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Authors of a new study worry that climate change and extreme weather circumstances have caused some of Greenland's untouched lakes to "cross a threshold." What's happening? In the research paper, which appeared in the journal National Academy of Sciences Proceedings Over a span of ten years, scientists tracked alterations in the Arctic lakes situated in Greenland. Specifically, their focus was on the aftermath of autumn 2022, which witnessed unprecedented levels of warmth and precipitation due to atmospheric river events in the region. In less than twelve months following these severe weather events, which were exacerbated by our shifting climate, the lakes changed color from their usual "blue" state (indicating high clarity) to a "brown" hue. This browning led to a fifty percent decrease in light infiltration. The "browning" of the lakes happened within fewer than 12 months, a process that normally requires hund...

While they look like kidney beans, the structures in Mars' northern hemisphere are actually sand dunes blanketed with carbon dioxide ice. The severity of winter temperatures on Mars relies on the planet’s axial tilt. When the northern hemisphere of Mars tilts closer to the Sun, it experiences milder conditions; conversely, when it tilts away, it becomes colder. When the temperature increases sufficiently, the CO2 ice transforms into vapor and ascends into the atmosphere. Times when this greenhouse gas led to a denser atmosphere provided the potential for liquid water on Mars, possibly supporting life. Structures resembling oversized kidney beans (or blobs of chocolate syrup, based on your perspective) could potentially indicate certain conditions. Mars was habitable in the distant past. Recently imaged by the HiRISE The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reveals these formations re...