fall began, many areas went into lockdown again amid surging COVID-19 cases.
Rampant rumors
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
From the idea that drinking bleach can kill the norovirus to a theory that the virus was created in a lab as a bioweapon, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a flurry of misinformation. Indeed, one study, published Aug. 10 in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene , found that the pandemic has hatched more than 2,000 rumors, conspiracy theories and reports of discrimination.
Such false information can have serious consequences — the researchers of the new study found that COVID-19 related rumors were linked to thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths.
"Health agencies must track misinformation associated with ... COVID-19 in real time, and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation," the authors concluded.
Pandemic puppies
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
With orders to stay at home as much as possible, many people decided to get a furry friend during quarantine.
The coronavirus pandemic has been a boon for pet adoptions, particularly dog adoptions. Many shelters, breeders and pet stores reported a surge in applications for dogs, with the demand far exceeding supply, according to The Washington Post . Some shelters reported double the number of adoptions compared with the previous year, and needed to resort to waitlists to handle the demand.
Not only is this good news for pets who need homes, but also for their humans, given that many studies show there are mental health benefits to pet ownership, according to NPR .
School closures
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Children seem to be largely spared from the most severe effects of COVID-19, but they can still act as spreaders of the disease. So many schools across the U.S. and the world made the decision to close in 2020, and opt for virtual learning instead. Questions around how long to remain closed and how to safely reopen were the subject of much debate. As fall arrived with a number of schools still closed, many children seemed to be falling behind in learning. Statewide polls have found that nearly 9 in 10 parents are worried about their children falling behind at school due to the pandemic closures, according to The Educational Trust .
Lowered emissions
(Image credit: Joshua Stevens/ NASA)
Coronavirus lockdowns, which slowed the normal hustle and bustle of cities to a near halt, also appeared to dramatically lower emissions of carbon dioxide around the world. A study published May 19 in the journal Nature Climate Change found that daily global carbon dioxide emissions dropped by 17% in early 2020, compared with levels in 2019. That appears to be one of the biggest drops in recorded history. But this temporary drop is far from enough to undo the harmful effects of man-made climate change.
"Although this is likely to lead to the largest cut in emissions since World War II, it will make barely a dent in the ongoing build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts Research at the Met Office Hadley Centre in England, said in a statement .
New vaccine
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Developing a new vaccine normally takes years to decades. But in an unprecedented feat, researchers in the U.S. and several other countries created a coronavirus vaccine — taking it from lab bench to bedside — in just under 12 months. When 2020 began, COVID-19 and the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2, were unknown to science. But once the virus was identified, scientists acted quickly to begin developing a vaccine. By mid-March, early trials in humans had begun, and by late summer, the vaccines were ready for more advanced trials with thousands of participants. In December, the United States authorized two COVID-19 vaccines , from Pfizer and Moderna, after trials showed impressive results. Both vaccines used molecules known as mRNA to stimulate an immune response against the coronavirus, marking the first time that any mRNA vaccine has been authorized for use in people. The vaccines were heralded as an extraordinary scientific advancement , and the first doses were administered to healthcare workers in the U.S. in mid-December.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-12-31--The 10 biggest archaeology discoveries of 2020

With the pandemic and accompanying economic recession clouding 2020 , it goes without saying that the year will not go down as the happiest for humanity .
The archaeology world also felt the effects , as numerous digs were canceled or curtailed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Despite the difficult year , many archaeological and historical discoveries came to light , including a sprawling geoglyph in Peru , a trove of mummies , the tomb of the legendary Romulus and more .
A 120-foot-long discovered in Peru in 2020 is the most recent example of a Nazca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was heavily eroded and barely visible , but conservation work revealed a more complete picture of the cat , which looks a bit like a child 's doodle .
Archaeologists estimate that the geoglyph was constructed sometime between 200 B.C .
and 100 B.C.
, a time when many were being built .
In 2020 , archaeologists announced the discovery of an 8-mile-long ( 12.9 kilometers ) `` canvas '' of that dates back 11,800 to 12,600 years .
Drawn using ocher , the images include depictions of mastodons , giant sloths and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
The images were drawn in the hills above three rock shelters in the Colombian Amazon .
The drawings also include human handprints , geometric designs , and images of deer , tapirs , alligators , bats , monkeys , turtles , serpents , porcupines , camelids and horses , among other animals .
There are also drawings showing people hunting animals and interacting with plants and trees .
The excavations were made possible thanks to a 2016 peace treaty that put an end to hostilities between the Colombian government and FARC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the onset of peace , the region became accessible to archaeologists .
More than 100 sealed coffins with mummies have been found at Saqqara , in Egypt .
Excavations are ongoing , and more mummies will likely be found . )
Since summer 2020 , Egyptian archaeologists have been excavating a series of burial shafts at the site of Saqqara and have found an ever-growing number of sealed coffins with mummies inside .
As of Nov. 14 , the count was up to over 100 coffins containing mummies , and as the excavations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Egypt , tombs were frequently robbed in both ancient and modern times , and to find so many undisturbed , sealed coffins with mummies is a remarkable find .
Numerous artifacts have been found within the coffins , including 40 statues that depict Ptah-Soker , a deity who was an amalgamation of Ptah , the god of Memphis , andSoker ( also spelled Sokar and Seker ) , who was the god of Saqqara .
All of the finds date to between roughly 712 B.C .
and 30 B.C.
, a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign groups , such as the Assyrians , Persians and Greeks .
In February 2020 , archaeologists announced the discovery of the beneath the Roman Forum 's Senate House .
According to legend , Romulus founded Rome in the eighth century B.C .
He and his brother Remus were supposedly abandoned as infants and raised by a she-wolf .
When they reached adulthood , the two brothers got into a dispute over which hill Rome should be built on , and Romulus killed Remus .
Today , most historians regard the story as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , the ancient Romans took it seriously and placed his tomb beneath the Senate House , the heart of Roman politics .
Inside the tomb , archaeologists found an empty 4.5-foot-long ( 1.4 m ) sarcophagus made of a light volcanic stone , called tuff , that was quarried from the Capitoline Hill beneath the Roman Forum .
The tomb has been 3D laser scanned , and future excavations may reveal more details about it .
In 2020 , the idea that males did all of the big-game hunting while females @ @ @ @ @ @ @ archaeologists found a 9,000-year-old burial of a female hunter in Peru .
She was buried with a hunter tool kit that included projectile points and flakes , and she may have hunted vicuñas , wild ancestors of alpacas .
The archaeologists who excavated the woman 's remains do not believe she was an unusual case .
When they analyzed over 400 skeletons that had been previously excavated in the Western Hemisphere , the archaeologists found that 27 were buried with tools suitable for hunting big game and 11 of those individuals were female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game in the Western Hemisphere .
A large that involved gathering DNA from 807 Indigenous individuals from Polynesia and the Pacific coast of South America has revealed that Polynesians and native peoples of Colombia not only made contact but also bred with one another around A.D. 1150 .
It 's not clear how the groups met ; the Polynesians may have sailed to South America or vice versa .
Either way , their descendants were living in the Marquesas Islands — about 4,350 miles ( 7,000 km ) from the coast of Colombia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ branched out to other islands in Polynesia .
The biggest prehistoric in the U.K. was revealed in 2020 .
Dating to around 4,500 years ago , during the Neolithic period , it consists of 20 giant holes that appear to mark the boundaries of an earlier enclosure circle .
Each of the holes is 32 feet ( 10 m ) in diameter and 16 feet ( 5 m ) deep .
The holes form a circle stretching 1.2 miles ( 2 km ) and covering an area larger than 1.2 square miles ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so large that it has Durrington Walls , the in the U.K. , at its center .
It 's not clear why the giant circle of holes was created .
It 's possible that it formed a symbolic barrier that told certain members of society how close they could get to Durrington Walls .
Another possibility is that the holes were used to hold water during the wet season .
In any case , the circle of holes is one of a kind , with no comparable prehistoric monuments known elsewhere , archaeologists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing of Assyrian deities were discovered at a canal that dates back more than 2,700 years .
They include carvings of Ashur , the main Assyrian god , who is shown on a dragon .
They also show Ashur 's wife , Mullissu , who is seated on a decorated throne supported by a lion .
Other depictions include the sun god Shamash on a horse and the moon god Sin on a horned lion .
All of the deities face in the direction of the water that flowed in the canal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the reign of the Assyrian king Sargon II , who ruled from 722 B.C .
to 705 B.C .
In the rock panels , Sargon II is shown at the beginning and end of the procession of deities .
Archaeologists announced the discovery of the canal and rock panels , found near Mosul , Iraq , in January 2020 .
Work on uncovering the panels began in 2012 , but when the terrorist organization ISIL ( also known as ISIS or Daesh ) approached the region , archaeologists hid the panels to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a result the panels were not fully uncovered until recently .
In June 2020 , archaeologists in Iceland the discovery of a 130-foot-long ( 40 m ) longhouse that was built in the ninth century .
It is one of the earliest Viking structures in Iceland to be discovered and has lavish hoard of ornamental beads and coins archaeologists found .
The finds include Roman and Middle Eastern silver coins , as well as `` hacksilver '' — cut and bent pieces of silver that the Vikings and other peoples used as bullion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glass beads , rings , weights and a tiny fragment of gold .
The Vikings who lived there may have acquired the goods by trading whale and seal meat and skins for them .
A circular constructed out of the remains of at least 60 mammoths was discovered in Russia .
Bones from reindeer , horses , bears , wolves , red foxes and arctic foxes , among other animals , were also used to build the structure , archaeologists said .
Dating back around 20,000 years , the structure is 36 feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have had a roof made of animal hides , the researchers said .
The purpose of the structure is a bit of a mystery .
It might have been used for rituals , or possibly food storage .
At the time , pieces of animal meat were still attached to the bones , which would have made the structure smelly .
Archaeologists could tell that they had meat on them because some of the bones were articulated ( joined together ) in a way that could only have been done if flesh @ @ @ @ @

The discovery of more than 100 sealed coffins containing mummies, at the Saqqara archaeological site in Egypt, was one of the biggest archaeology stories of 2020.
With the pandemic and accompanying economic recession clouding 2020, it goes without saying that the year will not go down as the happiest for humanity. The archaeology world also felt the effects, as numerous digs were canceled or curtailed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the difficult year, many archaeological and historical discoveries came to light, including a sprawling geoglyph in Peru, a trove of mummies, the tomb of the legendary Romulus and more.
Cat revealed at Nazca
(Image credit: Johny Isla/Ministerio de Cultura)
A 120-foot-long geoglyph of a cat discovered in Peru in 2020 is the most recent example of a Nazca Line to be found. The geoglyph was heavily eroded and barely visible, but conservation work revealed a more complete picture of the cat, which looks a bit like a child's doodle. Archaeologists estimate that the geoglyph was constructed sometime between 200 B.C. and 100 B.C., a time when many Nazca Lines were being built.
Amazon ice-age art
(Image credit: Marie-Claire Thomas/Wild Blue Media)
In 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery of an 8-mile-long (12.9 kilometers) "canvas" of ice-age art that dates back 11,800 to 12,600 years. Drawn using ocher, the images include depictions of mastodons, giant sloths and other now-extinct beasts that lived at the time. The images were drawn in the hills above three rock shelters in the Colombian Amazon.
The drawings also include human handprints, geometric designs, and images of deer, tapirs, alligators, bats, monkeys, turtles, serpents, porcupines, camelids and horses, among other animals. There are also drawings showing people hunting animals and interacting with plants and trees. The excavations were made possible thanks to a 2016 peace treaty that put an end to hostilities between the Colombian government and FARC, a rebel guerrilla group. With the onset of peace, the region became accessible to archaeologists.
Mummies galore!
(Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)
More than 100 sealed coffins with mummies have been found at Saqqara, in Egypt. Excavations are ongoing, and more mummies will likely be found.)
Since summer 2020, Egyptian archaeologists have been excavating a series of burial shafts at the site of Saqqara and have found an ever-growing number of sealed coffins with mummies inside . As of Nov. 14, the count was up to over 100 coffins containing mummies, and as the excavations continue, more will likely be found. In Egypt, tombs were frequently robbed in both ancient and modern times, and to find so many undisturbed, sealed coffins with mummies is a remarkable find.
Numerous artifacts have been found within the coffins, including 40 statues that depict Ptah-Soker, a deity who was an amalgamation of Ptah, the god of Memphis, andSoker (also spelled Sokar and Seker), who was the god of Saqqara. All of the finds date to between roughly 712 B.C. and 30 B.C., a time when Egypt was often controlled by foreign groups, such as the Assyrians, Persians and Greeks.
Tomb of Romulus
(Image credit: Parco Colosseo)
In February 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery of the tomb of Romulus beneath the Roman Forum's Senate House. According to legend, Romulus founded Rome in the eighth century B.C. He and his brother Remus were supposedly abandoned as infants and raised by a she-wolf. When they reached adulthood, the two brothers got into a dispute over which hill Rome should be built on, and Romulus killed Remus. Today, most historians regard the story as mythological and doubt that Romulus really existed. However, the ancient Romans took it seriously and placed his tomb beneath the Senate House, the heart of Roman politics.
Inside the tomb, archaeologists found an empty 4.5-foot-long (1.4 m) sarcophagus made of a light volcanic stone, called tuff, that was quarried from the Capitoline Hill beneath the Roman Forum. The tomb has been 3D laser scanned, and future excavations may reveal more details about it.
Female hunters
(Image credit: Matthew Verdolivo (UC Davis IET Academic Technology Services))
In 2020, the idea that males did all of the big-game hunting while females gathered herbs and plants was proved wrong , as archaeologists found a 9,000-year-old burial of a female hunter in Peru. She was buried with a hunter tool kit that included projectile points and flakes, and she may have hunted vicuñas, wild ancestors of alpacas.
The archaeologists who excavated the woman's remains do not believe she was an unusual case. When they analyzed over 400 skeletons that had been previously excavated in the Western Hemisphere, the archaeologists found that 27 were buried with tools suitable for hunting big game and 11 of those individuals were female, suggesting that females often hunted big game in the Western Hemisphere.
Polynesians meet Native Americans around A.D. 1150
(Image credit: Ruben Ramos-Mendoza)
A large study that involved gathering DNA from 807 Indigenous individuals from Polynesia and the Pacific coast of South America has revealed that Polynesians and native peoples of Colombia not only made contact but also bred with one another around A.D. 1150. It's not clear how the groups met; the Polynesians may have sailed to South America or vice versa.
Either way, their descendants were living in the Marquesas Islands — about 4,350 miles (7,000 km) from the coast of Colombia — by A.D. 1200, and gradually branched out to other islands in Polynesia.
Biggest prehistoric monument in the U.K.
(Image credit: © Crown copyright and database rights 2019 (OS MasterMap® Scale 1:1250) and 2013 (OS Profile DTM Scale 1:10000); EDINA Digimap Ordnance Survey Service (100025252) http://digimap.edina.ac.uk)
The biggest prehistoric monument in the U.K. was revealed in 2020. Dating to around 4,500 years ago, during the Neolithic period, it consists of 20 giant holes that appear to mark the boundaries of an earlier enclosure circle. Each of the holes is 32 feet (10 m) in diameter and 16 feet (5 m) deep. The holes form a circle stretching 1.2 miles (2 km) and covering an area larger than 1.2 square miles (3.1 square km). It's so large that it has Durrington Walls, the largest henge in the U.K., at its center.
It's not clear why the giant circle of holes was created. It's possible that it formed a symbolic barrier that told certain members of society how close they could get to Durrington Walls. Another possibility is that the holes were used to hold water during the wet season. In any case, the circle of holes is one of a kind, with no comparable prehistoric monuments known elsewhere, archaeologists said.
Assyrian rock panels
(Image credit: Alberto Savioli/Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project/University of Udine)
Ten ancient Assyrian rock panels showing carvings of Assyrian deities were discovered at a canal that dates back more than 2,700 years. They include carvings of Ashur, the main Assyrian god, who is shown on a dragon. They also show Ashur's wife, Mullissu, who is seated on a decorated throne supported by a lion. Other depictions include the sun god Shamash on a horse and the moon god Sin on a horned lion. All of the deities face in the direction of the water that flowed in the canal.
The panels and canal were likely built during the reign of the Assyrian king Sargon II, who ruled from 722 B.C. to 705 B.C. In the rock panels, Sargon II is shown at the beginning and end of the procession of deities.
Archaeologists announced the discovery of the canal and rock panels, found near Mosul, Iraq, in January 2020. Work on uncovering the panels began in 2012, but when the terrorist organization ISIL (also known as ISIS or Daesh) approached the region,archaeologists hid the panels to prevent their destruction by ISIL. As a result the panels were not fully uncovered until recently.
Rich ninth-century Viking longhouse on Iceland
(Image credit: Bjarni Einarsson)
In June 2020, archaeologists in Iceland announced the discovery of a 130-foot-long (40 m) longhouse that was built in the ninth century. It is one of the earliest Viking structures in Iceland to be discovered and has lavish hoard of ornamental beads and coins archaeologists found.
The finds include Roman and Middle Eastern silver coins, as well as "hacksilver" — cut and bent pieces of silver that the Vikings and other peoples used as bullion or currency. The hoards also contained glass beads, rings, weights and a tiny fragment of gold. The Vikings who lived there may have acquired the goods by trading whale and seal meat and skins for them.
Mammoth structure
(Image credit: Alex Pryor)
A circular structure constructed out of the remains of at least 60 mammoths was discovered in Russia. Bones from reindeer, horses, bears, wolves, red foxes and arctic foxes, among other animals, were also used to build the structure, archaeologists said. Dating back around 20,000 years, the structure is 36 feet (11 m) in diameter and may have had a roof made of animal hides, the researchers said.
The purpose of the structure is a bit of a mystery. It might have been used for rituals, or possibly food storage. At the time, pieces of animal meat were still attached to the bones, which would have made the structure smelly. Archaeologists could tell that they had meat on them because some of the bones were articulated (joined together) in a way that could only have been done if flesh was still on them.