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Life has been around on Earth for at least 3.7 billion years, during which time it has evolved into "endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful”, in the words of Charles Darwin. Someday, however, it’s possible that planet Earth will be reduced to just one animal. It isn’t cockroaches, nor scorpions, and it certainly isn’t Homo sapiens – the last animal standing is likely to be the humble tardigrade. Look around the universe and you’ll get the impression that it’s very difficult for life to emerge. Once established though, life is surprisingly hard to get rid of. We know of five major mass extinction events in Earth’s history that have wiped out at least 75 percent of species, but life has always managed to bounce back. The most severe episode struck around 250 million years ago – the Permian extinction event – and eradicated an estimated 90 percent of all species following a series of cataclysmic volcanic eruptions. After a few million years of recovery, life returned in abundance and reached a healthier equilibrium. Some argue we’re currently in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, primarily due to human meddling, like habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. While this is undoubtedly a pressing issue that urgently needs addressing, it’s extremely unlikely to spell the death of all life on Earth. A more serious existential threat is nuclear weapons. Following the event of an atomic war, radioactive fallout would spread across much of the globe. Simultaneously, soot from the bombs will blow into Earth’s atmosphere and spark a “nuclear winter”, bringing prolonged periods of darkness and freezing temperatures. This would cause the foundation of ecosystems to collapse by halting photosynthesis, leading to the starvation of many animals.However, research suggests that life in parts of the planet could survive an all-out nuclear war for a while at least – even though humans may not. This might include a gaggle of hardy invertebrates, such as cockroaches and scorpions, which can endure surprising doses of radiation, as well as many forms of microscopic life.On a more astronomical scale, there is the ferocious threat of astrophysical events, such as gamma-ray bursts, large asteroid impacts, and a supernova explosion. Extreme astrophysical events like this have the potential to effectively sterilize the globe of all life. A supernova, the explosive death throes of an aged star, would shower Earth with intense amounts of cosmic radiation, damaging the ozone layer that protects us from harmful ultraviolet light in the Sun's rays.Fortunately, the chances of these forces striking within the lifetime of our Solar System is low. If a star goes supernova 40 to 50 light-years away, we should be safe. However, there are uncertainties around this and many forms of life on Earth could potentially be annihilated by a supernova under a worst-case scenario.Tardigrades are sometimes called water bears. Can you see why?Image credit: Oleh Liubimtsev/Shutterstock.comOne species might be okay, though. In 2017, scientists at the University of Oxford and Harvard University studied the resilience of life to astrophysical events, concluding that the only animal likely to survive the risk of extinction from all astrophysical catastrophes is the tardigrade.“To our surprise we found that although nearby supernovae or large asteroid impacts would be catastrophic for people, tardigrades could be unaffected. Therefore it seems that life, once it gets going, is hard to wipe out entirely. Huge numbers of species, or even entire genera may become extinct, but life as a whole will go on,” Dr David Sloan, co-author of the 2017 study and then a post-doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Physics at Oxford University, said in a statement. Tardigrades are an eight-legged, near-microscopic animal that’s notorious for being extremely hard to kill. On the taxonomic tree, they are part of the animal kingdom; they are not bacteria, amoebas, archaea, or fungi. To endure intense environments, the tiny creatures will enter a state of deep hibernation called cryptobiosis, expelling more than 95 percent of the water from their bodies and curling into a dehydrated nugget. They can survive low temperatures of -272.95°C (-460°F) and high temperatures of 150°C (302°F), as well as extreme pressure and strong radiation. They can even live in the vacuum of space with little bother. As such, it’s likely they could be able to weather the storm of a supernova. Ultimately, life on Earth does have a hard expiration date: the death of the Sun. The Sun will begin to die in about 5 billion years when it runs out of hydrogen. As it edges towards its next phase as a red giant star the Sun will expand, becoming so large that it will consume its two closest planets, Mercury and Venus. Eventually, the Earth is likely to be engulfed too.During this deathly journey, Earth will heat up and become doused in intense radiation. The oceans will literally evaporate and the atmosphere will be stripped away, leaving behind a barren, scorched landscape. Even tardigrades won’t survive this scenario. Perhaps some extremophile bacteria used to intense heat would cling on for a while, but this will be game over for life – at least as we know it.

Imagine a world in which Chicxulub hadn’t put an end to The Age Of Dinosaurs: would mammals have risen? Would humans exist? Or would the dinosauroids rule the day?The dinosauroid is a hypothetical animal that’s been suggested as a possible next step for a group of carnivorous dinosaurs. What could they have looked like? A model of such a creature at the Dinosaurland Fossil Museum in Lyme Regis has some thoughts:“Almost certainly they would have walked upright on two legs (many of the meat eaters like Tyrannosaurus used only two legs for movement),” reads a description next to a dinosauroid model at the museum. “Probably, they would have become more intelligent with a larger brain (some groups like the Velociraptors were evolving this way before extinction). Perhaps the hands would have become more articulate. Would they have developed speech?”The dinosauroid model in Lyme Regis.Image credit: IFLScienceIt's an appealing concept to fans of speculative zoology – a subgenre of science fiction and art movement that ponders where evolution could take us, and what hypothetical animals might arise. The idea of a dinosauroid first came around in the 1980s when Dale Russell, palaeontologist and artist, teamed up with a model maker named Ron Séguin.Their vision for a dinosauroid evolved from a carnivorous dinosaur into an animal capable of tool use, one that walked upright and had thumbs. It was said to come from the troodontids, a group of Theropods that were already bipedal before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Would a bit more time have had them strutting like a human?In truth, evolution has its limits. We see it in the size of Sauropods, a group that evolved to boast some of the biggest dinosaurs ever to walk the planet. That great size appeared all over the world, but the common denominator among the supergiants was that they were Sauropods, while other dinosaur groups didn’t – in the same amount of evolutionary time – grow to be so mighty.A life reconstruction of the troodontid Jianianhualong tengi by Julius T. Csotonyi.Image credit: X Xu et al., Nature Communications, 2017 (CC BY 4.0)A mini dinosaur group is unlikely to adopt a giant Sauropod body in the same way that a Theropod dinosaur is unlikely to end up looking like a human. Instead, suggests TetZoo palaeontologist Dr Darren Naish, they’d most likely have gone the way of bustards, big hawks, or ground hornbills.Much of the human blueprint was written in at our early beginnings, back when we were broad primates with decent dexterity who didn’t yet have to worry about rent or social media. Sigh, the good old days.Our path to the thumb-wielding egg heads we are today can be tracked in stages of our evolution. A path that the Troodontids are unlikely to have trodden no matter how much extra time they had. So, what was the thinking behind the dinosauroid idea?Prior to the original model’s creation, the scientific community was piecing together details about the troodontids. Chiefly, that they had bigger brains compared to other dinosaurs, and may have been en route to becoming a dominant species had everything not blown up. A two-legged goat was fairly influential, as it exhibited a shift in musculature and shallower chest after it was forced to walk on its two remaining limbs. Such a shift could’ve taken the barrel-chested troodontids in a similar direction, negating the need for a tail as they evolved the musculature and pelvic requirements for upright life. And as for that big brain assuring primate-like intelligence? Well, that’s a whole other can of worms.  The dinosauroid is a curious estimation for a hypothetical animal, and one we can all enjoy in the knowledge that it is just that, hypothetical. If you’d like to see an alternative take on where the troodontids might have ended up, check out this awesome and – frankly – equally terrifying illustration by artist Nemo Ramjet that features in an article by Naish.I think we can all agree we humans are richer for not having to compete for resources with that thing.

Nearly 3.5 years after it received its first approval for use, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is set to be withdrawn worldwide. It’s a headline that’ll certainly be an attention-grabber – the vaccine has gained a bit of a reputation in its time, after all – but what’s the reason behind it being discontinued? It's not as scandalous as some might suggest.According to a statement seen by the BBC, it was a commercial decision based on there being a “surplus of available updated vaccines”, which has led to a “decline in demand.” Viruses can mutate and evolve, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is no different. The result has been a multitude of different variants, with some vaccine developers creating updated vaccines in order to tackle them.However, AstraZeneca hasn’t followed suit. Professor Adam Finn, University of Bristol, explained to the Science Media Centre (SMC) that this meant that the vaccine, now named Vaxzevria, “is probably now much less effective than it was to begin with.”“Accordingly, there is probably no commercial case for continuing to manufacture and distribute the vaccine and I think this is likely to be the main reason the company have decided to discontinue making and selling it.”The company also highlighted the impact of Vaxzevria since it came into use. “According to independent estimates, over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone,” read the statement. "Our efforts have been recognized by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic."That being said, the vaccine wasn’t without its problems. Back in 2021, several countries suspended the use of Vaxzevria as a precaution following reports of people developing a rare blood clotting condition, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), after receiving the injection.The risk of getting vaccine-induced TTS, however, has been found to be considerably low. Based on data from the UK, the overall risk of it developing after getting the jab is estimated to be around 4 in every 1 million people. A study involving over 29 million people also found that COVID-19 infection posed a much bigger risk of developing blood clots than receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.“With almost everything we do there is a harm-benefit assessment that we have to make, and at the peak of the pandemic the AZ vaccine brought far more benefit than harm – that would still be the case, but now more effective and safer avenues are available,” Professor Jonathan Ball, Deputy Director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine told the SMC.“Perhaps its time has passed,” added Dr Michael Head, a researcher in global health. “But, the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has played a key role in the pandemic response for most countries around the world.”

The Chinese National Space Agency is attempting something no one else has done before: collecting rocks from the far side of the Moon and bringing them back to Earth. The ambitious Chang’e 6 mission is now orbiting the Moon ahead of landing and it is filled with scientific payload beyond the sample retrieval apparatus. But one particular item had not been announced in advance and was only spotted in a photo. There’s a rover attached to the lander.The only other mission to soft-land on the far side has been Chang’e 4 and it also carried a rover, Yutu-2. SpaceNews’ Andrew Jones reported the presence of the mini rover in photos of the lander before launch. Once you see it, it is clear that it is not really inconspicuous. Still, the purpose of the mini rover remains uncertain.A few days after launch, a post from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics (SIC), which is under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, described more details about the rover, which is meant to carry a small infrared spectrometer. This can be used to study the composition of lunar rocks as well as the presence of water.Whether this will be used to complete the Chang’e 6 retrieval mission or whether it has its own scientific objectives remains to be seen. It is also unclear whether it will jump off or if there is a different way for the little vehicle to be deployed, such as a ramp. Hopefully, we will know once Chang’e 6 actually lands on the Moon. The targeted landed zone is the Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken Basin.This is a fascinating zone that includes a massive structure buried underneath the basin, which might be a part of the enormous space rock that hit the Moon and created the basin 4 billion years ago. The mission team hopes to find some portions of the lunar mantle that were thrown out during that impact.Since the far side of the Moon is entering its 14-day night, the mission will not land immediately. Apollo will see a sunset on Monday, May 13, and while Chang’e 6 will only be on the surface for a short period, it’s better to have full sunlight on it. Dawn at the crater will be on May 25, so the landing is expected to take place later this month or in early June.[H/T: Space News]

The heartwarming tale of a mother cat named Lucy and her kittens has captured the hearts of over 5.4 million viewers, unraveling a story of resilience and unconditional maternal love. Lucy’s journey from peril to safety touches a deep, universal chord. Her remarkable recovery and reunion with her kittens have inspired and moved people across... The post Man rescues mama cat clinging to life while her tiny kittens try to survive appeared first on Animal Channel.

With Republicans holding a razor-thin House majority and President Biden struggling to build momentum against former President Trump, there’s no limit to how far the liberal media will go into interfere in the presidential election. Such an odious example came up on Wednesday as CNN.com eagerly published an account using audio from a private House Oversight Committee meeting to falsely paint Congressman Scott Perry (R-PA) as a racist. Typing unofficially on behalf of her liberal sources hellbent on ousting Perry, Annie Grayer bragged of “audio of Perry’s comments shared with CNN” that alleged Perry told colleagues “in a closed door briefing...on Tuesday that the Ku Klux Klan is the ‘the military wing of the Democratic party’ and that migrants coming to the US ‘have no interest in being Americans.’” Grayer further kvetched in the second graph that Perry’s “a right-wing Republican who has repeated elements of the anti-immigrant and antisemitic replacement theory before.” Nowhere in her smear job did Grayer allude to how Perry’s comments came about, what they were in response to, or that private briefings and hearings are meant to be secret with lawmakers and staff largely abiding by that in the name of this thing called trust. It took until a fourth paragraph for Grayer to even quote entire sentences from Perry, which she clearly tried to paint as inaccurate: “The KKK in modern times, a lot of young people think somehow it’s a right-wing organization when it is the military wing of the Democratic Party. Decidedly, unabashedly, racist and antisemitic,” Perry said according to the recording. The KKK is not affiliated in any way with the modern Democratic Party. Ah, splitting hairs, she is! Someone needs a history lesson like we had to provide to USA Today back in 2020. And we should also ask at this point: Will Grayer release the audio? And was what was said before Perry included? Funny how it works with the liberal media and anonymous sources. Grayer then deceptively argued Perry somehow brought up replacement theory out of the blue when one could almost certainly bet it was first invoked as a taunt by a House Democrat (click “expand”): Perry then defended replacement theory, which is the idea that white people are being slowly and intentionally replaced by minorities and immigrants. “Replacement theory is real” Perry said according to the recording shared with CNN. “They added white to it to stop everybody from talking about it.” While Perry said he is happy to accept people “that are here legally,” pointing to his ancestors who migrated to the US, he has an issue with migrants that are “un-American.” “What is happening now is we’re importing people into the country that want to be in America … but have no interest in being Americans, and that’s very different and to disparage the comments is to chill the conversation so that we can continue to bring in more people that we never met that are un-American,” Perry said, according to the recording. Earth to Annie: What part(s) of this are inaccurate? For example, since President Biden took office, there have been 7.5 million border encounters with illegal immigrants and an educated guess of another 1.7 million people who escaped detainment. That certainly doesn’t indicate attempts are made to stem the flow! Grayer also dishonestly refused to note the tail end of her quotation indicated Perry was addressing someone who had attacked him and/or those critical of illegal immigration. Who was that? Follow this link for a list of the Democrats on the committee. Take your best guess! Only at the bottom did she provide a statement from Perry excoriating “the radical Left” for “twist[ing] facts in order to silence conversation about its own crimes and Biden’s intentional failures to enforce laws and close or regulate our borders.” Grayer had no shame as she implied Perry supports mass murders and is even anti-Semitic: Replacement theory is the idea that white people are being slowly and intentionally replaced by minorities and immigrants. The xenophobic and racist rhetoric associated with the theory has found its way into the mainstream of American politics and elements of it appear to have motivated some of the most heinous recent mass murders in the US and around the world. There are specific antisemitic elements of the unfounded theory as well, that Jews specifically are organizing a flood of non-white immigrants.