Fossils that lay almost forgotten in museum collections for over 40 years have now shed light on the earliest global radiations of land-living animals adapting to life in the sea. Around 250 million years ago, what is today scorching desert in remote northwestern Australia was the shore of a shallow bay bordering a vast prehistoric ocean. A new study has uncovered evidence of a surprisingly diverse ancient marine amphibian community with unexpectedly worldwide trans-oceanic links.

A new study introduces China's Glacial Lake Management System (GLMS), an integrated approach that combines monitoring, engineering, and community engagement to reduce the impacts of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the Himalaya. Research shows that while GLOF frequency has not significantly increased, downstream damage has risen due to growing exposure. The GLMS, implemented since 2019, has helped mitigate losses in China. Modeling indicates that without intervention, future GLOF intensity could rise by over 27%, but GLMS measures could reduce flood intensity by nearly one-quarter. The study proposes a scalable framework for regional cooperation to protect vulnerable communities across the Himalaya.

The first indisputable evidence of a new species of Spinosaurus in over a century belongs to S. mirabilis, named for its scimitar-shaped crest and found at a locality far from the ocean’s edge.