The comet Venus – past and present

The comet Venus – past and present

The planet Venus presents many unresolved mysteries to planetary scientists. However, equally mysterious is Venus' extraordinary role in the world's ancient astronomies. In this Space News episode, we explore the remarkable electrical environment of Venus…

The underlying cause of the deadly 1964 Alaska tsunami revealed

The underlying cause of the deadly 1964 Alaska tsunami revealed

The USGS scientists in collaboration with their colleagues from Boise State University and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game finally managed to unravel the cause of a massive tsunami that destroyed Valdez, Seward and Whittier towns in Alaska in 1964. A series…

Evidence of a previously unknown large volcanic eruption in the Caribbean Sea

Evidence of a previously unknown large volcanic eruption in the Caribbean Sea

A team of scientists from the University of Southampton discovered evidence of a previously unknown large volcanic eruption in the Caribbean Sea. The eruption was dated to 2.4 million years ago and might be the largest documented volcanic event in the region since…

The largest earthquake recorded by instruments – M9.5, Chile (1960)

The largest earthquake recorded by instruments – M9.5, Chile (1960)

The largest earthquake ever recorded by instruments hit southern Chile at 19:11 UTC on May 22, 1960. It was a 9.5 magnitude earthquake with a focal depth of 33 km (20.5 miles), preceded by 4 aftershocks bigger than M7.0, including M7.9 on May 21 that caused severe damag

Stanford historian uncovers the dark roots of humanitarianism

Stanford historian uncovers the dark roots of humanitarianism

Through a study of the history of the French colonial Congo-Océan Railway, Stanford historian JP Daughton has discovered how modern humanitarianism arose from the brutality of European colonialism.Modern humanitarian endeavors are generally perceived of as works

What did the ancient people think of the axis mundi (world axis)?

What did the ancient people think of the axis mundi (world axis)?

In the footsteps of Mircea Eliade, mythologists and anthropologists tend to think of the axis mundi or ‘world axis’ as a straight object running through the cosmos vertically. While this is, of course, correct for the astronomical axis of the earth, the &lsq

Long series of droughts doomed Mexican city 1000 years ago

Long series of droughts doomed Mexican city 1000 years ago

Archaeologists continue to debate the reasons for the collapse of many Central American cities and states, from Teotihuacan in Mexico to the Yucatan Maya, and climate change is considered one of the major causes.A University of California, Berkeley, study sheds new ligh