A new study published in Nature provides key insights into sea level rise after the last ice age, around 11,700 years ago. Using data from the North Sea region, researchers found that sea levels rose rapidly, peaking at more than a metre per century in two early Holocene phases. The total rise between 11,000 and 3,000 years ago was around 38 metres, settling previous uncertainties. These findings are crucial for understanding current sea level rise due to global warming and can help inform climate adaptation strategies.

In the desert areas of Namibia, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, research work has revealed unusual structures that are probably due to the activity of an unknown microbiological life form. Unusually small burrows, i.e., tiny tubes that run through the rock in a parallel arrangement from top to bottom, were discovered in marble and limestone of these desert regions.

An analysis of a 30,000-year-old fossil vulture from Central Italy has revealed for the first time that volcanic rock can preserve microscopic details in feathers - the first ever record of such a preservation.

An international team, led by Dr Valentina Rossi (University College Cork, Ireland), discovered a new mode of preservation of soft tissues that can occur when animals are buried in ash-rich volcanic sediments.

The new research, published in the scientific journal Geology, reveals that the feathers are preserved in a mineral phase called zeolite, a mode of preservation of soft tissues never reported before.

New research reveals that heavy precipitation sourced from the Atlantic Ocean, are the primary drivers of present-day lake filling in the northwestern Sahara. The study finds that only the most intense and prolonged precipitation events trigger lake-filling episodes, challenging long-standing assumptions about past climate conditions in the region. These findings suggest that projections of enhanced rainfall intensity and frequency in the Sahara could potentially reshape water availability in the desert.