MELBOURNE, Australia — The first thing the sailors noticed was the smell of sulfur. Then, Larissa Brill and Michael Hoult, a couple sailing in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, saw it: a floating mass of volcanic rocks, with some boulders as large as basketballs, blanketing the ocean as far as their boat’s spotlight could illuminate. The […]
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Six to eight million years ago, a snake related to swamp snakes or tiger snakes slithered into the sea. Over evolutionary time, descendants of that snake developed flattened paddle tails, an ability to breathe through the skin and a valve to stop water from entering the lungs. Today these creatures live their entire lives in […]
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Coral reefs comprise just 1 percent of the ocean floor yet they are home to 25 percent of the world’s marine fish, a growing source of protein for people. But reefs are imperiled by a range of threats including warming waters, acidifying seas, destructive fishing methods, and agricultural and other runoff. Moreover, scientists have only […]
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ImageKim Chambers, a champion open-water swimmer, covered with lanolin and zinc in 2016.CreditJason Henry for The New York Times Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in the United States, affecting more than three million people each year. Using sunscreen is one mainstay of prevention. But the recent news that sunscreen ingredients can soak into […]
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