http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/ice_ages/ Read science articles on the ice age, glaciation and climatology. Discover the connection between ice ages and global warming. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:05:02 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/ice_ages/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215095843.htm With missions scheduled throughout the year, 2012 is shaping up to be an extraordinary time for NASA's Airborne Science Program and Earth system science research. Multiple aircraft and specialized instruments will operate in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America this year in support of studies conducted by NASA and the Earth science community, improving scientists' understanding of our planet. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215095843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214134936.htm The American West has seen a recent increase in large wildfires due to droughts, the build-up of combustible fuel, or biomass, in forests, a spread of fire-prone species and increased tree mortality from insects and heat. A research team warns that these conditions may be "a perfect storm" for more fires. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214134936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133056.htm Arctic sea ice is rapidly retreating. Within a few decades the North Pole could be completely ice-free in summer. How will that affect our weather? In the research project "Seasonal Predictability over the Arctic Region" (SPAR), scientists in Norway have made some discoveries that may lead to more reliable seasonal forecasts. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100544.htm In the first comprehensive satellite study of its kind, researchers have used NASA data to calculate how much Earth's melting land ice is adding to global sea level rise. Using satellite measurements from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), the researchers measured ice loss in all of Earth's land ice between 2003 and 2010, with particular emphasis on glaciers and ice caps outside of Greenland and Antarctica. The total global ice mass lost from Greenland, Antarctica and Earth's glaciers and ice caps during the study period was about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (12 millimeters) to global sea level. That's enough ice to cover the United States 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) deep. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132301.htm Earth's glaciers and ice caps outside of the regions of Greenland and Antarctica are shedding roughly 150 billion tons of ice annually, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207152545.htm It's big, it's old and it lives under the sea -- and now an international research collaboration has confirmed that an ancient seagrass holds the secrets of the oldest living organism on Earth. Ancient giant Posidonia oceanica reproduces asexually, generating clones of itself. A single organism -- which has been found to span up to 15 kilometers in width and reach more than 6,000 metric tonnes in mass -- may well be more than 100,000 years old. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207152545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207121930.htm Americans’ knowledge of facts about the polar regions of the globe has increased since 2006, but this increase in knowledge has not translated into more concern about changing polar environments, according to new research. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207121930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207100143.htm Although many anthropologists believe that modern humans ancestors "wiped out" Neanderthals, it's more likely that Neanderthals were integrated into the human gene pool thousands of years ago during the Upper Pleistocene era as cultural and climatic forces brought the two groups together. New research suggests that the Neanderthals demise was due to a combination of influences, including cultural changes. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207100143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163754.htm A new study shows that land-cover changes, in particular deforestation, in the vicinity of glaciers do not have an impact on glacier loss. However, the study also shows that deforestation decreases precipitation in mid elevation zones, which affects the quality of life of the population living in the surrounding areas. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm Even if the current weather situation may seem to go against it, the probability of cold winters with a lot of snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. The research reveals the effects that the first land plants had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ago. During this period the climate gradually cooled, leading to a series of 'ice ages.' This global cooling was caused by a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon, which this research now suggests was triggered by the arrival of plants. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171913.htm Two decades after the United Nations established the Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system", the Arctic shows the first signs of a dangerous climate change. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131509.htm Scientists suggest that the Little Ice Age was triggered by an unusual, 50-year episode of four massive volcanic eruptions. This led to an expansion of sea ice and a related weakening of Atlantic currents that caused the cool period to persist for centuries. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131503.htm According to a new study, the Little Ice Age began abruptly between A.D. 1275 and 1300, triggered by repeated, explosive volcanism, and was sustained for centuries by a self- perpetuating sea ice-ocean feedback system in the North Atlantic Ocean. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232818.htm Killer whales are the top marine predator. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behavior and diet in the Arctic. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140523.htm The large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events, a new study suggests. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm New research demonstrates that one suggested method of geoengineering the atmosphere to deal with climate change, injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere, probably would have limited success. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113147.htm Mediterranean bottom currents and the sediment deposits they leave behind offer new insights into global climate change, the opening and closing of ocean circulation gateways and locations where hydrocarbon deposits may lie buried under the sea. A team of 35 scientists from 14 countries recently returned from an expedition off the southwest coast of Iberia and the nearby Gulf of Cadiz. There the geologists collected core samples of sediments that contain a detailed record of the Mediterranean's history. The scientists retrieved the samples by drilling into the ocean floor during an eight-week scientific expedition onboard the ship JOIDES Resolution. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143338.htm The bottom of a glacier is not the most hospitable place on Earth, but at least two types of bacteria happily live there, according to researchers. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143338.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/2012/01/120117161425.htm The first comprehensive study of changes in the oxygenation of oceans at the end of the last Ice Age has implications for the future of our oceans under global warming. The study looked at marine sediment and found that that the dissolved oxygen concentrations in large parts of the oceans changed dramatically during the relatively slow natural climate changes at the end of the last Ice Age. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117161425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120115223341.htm A team of four British engineers has returned to the UK after completing a grueling journey to one of the most remote and hostile locations on the planet to put in place equipment and supplies for an ambitious project later this year. Enduring temperatures of minus 35 C the Subglacial Lake Ellsworth "Advance Party" has successfully paved the way to explore an ancient lake buried beneath 3 km of Antarctic ice. Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120115223341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113204935.htm Implementing 14 key air pollution control measures could slow the pace of global warming, new research suggests. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113204935.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193442.htm Scientists have detailed 14 key air pollution control measures that, if implemented, could slow the pace of global warming, improve health and boost agricultural production. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193430.htm Scientists have offered up a convincing explanation for the harsh winters recently experienced in the Northern hemisphere: increasing temperatures and melting ice in the Arctic regions creating more snowfall in the autumn months at lower latitudes. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192723.htm Scientists have studied Lake Erie over the past five winters during mid-winter, a time when the lake is more than 70 percent covered by ice. They've documented very high concentrations of algae thriving in the water below the ice -- even in the ice itself. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140216.htm A turning point in the history of life occurred two to three billion years ago with the unprecedented appearance and dramatic rise of molecular oxygen. Now researchers report they have identified an enzyme that was the first – or among the first – to generate molecular oxygen on Earth. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109115824.htm Researchers are beginning their analysis of what are probably the first successful ice cores drilled to bedrock from a glacier in the eastern European Alps. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109115824.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143727.htm Unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are disrupting normal patterns of glaciation, according to a new study. Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143727.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104174810.htm Warming in the North Atlantic over the last 32 years has significantly reduced winter sea ice cover in harp seal breeding grounds, resulting in sharply higher death rates among seal pups in recent years, according to a new study. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104174810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104153749.htm A hemisphere-wide phenomenon -- and not just regional forces -- has caused record-breaking amounts of freshwater to accumulate in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea, researchers have found. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104153749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104142117.htm A new study allays concerns that melting Arctic sea ice could be increasing the amount of freshwater in the Arctic enough to have an impact on the global "ocean conveyor belt" that redistributes heat around our planet. Researchers detected a previously unknown redistribution of freshwater during the past decade from the Eurasian half of the Arctic Ocean to the Canadian half. Yet despite the redistribution, they found no change in the net amount of freshwater in the Arctic that might signal a change in the conveyor belt. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104142117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102528.htm Glaciers are retreating at an unexpectedly fast rate according to research done in Peru's Cordillera Blanca. This may threaten water supplies. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111218221321.htm By 2100, global climate change will modify plant communities covering almost half of Earth's land surface and will drive the conversion of nearly 40 percent of land-based ecosystems from one major ecological community type -- such as forest, grassland or tundra -- toward another, according to a new NASA and university computer modeling study. Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:13:13 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111218221321.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/2011/12/111214094650.htm In a hundred years trees may be growing where there are now glaciers. The warm climate of the last few years has caused dramatic melting of glaciers in the Swedish mountains. Remains of trees that have been hidden for thousands of years have been uncovered. They indicate that 13,000 years ago there were trees where there are now glaciers. The climate may have been as much as 3.5 degrees warmer than now. In other words, this can happen again, according to a new study. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214094650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111209123214.htm An unusually hot melting season in 2010 accelerated ice loss in southern Greenland by 100 billion tons – and large portions of the island's bedrock rose an additional quarter of an inch in response. That's the finding from a network of nearly 50 GPS stations planted along the Greenland coast to measure the bedrock's natural response to the ever-diminishing weight of ice above it. Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111209123214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173647.htm New research into the Earth's paleoclimate history suggests the potential for rapid climate changes this century, including multiple meters of sea level rise, if global warming is not abated. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206095649.htm New research shows that accelerated melting of two fast-moving glaciers that drain Antarctic ice into the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely in part the result of an increase in sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206095649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082754.htm Scientists have developed important new insight into the sensitivity of global temperature to changes in Earth's radiation balance over the last half million years. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205191724.htm Researchers have added further clarity to the global climate trend, proving that global warming is showing no signs of slowing down and that further increases are to be expected in the next few decades. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:17:17 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205191724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205181917.htm As parts of Central America and the US Southwest endure some of the worst droughts to hit those areas in decades, scientists have unearthed new evidence about ancient dry spells that suggest the future could bring even more serious water shortages. Three researchers have presented new findings about the past and future of drought. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205181917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140521.htm Researchers who have adapted a three-dimensional, general circulation model of Earth's climate to a time some 2.8 billion years ago when the sun was significantly fainter than present think the planet may have been more prone to catastrophic glaciation than previously believed. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102629.htm Climate change does not discriminate among regions or their inhabitants, but the continued growth of the human population will most likely contribute to the ill-effects of climate change. US researchers suggest an interdisciplinary approach, recruiting expertise from the social sciences, is best for conducting the needed research and model development to move forward in the study of climate change. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111204144656.htm Findings from the most comprehensive assessment to date on climate change, snow and glacier melt in Asia's mountainous Hindu Kush-Himalayan region -- site of Mount Everest and many of the world's tallest peaks -- highlight the region's extreme vulnerability to climate change, as rising temperatures disturb the balance of snow, ice and water, threatening millions of mountain people and 1.3 billion people living downstream in Asia's major river basins. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111204144656.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202155521.htm A new article shows that the two hemispheres attained their maximum ice sheet size at nearly the same time and started melting 19,000 years ago. This simultaneous melting was presumably caused by changes in the global sea level and deepwater circulation in the Atlantic Ocean. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202155521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174225.htm A drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the driving force that led to the Antarctic ice sheet's formation, according to a recent study of molecules from ancient algae found in deep-sea core samples. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201142800.htm Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels plunged by 40 percent before and during the formation of the Antarctic ice sheet 34 million years ago, according to a new study. The finding helps solve a long-standing scientific puzzle and confirms the power of CO2 to dramatically alter global climate. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201142800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130171105.htm Scientists understand that Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times over the millennia. The answer, from the geologic and fossil records we have from hundreds of past magnetic polarity reversals, seems to be "no." Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130171105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130161535.htm As the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases will be released from thawing permafrost faster and at significantly higher levels than previous estimates, according to a survey of international experts. Permafrost thaw will release approximately the same amount of carbon as deforestation. However, the effect of thawing permafrost on climate will be 2.5 times greater because emissions include methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130161535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129103312.htm Warmer, drier summers and extreme weather events considered possible as the climate changes would be especially troublesome -- possibly fatal -- for walnut trees, according to researchers. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129103312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129103108.htm The dominant plants in Antarctica have been affected by modern climate change according to new research. In a handful of coastal Antarctic "oases" void of permanent ice cover, lush moss beds grow during the short summer season from December to February using melt water from streams and lakes. Up until now, measuring the seasonal growth rate of these plants has been extremely difficult. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129103108.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115637.htm Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record, but how accurately does that record reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150835.htm Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record -- but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150827.htm The rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than the most dire estimates of some previous studies -- and, in fact, may be less severe than projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in 2007. Researchers say that global warming is real and that increases in atmospheric CO₂ will have multiple serious impacts. However, the most Draconian projections of temperature increases from the doubling of CO₂ are unlikely, according to new research. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111120134753.htm A reconstruction of plants' productivity and the amount of carbon stored in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere at the last ice age has just been completed. The research greatly increases our understanding of natural carbon cycle dynamics. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111120134753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111118151416.htm Suitable habitat for native fishes in many Great Plains streams has been significantly reduced by the pumping of groundwater from the High Plains aquifer – and scientists analyzing the water loss say ecological futures for these fishes are "bleak." Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111118151416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116143126.htm Buried below more than a mile of ice, Antarctica's Gamburtsev Mountains have baffled scientists since their discovery in 1958. How did the mountains get there, and what role did they play in the spread of glaciers over the continent 30 million years ago? In the latest study on the mountains, scientists say they have pieced together the puzzle of the origins and evolution of this mysterious mountain chain. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116143126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132906.htm The birth of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains buried beneath the vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet -– a puzzle mystifying scientists since their first discovery in 1958 -- is finally solved. The remarkably long geological history explains the formation of the mountain range in the least explored frontier on Earth and where the Antarctic Ice Sheet first formed. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114152537.htm Fine silt on the Chinese Loess Plateau may actually have come from due west, not the northwest, which would change conventional thinking about wind patterns over the last 2.6 million years. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114152537.htm