Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have discovered a previously unknown kind of snailfish living over 2 miles (3.27 kilometers) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. But if you were imagining a large, scary creature - you'd be wrong. One researcher described the fish as "adorable".
Published in “Environment”
Birds are famous for waking up early. But in a recent study, scientists discovered that light pollution is leading birds to wake even earlier and go to sleep later. Bright lights are costing birds an average of 50 minutes of sleep each night.
Today, NewsForKids.net looks at several important stories from Asia: A deadly earthquake hits Afghanistan; Asian leaders meet in China; and a court in Thailand removes the country's prime minister.
A huge offshore wind farm project near Rhode Island has been suddenly stopped by the US government. The project, which is 80% completed, was meant to bring clean energy to hundreds of thousands of homes. Some people worry that the government is making it too hard for wind power projects to succeed.
In early August, people representing over 180 countries met for 10 days in Geneva, Switzerland. They hoped to reach an agreement on dealing with plastic pollution. But the meeting ended in failure. Most countries wanted to put limits on producing new plastic. But countries that produce lots of plastic fought the idea.
Scientists from the University of Florida have recently reported on the world's largest nesting site for freshwater turtles. They counted about 41,000 Giant South American River turtles at the site. Just as importantly, they developed a more accurate method of counting the turtles.
Under US President Donald Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a plan that would remove a 2009 decision that says climate change is dangerous. If the plan goes through, it will make it extremely hard for the US government to limit pollution that causes global warming.
The world's smallest snake - the Barbados threadsnake - hadn't been seen in almost 20 years. Scientists were beginning to think that the tiny snake might be extinct. But in March, researchers searching a forest in Barbados found one of the snakes under a rock.
Last Wednesday, the United Nations' highest court ruled that countries must protect people from the "urgent" threat of the climate crisis. The court said countries which don't take steps to fight global warming might have to pay for the damage they've done. The court's opinion could lead to more lawsuits over the climate crisis.
Scott Shaffer is a biologist who studies birds. In 2018, he was studying data from a tracking device he had placed on a gull. He was surprised to find that the bird had gone for an 80-mile (129-kilometer) ride on a truck carrying food scraps. And the bird had done it twice in just one week.
On Saturday, China began building what is expected to be the world's largest dam. The dam, which is in Tibet, will produce massive amounts of electricity. But it has upset people in India and Bangladesh, who are worried about how the dam will affect them.