Free Republic

It is thought the specimens became trapped inside the cave where the constant temperature and stable humidity perfectly mummified the remains. Image Credit: A. Boug Research Square (2025) CC BY 4.0 =============================================================== Alot of fun creatures dwell in caves, from cave spiders to the orange crocs and even a whole range of eyeless beasties. However, one species not typically found in caves is cheetahs, but a host of their mummified remains has been discovered inside a cave in Saudi Arabia. Cheetahs were once widespread across the Arabian Peninsula but have lost around 98 percent of their original historic range. Inside...

(Photo by HarBucks on Shutterstock) In A Nutshell * General aviation pilots are 7x more likely to die when flying in poor visibility. * A 2003 study found untrained pilots can lose control within 178 seconds in clouds. 53% of accidents occur during approach and landing; 32% happen on takeoff. * Night flying raises accident risk eightfold, even for instrument-rated pilots. * Glass cockpit systems cut fatal disorientation crashes by 80% compared to older gauges. =========================================================================== ADELAIDE, South Australia — General aviation pilots flying in poor visibility conditions face a sevenfold increase in their risk of dying compared to those...

It has been a while since we have checked in on polar ice. I’m sure you remember the hysteria of a few years ago–Arctic sea ice is melting! Al Gore predicted, in 2009, that the Arctic would be “completely ice-free” by 2014. Far from having disappeared, there are still 1.8 million square miles of ice floating in the Arctic Ocean. The annual Arctic sea ice minimum has arrived once again, and as usual, it provides far less drama than the media headlines would suggest. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Arctic sea ice extent bottomed out...

The partially taxpayer-funded Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California’s Mojave Desert is set to shut down in 2026 due to inefficiency in generating solar energy, according to the New York Post. The $2.2 billion plant, which features three 459-foot towers, was greenlit in 2010 and completed in 2014. According to the New York Post the closure stems from the site being “outpaced by solar photovoltaic technology” and proving both inefficient and costly. The shutter of the site comes more than a decade ahead of its original 2039 end date, according to the Associated Press. Speculation about Ivanpah’s early closure began...

We utterly reject the notion that it’s “cancel culture” to seek the termination of public employees who post murderous political rants on social media. When you’re employed by a public institution like a university, a public school, a fire department, a police force or some other government agency, your job carries with it a responsibility to serve the public. And when you make a public display of abject hatred toward large swaths of the public you have a responsibility to serve, you certainly aren’t meeting that responsibility. Which seems to be the case with respect to Lauren Nash, who is...

The bodies of two elk hunters — Andrew Porter of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City, Utah — who went missing in southern Colorado on Sept. 11 were found Thursday. Some Wyoming hunters say it’s a grim reminder of the dangers weather and other backcountry hazards pose. (Saguache County Sheriff's Office) A lightning strike killed two elk hunters who went missing Sept. 11 in southern Colorado were found dead on Thursday, the coroner who investigated the case confirmed Monday afternoon. ==================================================================== Lightning might have stuck a tree that Andrew Porter of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian...

Earlier this year, astronomers watched a burst of high-energy light that kept roaring back for nearly a full day. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are usually sorted into short and long events, and they generally last from milliseconds to a few minutes. In a new study, researchers describe a signal named GRB 250702B that fired three distinct times over a few hours, with soft X-rays flaring even earlier. The team also reported evidence that the source lies beyond our galaxy. Lead researchers Antonio Martin-Carrillo of University College Dublin (UCD) and Andrew J. Levan of Radboud University (RU) directed the effort. Their teams...

A live camera at Hawaiʻi’s Kīlauea volcano captured a rare sight this week — a swirling “volnado” forming next to a fountain of lava, the latest dramatic reminder of the mountain’s restless nature. The video released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows a column of ash sucked into a whirling vortex as molten rock bursts skyward. The spinning cloud resembled a tornado — but with volcanic heat fueling its rise. “We know you’ve heard of a volcano … but how about a volnado?” the USGS joked in a social media post that quickly spread across science and nature forums....

A hidden city buried under Iraq’s desert may hold the key to a forgotten global civilization destroyed by a flood 20,000 years ago. Credit: Shutterstock | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel ================================================================================ In a recent investigation originally published by the Daily Mail and later echoed by Indy100, researchers at the ancient Sumerian site of Tell Fara revealed signs of a previously unknown, potentially advanced civilization buried beneath 5,000-year-old ruins. The findings, which combine geological anomalies with rare artifacts, suggest this early society may have been wiped out by a massive flood nearly 20,000 years ago, long before the emergence...

The Trump administration is scrapping satellite observations of Earth that officials say go beyond the essential task of predicting the weather.Two satellite instruments that track Earth’s carbon dioxide levels will soon go offline, deemed “beyond their primary mission.” Two others meant to monitor water contamination and air pollution, including from greenhouse gases, will be removed from a future satellite mission based on orders to “deliver a weather-only instrument manifest.” The Trump administration is scrapping satellite observations of Earth that officials say go beyond the essential task of predicting the weather, according to budget documents that outline plans to reshape government...

The annual clock of the seasons – winter, spring, summer, autumn – is often taken as a given. But our new study in Nature, using a new approach for observing seasonal growth cycles from satellites, shows that this notion is far too simple. We present an unprecedented and intimate portrait of the seasonal cycles of Earth's land-based ecosystems. This reveals "hotspots" of seasonal asynchrony around the world – regions where the timing of seasonal cycles can be out of sync between nearby locations. .....

From mild and dry winters in New England and California to cold, wet conditions in Florida, The Old Farmer's Almanac's latest forecast offers a state-by-state snapshot of what Americans can expect this winter. Why It Matters Published since 1792, The Old Farmer's Almanac claims to be the oldest continuously published periodical in the U.S. The publication explains that its forecasts are developed using insights from three scientific disciplines: solar science, climatology, and meteorology. Solar science involves analyzing sunspots and other solar activity, while climatology focuses on weather patterns, and meteorology studies atmospheric conditions. What To Know Much of the country...

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys traded four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. In exchange, the Cowboys received three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks (2026 and 2027). Parsons agreed to a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, sources told ESPN. Parsons released a statement on social media Thursday, saying in part, "I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in...

Vietnam has ordered more than 586,000 people to be evacuated ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Kajiki. The storm is already packing winds of 166km/h (103mph) and is expected to strengthen further before making landfall early on Monday, weather forecasters said. People from the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Hue and Da Nang have been ordered to leave their homes. Flights have been cancelled and boats told to stay ashore. The storm is skirting past Hainan in China, where the country's weather agency said up to 320mm (12.6in ) of rain was forecast. BBC Weather says Typhoon Kajiki...

Wilmington, Ohio – Spotty morning showers will give way to a dramatic shift in Ohio’s weather pattern, with fall-like conditions expected to settle across the state beginning Sunday. A strong push of cooler and drier air will bring a noticeable drop in temperatures through the final week of August. According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show a high probability for below-normal temperatures across Ohio from August 25 through early September. The shift will be most pronounced Sunday as a reinforcing cold front ushers in the cooler air mass.

Record heat waves, blazing wildfires and oppressive humidity are transforming the world’s tourism industry as holidaymakers struggle to deal with the havoc wrought by climate change. That’s seen a growing number look beyond traditional hotspots like Greece and Portugal in favour of ‘coolcations’ – visiting parts of the world that offer milder climes. Already, nearly half of Virtuoso’s luxury travel advisers say their clients are altering plans due to climate change. Heat waves in Europe saw tourist sites including the Acropolis in Athens and the Eiffel Tower in Paris shut this summer, and the region is tipped to see a...

Performance tests have confirmed material’s high mechanical robustness. Researchers from China have developed a new type of cement that does not absorb sunlight. The material developed by researchers from Southeast University in China scatters sunlight instead of absorbing it. The team highlighted that supercool cement featured intrinsic high strength, armored abrasive resistance, and optical stability, even when exposed to harsh conditions, such as corrosive liquids, ultraviolet radiation, and freeze-thaw cycles. Cement achieved temperature drop A machine learning–guided life-cycle assessment indicated its potential to achieve a net-negative carbon emission profile, according to the research work. The team also pointed out that...

Both tsunami and flood are natural disasters, which can result in numerous losses. The financial ones are obviously damaging for any country, but they can be recovered somehow through different means. However, losing precious lives because of such disasters can be devastating and this loss can never be recovered. Although tsunami and flood are hydrological disasters, yet there are various differences between the two. They cannot be used under the same context, as their impact is completely different. However, both can cause plenty of devastation, so they are classified as natural disasters. The first major difference between tsunami and flood...

Dick Eastland warned for decades about the hidden dangers of the beautiful but volatile Guadalupe River, a peril he saw firsthand while running his family’s youth camp alongside its banks. Eastland saw floods damage Camp Mystic again and again – and his pregnant wife was even airlifted to a hospital while the camp in central Texas was cut off by floodwaters. He successfully pushed for a new flood warning system after 10 children at a nearby camp were swept to their deaths in 1987, and in recent years served on the board of the local river authority as it supported...

The parents of children who were among the 27 killed at Camp Mystic on Texas' Guadalupe River during the historic Fourth of July flash flooding that devastated the Hill Country region gave emotional testimony on Wednesday before a state legislative committee probing the disaster. A coalition of Camp Mystic parents testified before the Texas Senate Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Select Committee, which is considering reforms to increase safety at youth camps across the state. Cici Williams Steward told the committee that her 8-year-old daughter, Cile Steward, is the only Camp Mystic camper still missing, and one of two flood victims...