Scientists say a massive volcanic eruption in Alaska more than 2,500 years ago triggered a global climate shock on the other side of the Earth that led to the fall of the Roman Republic. The eruption of Mount Okmok on an Alaskan island in the year 43 BC – an event known as ‘Okmok II’ – … Read more
A strange ‘swarm’ of small earthquakes in California that lasted nearly four years was triggered by fluid spilling into the fault system from underground reservoirs, scientists say. The naturally occurring injection of underground fluid drove the earthquake swarm near Cahuilla in Southern California, which occurred in bursts around the region from early 2016 to late … Read more
Burning coal in Siberia ignited by volcanic eruptions led to catastrophic global warming that caused the Earth’s most severe extinction event 250 million years ago Scientists argue magma burned through seams of coal exacerbating warming End Permian extinction saw around 90 per cent of life on Earth wiped out Researchers warm it is an early … Read more
New hope for a coronavirus vaccine as Chinese company Sinovac’s shot triggered an antibody response in more than 90% of patients, early data suggests Sinovac Biotech Ltd, based in Beijing, China, has developed a vaccine called CoronaVac that uses a dead strain of the coronavirus Phase I tested safety, with none of the participants reporting … Read more
The symptoms crept up on me. I’d had chest pain for a week — when I lifted heavy pots or sacks of soil from the garden centre or climbed the stairs to the children’s rooms. Ironically perhaps, given our hypersensitivity to such things right now, it felt like a bronchial infection — a sharp pain … Read more
Coronavirus cases that set off Washington’s epidemic did not arrive until three weeks after the first case was confirmed on January 21, study finds A Washington man was identified as the first US coronavirus case on January 21 The US restricted any non-US citizen from traveling into the US from China on February 2 But … Read more
NASA has said the SpaceX launch that was scheduled for last night in Florida could have triggered a dangerous lightning strike had it gone ahead. Looming rain and thunderstorms meant that the first launch of astronauts from US soil in nine years had to be aborted less than 17 minutes before lift-off. NASA astronauts Robert … Read more
A mother has revealed how her baby girl nearly died twice after a pollen allergy triggered life-threatening asthma attacks. Lottie Provis was found blue, lifeless and choking on her own vomit in her cot by her parents Kate, 26, and Steve, 31, when she was 18 months old in May 2015. She was given hours … Read more
Excessive and sustained rainfall caused the massive eruption of the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii two years ago by softening the rock, according to a new study. US researchers say the dramatic eruption in 2018, which destroyed hundreds of homes, was due to wet volcanic rock, which breaks easily under pressure. Local rainfall patterns contributed to … Read more