Cradle of humankind ‘tearing apart’
Late Miocene fossil-bearing strata of Lothagam in West Turkana. Credit: Christian Rowan. In Eastern Africa, the cradle of humankind is tearing apart given Earth’s underlying crust there has significantly thinned. Eastern Africa’s Turkana Rift is both a hotbed for...
Hot springs give insight into ancient microbial life on Earth
A close-up picture of the sediment and rocks of one of five hot springs during low tide, showing iron oxide mineral precipitates. Credit: Fatima Li-Hau, ELSI. CC BY-NC-ND. New research centred on hot springs in Japan is giving rare insights into how ancient microbial...
Alaska: Ancient cave sediments provide new climate clues
Paul Wilcox in the cave where the last glacial meltwater sediments can be found. Credit: J Honkonen. The discovery of 20,000-year-old cave sediments on Prince of Wales Island offers rare land-based evidence of ancient meltwater events. Paul Wilcox, a geologist at the...