Free Republic

New research tracing the evolutionary history of animals that subsist on ants and termites has revealed that creatures with such unique appetites have evolved at least a dozen times, offering researchers a glimpse into the influence social insects have had on the adaptation of mammals. The field of myrmecophagy, which deals with animals that consume ants and termites, has now been revealed to be a significant driver of evolutionary adaptations across a wide array of mammalian species. These adaptations, which include hallmarks such as elongated tongues and fewer teeth in ant-eating mammals, emerged in response to the unique challenges associated...

When the summer heats up, many of us try to stay indoors as much as possible. But there are times when you need to be outside for work, events and activities. Excessive heat can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. We explain the different symptoms you should look for and ways to help prevent and treat each one. DEHYDRATION Dehydration happens when you aren't getting enough fluids. This can lead to your body not functioning properly. It is a cause of both heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It doesn't just happen during excessive heat. Dehydration can also be...

A small settlement in Greenland is holding its collective breath as an iceberg of titanic proportions drifts dangerously close to shore — and residents’ homes. For days now, the freakishly large frozen mass has been on a collision course with tiny Innaarsuit — leading local authorities to issue a warning to residents. If the fearsome frosty float were to make contact with the shore or break apart, potential damage and injuries could follow, officials said. Though it’s unlikely any broken ice chunks would fall directly on land, the impact of pieces of plummeting permafrost would create massive waves, which could...

More than seven million people had hosepipe bans imposed on them as temperatures soared in the UK's third heatwave of 2025. Astwood Bank in the West Midlands recorded the highest temperature of 34.7C by 18:00 BST on Friday, while Wales saw its hottest day of the year with 32.7C recorded in Usk. Amber heat health alerts for southern England, the Midlands, and East Anglia were issued on Friday and will remain in place until Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said. Less severe yellow warnings remain in place for northern England, while Scotland and Northern Ireland face warnings of wildfires...

Lake Eyre (also called Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre) sits in the heart of the Australian outback, the continent's most arid area. Receiving an average of 140 millimeters (5.5 inches) of rain each year, the lake is a dry, salty plain much of the time. But every once in a while, it transforms into an expansive inland sea.Approximately one-sixth of the Australian continent drains toward Lake Eyre, rather than to an ocean. Water often evaporates before it makes it there, although some will end up in the lake every few years. In 2025, extreme autumn rainfall in Queensland flooded several rivers that...

Most of the U.S. adults who have experienced major flooding in the past five years think climate change was at least a partial cause, according to polling conducted earlier this year, before the deadly Texas floods. But while Americans largely believed the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, an analysis of recent AP-NORC polls shows less consensus about whether the government should be involved in combating climate change to try to keep extreme weather from getting worse. The polls from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research were conducted in...

New evidence from a Pleistocene site in southwestern China reveals the oldest known use of intricately crafted wooden tools in East Asia, dating back over 350,000 years. Credit: Liu et al., 10.1126/science.adr8540. ====================================================================== Newly uncovered wooden tools from Pleistocene China reveal complex, plant-focused technology far earlier than expected in East Asia. Researchers working at the Pleistocene-era Gantangqing site in southwestern China have uncovered a diverse set of wooden tools dating from approximately 361,000 to 250,000 years ago. This discovery represents the oldest known example of advanced wooden tool technology in East Asia. Analysis of the tools suggests they were not...

Governments can’t change the weather, but they can invest in infrastructure that is better able to handle it. A 2024 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Value of Water Campaign estimated that the country is billions of dollars short in investments needed to update water infrastructure for 21st-century needs, including a new normal of extreme rainfall events. You can see strong bipartisan support for trying to prevent flooding and address flooding among local and county elected officials. South Carolina just passed funding to expand data collection related to flooding and resilience. They passed about $1 million...

Actress/singer turned self-regarding atmospheric science expert, Barbra Streisand, has had enough. She’s watched in horror along with the rest of the world as flash floods and tornados have left a deadly trail of carnage across America and she wants climate action to end it Right now, if not sooner. Streisand took to social media outlet Bluesky to list her demands for action while pointing a finger at the administration of President Donald Trump, saying: The horror of these killer tornados and flash floods killing Americans should redouble our efforts to slow climate change and increase the National Weather Service enhanced...

Following the winter storm in February 2021, all three members of the Public Utility Commission and six members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board of directors resigned. The CEO of ERCOT was also fired. During the February 2021 winter storm, transmission companies inadvertently cut power to parts of the natural gas supply chain when ERCOT ordered the utilities to reduce power demand or risk further damage to the grid. That decision aggravated the problem as natural gas producers were unable to deliver enough fuel to power plants. At the same time, some wells were unable to produce as...

Nearly a decade before catastrophic flash flooding in Kerr County…several local officials were hard at work convincing their peers to buy into a new early flood warning system. The once “state of the art” program installed along the Guadalupe River back in the 1980s was in desperate need of an upgrade, they argued… “I’m not trying to put a dollar on a life or a flood, but the fact of the matter is floods do happen, and we need to be prepared for them,” then-Kerr County Commissioner Bob Reeves noted during a series of public meetings that began in 2016....

Guadalupe River in Kerrville transforms from docile into a raging behemoth. The raging flood waters eventually reach the top of the Center Point bridge. No music, just the sounds of the flood.

Rosie O’Donnell, who self-deported to Ireland, cast blame on President Donald Trump for the devasting flash-flooding that has occurred in Texas after torrential rainfall led to the Guadalupe River rising roughly 26 feet within 45 minutes. In a video on TikTok, O’Donnell criticized Trump for gutting “all of the early warning systems and the weathering forecast abilities of the government,” adding that the flash-flooding in Texas were “the results” people would see more often. O’Donnell continued to claim that Trump has put the United States “in so much danger” with his “horrible decisions” and by signing the Big, Beautiful Bill...

“There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. “There’s a lot of people saying ‘why’ and ‘how,’ and I understand that.” “We know we get rains. We know the river rises,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official. “But nobody saw this coming.” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said he was jogging along the river early in the morning and didn't notice any problems at 4 a.m. A little over an hour later, at 5:20 a.m., the...

The quintessential ice cream flavour is under threat, and many other dessert staples along with it, according to climate change researchers at the University of Costa Rica and Belgium's KU Leuven university. Increasing climate extremes are changing the habitats of wild vanilla species — primarily found in the tropical regions of Central America — and their mainly animal pollinators, the researchers say. This, in turn, is putting global production of vanilla at risk. In some regions, the plants may find more favourable conditions, but the insects that pollinate them may no longer find suitable habitats, according to the study published...

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the historic, deadly flooding spawned by Hurricane Agnes and its remnants in June 1972 across the eastern U.S., including the hardest-hit states of Pennsylvania and New York. Agnes was one of the largest June hurricanes to ever roam the Atlantic Basin. According to the National Hurricane Center, its circulation spanned about 1,150 miles in diameter.

EUFAULA, Okla. —One woman is deceased after being struck by lightning in Eufaula. Joy Rogers, 57, was taking an evening stroll through a cemetery along her usual two-mile path on Friday when a storm moved through. Joy took a seat on a bench under a tree and was struck by lightning, says her uncle Joe Johnson. Rogers died instantly. Her uncle said Joy was the life of the party and was truly a ‘joy’ to have at every gathering. According to him, his niece was a lover of nature and would take walks along the lake shoreline. On her walks...

One person is reported injured after a wind turbine blade broke loose from a truck and crashed into traffic on Interstate 70 in Maryland. It happened early Monday morning in Washington County, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) confirmed to Fox News Digital. "At approximately 5:30 a.m., a tractor trailer traveling westbound on I-70 was pulling a wind turbine blade that struck the guardrail causing the blade to go partially into the eastbound lanes," a statement said. "The blade was then clipped by a tractor trailer traveling eastbound." The crash resulted in the closure of all westbound lanes of I-70...

Websites for the national assessments and the U.S. Global Change Research Program were down Monday and Tuesday with no links, notes or referrals elsewhere. The White House, which was responsible for the assessments, said the information will be housed within NASA to comply with the law, but gave no further details. Searches for the assessments on NASA websites did not turn them up. NASA did not respond to requests for information. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which coordinated the information in the assessments, did not respond to repeated inquiries. Harvard climate scientist John Holdren, who was President Obama’s science...

Rainbows are among nature’s most magnificent and awe-inspiring displays. Beyond their beauty, they carry rich symbolic and spiritual meanings across cultures and belief systems. For nature enthusiasts, understanding the deeper significance of rainbows can add layers of appreciation to these astounding phenomena. This blog explores the spiritual meanings and symbolism behind seeing a rainbow, its colors, cultural myths, and tales, along with its significance in relationships, dreams, and biblical contexts.