http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/caving/ Caving news. Learn about the latest cave research and discoveries, spelunking methods and more. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/caving/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm Discoveries made in some underwater caves by researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122201209.htm Blind Mexican cavefish have not only lost their sight but have adapted to perpetual darkness by also losing their pigment (albinism) and having altered sleep patterns. New research shows that the cavefish are an example of convergent evolution, with several populations repeatedly, and independently, losing their sight and pigmentation. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122201209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117161625.htm Geoscientists have published the first evidence that warm-cold climate oscillations well known in the Northern Hemisphere over the most recent glacial period also appear as tropical rainfall variations in the Amazon Basin of South America. It is the first clear expression of these cycles in the Southern hemisphere. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117161625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215135929.htm A team of scientists from Oregon has collected microbes from ice within a lava tube in the Cascade Mountains and found that they thrive in cold, Mars-like conditions. They have characteristics that would make the microbes capable of living in the subsurface of Mars and other planetary bodies. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215135929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128120944.htm By placing real and virtual objects in the flight paths of bats, scientists have shed new light on how echolocation works. The researchers found that it is not the intensity of the echoes that tells the bats the size of an object but the 'sonar aperture', that is the spread of angles from which echoes impinge on their ears. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128120944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026122437.htm Plans to reopen Spain's Altamira caves are stirring controversy over the possibility that tourists' visits will further damage the 20,000-year old wall paintings that changed views about the intellectual ability of prehistoric people, according to a new article. The caves are the site of Stone Age paintings so magnificent that experts have called them the "Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic Art." Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026122437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017102547.htm Cave millipedes of the genus Tetracion are found on the southern Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee and Alabama, USA. New genetic analyses show that their populations are generally isolated and genetically distinct. Genetic divergence between two species of Tetracion suggests they diverged several million years ago. Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017102547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912152906.htm Capturing carbon dioxide from power stations and storing it deep underground carries no significant threat to human health, despite recently voiced fears that it might, a new study shows. Researchers found that the risk of death from poisoning as a result of exposure to CO₂ leaks from underground rocks is about one in 100 million -- far less than the chances of winning the lottery jackpot. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912152906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110713092157.htm One of the smallest ever cave-dwelling ground beetles has recently been discovered in two caves in the Rhodopi Mountains, Bulgaria, and described under the name Paralovricia beroni. The beetle is completely blind and is only 1.8-2.2 mm long. Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110713092157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110510211609.htm There's a reason to be afraid of the dark. Fish accustomed to living near the light of the water's surface become proverbial "fish out of water" when they move to dark environments like those found in caves, according to a study. Tue, 10 May 2011 21:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110510211609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502110618.htm Geologists from Austria and the UK report on ancient cave systems discovered near the summits of the Allgäu Mountains that preserved the oldest radiometrically dated dripstones currently known from the European Alps. Mon, 02 May 2011 11:06:06 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502110618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411111036.htm Unlike the situation in other caves, damage caused by tourists at the Aguila cave in Avila, Spain is "imperceptible", despite it receiving tens of thousands of visitors each year, according to new research. Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411111036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303111421.htm All night long, bats swoop over our landscape consuming insects, but they do this in secret, hidden from our view. Until recently, scientists have been unable to bring their ecosystem out of the dark but thanks to new genetic techniques, researchers have been able to reconstruct the environment supporting these elusive creatures. Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303111421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110218111344.htm Scientists are using mobile storm-chasing radars to follow swarms of bats as they emerge from their caves each night to forage on insects. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:13:13 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110218111344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110214115440.htm Culling will not stop the spread of a deadly fungus that is threatening to wipe out hibernating bats in North America, according to a new mathematical model. Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110214115440.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211095557.htm Ancient stone faces carved into the walls of a well-known limestone cave in East Timor have been discovered by a team searching for fossils of extinct giant rats. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211095557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110203081451.htm Conservationists across the United States are racing to discover a solution to white-nose syndrome, a disease that is threatening to wipe out bat species across North America. Although WNS has already killed one million bats, there are critical knowledge gaps preventing researchers from combating the disease. Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110203081451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101027151237.htm While many people will be pursuing the latest pop culture icons as Halloween costumes this year, one of the annual icons of Halloween might be viewed as the Rodney Dangerfield of Halloween symbols. The legendary comedian based his career on the line "I get no respect," which might also apply to the misunderstood flying mammal known as bats. The animals often carry a negative connotation that doesn't reflect the respective role bats play in biological ecosystems. Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101027151237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914171325.htm Biologists have identified how changes in both behavior and genetics led to the evolution of the Mexican blind cavefish from its sighted, surface-dwelling ancestor. They identified a behavioral shift that was advantageous for feeding success in the dark, and linked it to its genetic basis in the fish's lateral line. This is the first time that a clear link has been identified between behavior, genetics, and evolution in Mexican blind cavefish. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914171325.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100824082230.htm The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown. An international team of scientists has analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequences from 17 new fossil samples, and compared these with the modern brown bear. The results show that the decline of the cave bear started 50,000 years ago, and was caused more by human expansion than by climate change. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100824082230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100805142945.htm A new infectious disease spreading rapidly across the northeastern United States has killed millions of bats and is predicted to cause regional extinction of a once-common bat species, according to new findings. Estimates show over 99 percent of Northeast's little brown bat population may become extirpated in 20 years due to white-nose syndrome. Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100805142945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100722102041.htm Steering clear of crocodiles and navigating around massive submerged trees, a team of divers began mapping some of the 25 freshwater pools of Cara Blanca, Belize, which were important to the ancient Maya. In three weeks this May, the divers found fossilized animal remains, bits of pottery and -- in the largest pool explored -- an enormous underwater cave. The dives will continue later this summer. Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100722102041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100715105951.htm The discovery of a remarkable 15-million-year-old Australian fossil limestone cave packed with even older animal bones has revealed almost the entire life cycle of a large prehistoric marsupial, from suckling young in the pouch still cutting their milk teeth to elderly adults. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100715105951.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616090017.htm As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, policy makers and scientists are looking at carbon sequestration as a way to tackle the problems associated with the greenhouse gas. Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616090017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100415110007.htm A new study suggests that early Native Americans left a bigger carbon footprint than previously thought, providing more evidence that humans impacted global climate long before the modern industrial era. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100415110007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100407121223.htm A leading bat expert identified nine bat species in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee that she believes are most threatened by white-nose syndrome, a fungus that kills bats and appears to be rapidly spreading south from the northeastern United States. Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100407121223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329152523.htm Despite the fact that bats are active after sunset, they rely on the sun as their most trusted source of navigation. Researchers found that the greater mouse-eared bat orients itself with the help of the Earth's magnetic field at night and calibrates this compass to the sun's position at sunset. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329152523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100312133722.htm A new study of the scorpion family Typhlochactidae, a group of nine dark-adapted species endemic to Mexico, shows that specialized traits are not necessarily an evolutionary dead end. At least three reversals, or a return to generalized morphology, were found in a phylogenetic analysis. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100312133722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100120161243.htm Ice Age climate records from an Arizona stalagmite link the Southwest's winter precipitation to temperatures in the North Atlantic, according to new research. The stalagmite yielded an almost continuous, century-by-century climate record spanning 55,000 to 11,000 years ago, a time the Southwest flip-flopped between wet and dry periods. The finding is the first to document that the abrupt changes in Ice Age climate known from Greenland also occurred in the southwestern US. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100120161243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091230184030.htm Lava tubes, underground cave-like channels through which lava once flowed, are commonly found on Earth. Scientists have debated whether these tubes could form on the Moon as well, but no studies have yet conclusively identified features that indicate the presence of lunar lava tubes. Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091230184030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120307.htm Not just birds, but also a few species of bats face a long journey every year. Researchers have studied the migratory behavior of the largest extant family of bats, the so-called "Vespertilionidae" with the help of mathematical models. They discovered that the migration over short as well as long distances of various kinds of bats evolved independently within the family. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112131842.htm Alberta is crisscrossed with hidden glacial valleys that hold both resource treasures and potential danger. Researchers discovered a 300-meter-deep valley hidden beneath the surface of the ground near the community of Rainbow Lake in northwestern Alberta. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112131842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171741.htm California experienced centuries-long droughts in the past 20,000 years that coincided with the thawing of ice caps in the Arctic, according to analysis of stalagmites from a cave in the Sierra Nevada. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:17:17 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171741.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095214.htm Australian researchers have discovered a huge number of new species of invertebrate animals living in underground water, caves and "micro-caverns" amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115813.htm During a cave diving expedition to explore the Tunnel de la Atlantida, the world's longest submarine lava tube on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, a team of scientists and cave divers have discovered a previously unknown species of crustacean, belonging to the remipede genus Speleonectes. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185832.htm New research provides even more evidence that a previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus is associated with white-nose syndrome, a condition linked to the deaths of up to 1,000,000 cave-hibernating bats in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Since the winter of 2006-2007, bat populations plummeted from 80 to 97 percent at surveyed bat-hibernation caves, called hibernacula. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801185900.htm Infection with Marburg virus and the related Ebola virus can produce severe disease in people, with fever and bleeding. During outbreaks, as many as 90 percent of those infected have died. The natural reservoir for Marburg virus, and its cousin Ebola virus, has been the subject of much speculation and scientific investigation. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801185900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611142354.htm At times in the distant past, an abrupt change in climate has been associated with a shift of seasonal monsoons to the south, a new study concludes, causing more rain to fall over the oceans than in the Earth's tropical regions, and leading to a dramatic drop in global vegetation growth. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611142354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090603091254.htm The examination of the fossil remains of rodents and insectivores from deposits in the cave of El Mirón, Cantabria, has made it possible to determine the climatic conditions of this region between the late Pleistocene and the present day. In total, researchers have pinpointed seven periods of climatic change, with glacial cold dominating during some of them, and heat in others. Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090603091254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529085103.htm A new study is the first to show that there is a previously unrecognized role for environmental pollution in liver disease in the general US adult population. This work builds upon the groups' previous research demonstrating liver disease in highly-exposed chemical workers. Fri, 29 May 2009 08:51:51 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529085103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515084039.htm How will the Netherlands, dominated by water, be affected by future climate change? Dutch researcher Martin van Breukelen hopes to answer that question by analyzing stalagmites from the South American Amazon tributaries in Peru as a way to reconstruct climate changes in the past. Fri, 15 May 2009 08:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515084039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505174159.htm Caves on many state properties in the U.S. will temporarily close as a precaution against the uncontrolled spread of white-nosed syndrome, which is killing bats in record numbers in the eastern United States. Tue, 05 May 2009 17:41:41 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505174159.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502190016.htm White-nose syndrome, a wildlife crisis of unprecedented proportions, has killed hundreds of thousands of bats from Vermont to West Virginia and continues unchecked. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking those who use caves where bats hibernate - called hibernacula - to take extra precautions and to curtail activities to help prevent the spread of WNS. Sat, 02 May 2009 19:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502190016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325155429.htm When high-energy cosmic rays interact with molecules in the atmosphere, they produce muons, negatively charged elementary particles that can be detected at ground level or underground. The rate of these muons detected by underground detectors has been found to correlate strongly with temperature changes in the upper air. Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325155429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090309210846.htm Researchers are studying the way caves "breathe" to providing new insights into the process by which scientists study paleoclimates. Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:08:08 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090309210846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305102709.htm White-nose syndrome is a poorly understood condition that, in the two years since its discovery, has spread to at least seven Northeastern states and killed as many as half a million bats. Now researchers have suggested the first step toward a measure that may help save the affected bats: providing localized heat sources to the hibernating animals. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305102709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225181423.htm Climate researchers expected to see wet/dry periods in Brazil's Nordeste region similar to the rest of South America in the past 9,000 years. But the area experienced the opposite, drought when rain was expected. Using stalagmite data, researchers identify unexpected air circulation as the cause. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225181423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203172713.htm Several hundred little brown bats are dead from White-Nose Syndrome in Lackawanna County, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking to residents for help uncovering other sites where this deadly disorder may have surfaced. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203172713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090202140046.htm Over 14,000 years ago during the last Pleistocene Ice Age, when a large part of the European continent was covered in ice and snow, Neanderthals in the region of Gibraltar in the south of the Iberian peninsula were able to survive because of the refugium of plant and animal biodiversity. Today, plant fossil remains discovered in Gorham's Cave confirm this unique diversity and wealth of resources available in this area of the planet. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090202140046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113100111.htm Tropical oceans are known as the deserts of the sea. And yet this unlikely environment is the very place where the rich and fertile coral reef grows. Dutch researchers have investigated how caves in the coral reef ensure the reef's continued existence. Although sponges in these coral caves take up a lot of dissolved organic material, they scarcely grow. However, they do discard a lot of cells that in turn provide food for the organisms on the reef. Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113100111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172031.htm Deep inside the Frasassi cave system in Italy and more than 1,600 feet below the Earth's surface, divers found filamentous ropes of microbes growing in the cold water, according to a team of researchers. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217230110.htm A crew drilling on the Big Island of Hawaii has discovered magma, the molten rock material -- never before found in its natural habitat underground -- that is the central ingredient in the evolution of planets and the lifeblood of all volcanoes. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217230110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081205171005.htm The decline of the Roman and Byzantine Empires in the Eastern Mediterranean more than 1,400 years ago may have been driven by unfavorable climate changes. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081205171005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125203143.htm Enormous cave bears, Ursus spelaeus, that once inhabited a large swathe of Europe, from Spain to the Urals, died out 27,800 years ago, around 13 millennia earlier than was previously believed, scientists have reported. The new date coincides with a period of significant climate change, known as the Last Glacial Maximum, when a marked cooling in temperature resulted in the reduction or loss of vegetation forming the main component of the cave bears' diet. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125203143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106165233.htm Chinese history is replete with the rise and fall of dynasties, but researchers now have identified a natural phenomenon that may have been the last straw for some of them: a weakening of the summer Asian Monsoons. A lack of rainfall could have contributed to social upheaval and the fall of dynasties. Such weakening accompanied the fall of three dynasties and now could be lessening precipitation in northern China. Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106165233.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081030144613.htm White-nose syndrome in bats is a disease that is decimating bat populations in the northeast U.S. A previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus has been linked to white-nose syndrome, a condition associated with the deaths of over 100,000 hibernating bats in the northeastern United States. Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081030144613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081020191534.htm Due to their underground habitats, moles' eyes have been modified by natural selection in ways very different from those of surface-dwelling animals. New research offers a detailed anatomical and genetic examination of the changes that result from living life in the dark. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081020191534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924185742.htm Small white stalagmites lining caves in the Midwest may help scientists chronicle the history of the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) -- and even predict when the next big earthquake may strike, say researchers. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:57:57 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924185742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819092017.htm A stalagmite in a West Virginia cave has yielded the most detailed geological record to date on climate cycles in eastern North America over the past 7,000 years. The new study confirms that during periods when Earth received less solar radiation, the Atlantic Ocean cooled, icebergs increased and precipitation fell, creating a series of century-long droughts. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819092017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613164445.htm Belize is an unforgettable mix of tropical waterfalls, ancient Mayan ruins and deep limestone caves, making it one of the world's most popular destinations for ecotourists. Researchers are working with the government of Belize to limit the environmental impact of ecotourism on these sensitive natural wonders. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:44:44 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613164445.htm