All articles tagged with #caves
A new study identifies eight accessible Martian cave-like features in Hebrus Valles that could be karstic—formed by water dissolving soluble rock rather than by lava tubes—potentially revealing a subsurface record of past fluids and offering sheltered spaces for future exploration, though the evidence is orbital and multiple formation processes could explain the shapes, so confirmation awaits in-situ observations.
New dating and image-analysis of Bacon Hole cave in south Wales confirm that its red markings are ancient abstract art dating to about 17,000 years ago, making them the oldest rock art in the British Isles; previously dismissed as mineral staining and graffiti, uranium–thorium dating and enhanced imagery reveal human-like symbolic lines and dots, likely created by Upper Paleolithic hunter–gatherers, with surrounding mineral deposits supporting the minimum age.
In Castelbouc Cave in southern France, researchers documented three-dimensional counterprint casts of sauropod footprints on the ceiling, dating to about 168 million years ago with tracks up to 1.25 meters long. The prints formed when dinosaurs walked across soft lagoon mud, later filled and preserved as rock, revealing that giant herbivores roamed coastal wetlands. Studying them required deep cave exploration and rare preservation conditions, and the team notes similar discoveries elsewhere may follow.
Scientists studying Bruniquel cave in southwestern France report a calcite-preserved kneeprint deep in the cavern that may belong to a Neanderthal dating to about 175,000 years ago, potentially connected to the cave’s underground circular structures built from broken stalagmites. While an animal origin is unlikely and researchers caution that more knee impressions and possibly preserved biological evidence are needed for confirmation, the find suggests early human groups ventured far underground and used the cave environment in sophisticated ways.
Researchers at Umm Jirsan, a vast lava tube north of Medina, Saudi Arabia, found repeated human occupation from the Neolithic to Bronze Age, indicating the cave served as a stop along ancient pastoral routes. Rock art depicts cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs, while isotopic analysis shows livestock fed mainly on wild vegetation, suggesting an gradual shift toward oasis-based agriculture. This is the first in-depth study of lava tubes in Saudi Arabia and underscores caves’ value as time capsules when surface traces fade.
New evidence from three caves in Serbia’s Morava River basin shows Ice Age humans used mountain caves as short‑term shelters rather than year‑round homes, suggesting mobile groups moved between inland sites and areas near the Adriatic during 25,000–19,000 years ago. Finds—primarily bladelets and bone tools—indicate diverse tool use and adaptation to harsh conditions, with each site serving a different role in a broader pattern of seasonal movement.
In a multi-year exploration of more than 60 limestone caves in Battambang, Cambodia, researchers uncovered rare and new species including a flying snake and a vivid, heat-sensing pit viper, along with camouflaged leaf-toed geckos and bright millipedes, highlighting how isolated karst ecosystems foster unique life and underscoring the need to protect these habitats, of which only about 1% is legally safeguarded.
Scientists surveying Cambodia’s limestone karst revealed 11 species new to science across 64 caves, including a turquoise pit viper, an ornate flying snake, several geckos, micro-snails and millipedes. The discovery shows how isolated cave systems fuel rapid evolution, but warns that quarrying, tourism and habitat destruction threaten these species and underscores the need for protection.
A survey of Cambodia’s karst limestone caves uncovered 11 species new to science, including a turquoise pit viper with a heat-detecting head organ, the ornate flying snake, several geckos (one named Gekko shiva), and other invertebrates, found across 64 caves on 10 karst hills between 2023 and 2025. Researchers warn that these isolated cave ecosystems are under threat from limestone quarrying, habitat loss, and overtourism, and call for protective status and continued conservation work.
Scientists exploring Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico found cyanobacteria on cave walls that can photosynthesize using near-infrared light thanks to chlorophyll d and f, enabling energy capture in darkness and in cave zones possibly untouched for about 49 million years. This widens the known range of photosynthesis, implying red-dwarf–type stars could host life and helping to refine the search for habitable exoplanets with JWST by focusing on longer wavelengths and lower light levels where oxygen could signal life.
Scientists have discovered a mysterious hole on Mars that could be a skylight leading to lava tubes, which may serve as protective habitats for future human explorers by shielding them from radiation and harsh environmental conditions. The hole's exact nature is still under investigation, but it represents a promising avenue for exploring underground refuges on Mars, similar to lunar lava tubes, and could be crucial for sustainable colonization.
Chinese researchers discovered eight potential water-formed caves in Mars' Hebrus Valles, representing a new class of karst caves that could have sheltered microbial life and are prime targets for future exploration missions.
Scientists have identified potential water-formed karstic caves in Hebrus Valles on Mars, which could have protected past life and serve as future exploration sites, marking a new type of cave formation on the planet.
Scientists discovered ancient geological deposits in Greenland's caves indicating the Arctic was once much warmer and wetter, with climate shifts occurring rapidly in response to CO₂ levels, serving as a warning for current climate change impacts.
Researchers discovered significant microplastic pollution in remote caves in Greece, indicating that plastic particles can reach even the most isolated environments, raising concerns about widespread environmental and health impacts.