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EartherEarth ScienceNo One Knows What Lurks at the Bottom of This Freakishly Deep Submerged Cave
New research suggests Hranice Abyss—the world’s deepest freshwater cave—is around 0.6 miles (1 km) deep, which is more than twice the depth of previous estimates. Back in 2016, scientists measured the depth of Hranice Abyss at 1,552 feet (473 meters), but they suspected it was deeper because their remotely operated vehicle had reached the end … Continued
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ScienceHuman HistoryEvidence of Prehistoric Ochre Mine Found in Submerged Mexican Caves
Underwater caves in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula have yielded evidence of a prehistoric ochre mine, in a discovery that could explain why the region’s earliest inhabitants ventured so deeply inside this treacherous cave system. People living in the Yucatán Peninsula during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition (around 11,000 years ago) took part in subterranean ochre mining, according to … Continued
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ScienceBiologyJaw of 330-Million-Year-Old Shark Found in Kentucky Cave
Sharks typically don’t come to mind when you think about landlocked Kentucky, but as fossil evidence from the state’s Mammoth Cave National Park shows, this place was once chock-full of the carnivorous fishes. Paleontologists working at the national park uncovered fossils from around 150 sharks representing as many as 20 distinct species, reports CNN. These … Continued
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ScienceBiologyGollum-Like Daddy Long-Legs Discovered in the Bowels of the Earth
Daddy long-legs—spider-like arachnids technically known as “harvestmen”—are already plenty unnerving, with their too-long-to-be-real limbs, jerky movements, and habit of clustering into a horrible, hairy mass. But researchers have recently unveiled a variety of harvestman totally new to science, and it cranks the creepy up to 11. The creature, discovered deep in a cave in Argentina, … Continued
By Jake Buehler -
ScienceHuman HistoryArchaeologists Are Learning More About Who and What Lived in This Famous Siberian Cave
For thousands of years, Siberia’s Denisova Cave was home to various bands of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans. But as new research shows, animals occupied this cave more frequently than not, showcasing the pains, perils, and complexities of paleolithic life. “Basically, the story that we are telling is full of shit,” said Mike Morley, an … Continued
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EartherConservationScientists Gave One of the World’s Rarest Bats a Manicure to Help Save It
Conservation technology has come a long way in recent decades. Scientists can now track birds’ migratory patterns via satellite and try to bring species back from the brink of extinction through advanced fertility technology. But there is still room for more low-tech approaches. Sometimes all you need are small fishing nets and four bottles of … Continued
Greg Norman -
EartherInside the ‘Wild and Almost Unimaginable’ World of Cave Diving
If one thing’s clear from Jill Heinerth’s breathtaking new memoir on her life as a professional cave diver, it’s that this unusual career path requires serious mettle. In Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver, Heinerth recalls nearly running out of air while rescuing a panicked diving partner, almost losing her hand to … Continued
Amy Brady -
ScienceBiologyTreasure Trove of Ice Age Animal Remains Found in Submerged Mexican Cave
Bones from an extinct short-faced bear and a wolf-life carnivore are among the many fascinating remains pulled from a submerged cave in Mexico. The discoveries provide a glimpse into the kinds of animals that lived in Central America during the last Ice Age. For paleontologists, Central America’s Late Pleistocene period is a bit of a … Continued
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Tech NewsAll 12 Boys and Coach Rescued From Thai Cave
An 18-day ordeal in which the Wild Boars soccer team was trapped inside a flooded cave complex in northern Thailand has finally come to an end, with the twelfth team member and the coach exiting the cave earlier today. Four boys were rescued from the caves on Sunday, four yesterday, and now the remaining five … Continued
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Tech News
Alert: Elon Now in Cave
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who this weekend announced he had directed a team of engineers to build a “tiny, kid-size submarine” (really more of an air-filled metal box) to help extract the 12 boys and coach of Thai soccer team Wild Boars stranded in the flooded Tham Luang cave complex for weeks, is … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech News
Eight Boys Have Now Been Rescued From the Flooded Thai Cave Complex
Rescue teams working in northern Thailand have pulled four more boys from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex, raising the total number of rescued boys to eight. After nearly two agonizing weeks in Thailand, things are starting to look brighter for the 12 trapped boys and their 25-year-old coach. Four members of the Wild … Continued
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Tech News
Former Navy Diver Dies in Thai Cave While Working to Rescue Trapped Boys
A former Thailand navy SEAL has died while working to save 12 boys and their coach from the submerged Tham Luang cave complex, the New York Times reports. The death comes as a heavy blow to the rescue mission, as monsoon rains threaten further flooding and as oxygen levels inside the chamber have started to … Continued
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ScienceBiology
New Translucent Spider Discovered Living in Muddy Indiana Cave
Scientists have discovered a new species of sheet-weaving spider, and it only dwells in one cave in southern Indiana. As its name suggests, this spider spins flat, tightly-woven, horizontal webs. There are thousands of species of sheet-weavers, and you’ve probably walked through one of their webs by accident some point. “In the morning when there’s … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidCave Diving Is Like Exploring a Dark Underworld
Here’s some chillingly beautiful shots showing what it’s like to cave dive the ‘El Toh’ cave in Yucatan, Mexico. It’s a completely different world down there. When you’re inside the cave with water all around you, it looks a lot like being in an underworld you’re not supposed to see. Some parts are haunting and … Continued
By Casey Chan
