This Eye-Catching Rattlesnake Found in Arizona Has Unusual ‘Leopard Spots,’ Likely From a Genetic Mutation Snake wranglers safely relocated the healthy, female western diamondback from a backyard in Scottsdale, but they say the find is a first in their experience The healthy adult female was covered in curvy circles, similar to leopard spots. Rattlesnake Solutions / Facebook Arizonans are accustomed to seeing western diamondbacks slithering around or sunning themselves on rocks. But recently, rattlesnake wranglers came across a “weird” and “funky-looking” individual with highly unusual patterning. Experts with Rattlesnake Solutions, a humane snake relocation and prevention company, were called in to remove a western diamondback (Crotalus atrox) from a backyard in Scottsdale on May 9. When they arrived, they found a 30-inch-long, healthy, adult female with a “big pattern mutation,” according to a post the company shared on Facebook. “In the many thousands of diamondbacks we’ve seen over the years, this is a first,” the company adds. Instead of the typical, diamond-shaped pattern these snakes are named for, the female was covered in round, curvy spots. The snake’s coloring was also uncommon. “It’s hard to tell exactly what is going on here, but it looks like the normal diamondback pattern is disrupted,” Bryan Hughes, the owner of Rattlesnake Solutions, tells McClatchy News’ Mark Price in an email. “The resulting pattern looks like circles, or ‘leopard spots’ as some have noted. It also lacks the characteristic facial stripes, has a unique pattern on the head and has peachy orange tones throughout that are atypical.” Near the snake’s rattle at the end of its tail is a section of black and white patterning. “That’s the only normal thing about it,” Rattlesnake Solutions writes in a comment on Facebook. Western diamondbacks typically have evenly sized bands of alternating white and black close to the rattle.Based on the location, Hughes does not believe the snake is a hybrid, or the offspring of two different parent species. Instead, he suspects the odd pattern is the result of “a unique mutation in the wild,” he tells McClatchy News. If that’s the case, Hughes worries the mutation could be a symptom of “environmental stress.” “This is a very pretty snake, but it may also be a warning,” he tells McClatchy News. “The area where this snake was found is in a zone of heavy urban development and increasing yearly temperatures. … If mutations like this are an indicator of genetic mutation in response to a warming climate, it may be something we see more of in urban areas.” Speaking with People magazine’s Madison E. Goldberg, Hughes says he wonders whether the pattern is hereditary or if the state’s recent dry spell could have affected the snake. Arizona has been experiencing a “severe and sustained” drought since the mid- to late 1990s, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. More recently, the period between April 2020 and March 2025 was the third warmest and fourth driest on record. In 2024, the Phoenix metropolitan area—which includes Scottsdale—had its hottest year ever, breaking the previous record by 1.3 degrees. The area saw 70 days with high temperatures at or above 110 degrees, compared to the typical 21 days. Though the leopard-like pattern is extremely rare, snake aficionados do occasionally find wild serpents with mutations. Typically, however, the mutations show up as stripes or missing patterns. “In the past 25 years, only three snakes that have a similar mutation have been seen: this one, another in the same general area in 2016 and the first found around 20 years ago,” Hughes tells People magazine. “It’s the first I’ve ever seen, and likely the last.” After the Rattlesnake Solutions team captured the snake in the backyard in Scottsdale, they moved it to another location and released it back into the wild. Rattlesnake season is well underway in Arizona, which is home to around 13 species—including the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi), the official state reptile. Rattlesnakes tend to be most active from March through October. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Coral reefs are natural wonders that don’t just mesmerize us with their colorful and diverse ecosystems — they’re also economically invaluable. Industries like aquaculture, tourism, and fisheries rely on them, amounting to a staggering US$375 billion globally each year. That means entire coastal communities depend on the health of local reefs.But reefs are in trouble. Climate change, pollution, and other human impacts are driving a rapid decline, with scientists warning that up to 90 percent of coral cover could vanish in the next decade. In response, researchers around the world have been scrambling to find solutions. One new approach, from a collaboration between scientists in the U.S., Italy, and the Netherlands, offers a surprisingly elegant fix: a nanogel that makes reefs smell like home.Their study, published in Trends in Biotechnology, details how a bio-inspired gel mimics the chemical cues coral larvae use to identify ideal habitats. It’s a breakthrough that in combination with other methods could seriously boost coral settlement rates.Coral Larvae’s Search for HomeCorals might look like underwater rocks, but they’re very much alive — and surprisingly picky when it comes to settling down. Coral larvae float through the ocean, guided by chemical signals released by algae, like the crustose coralline algae, which give clues about the surrounding reef’s health and potential. If the algae send the right signals, the larvae settle and grow. If not, they keep drifting.Unfortunately, environmental stress is changing the mix of algae in many reef areas, and some of these macroalgae release signals that actually deter coral settlement. So even when we try to help reefs regrow, either by transplanting coral fragments or sexually propagated juvenile corals, the larvae often reject their new homes. That’s where this new nanogel comes in.Read More: How Volunteers Are Helping Keep Coral Reefs AliveA Jelly That Tricks Corals To make reefs more appealing, the research team developed a soft, biodegradable material called SNAP-X, designed to recreate the chemical cues of healthy reefs.According to the study, SNAP-X is packed with ultra-tiny silica capsules, each smaller than 70 nanometers (for comparison, the average human hair is 80,000-100,000 nanometers wide). These capsules are loaded with the same compounds crustose coralline algae naturally release. To gather those compounds, scientists collected live algae from Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay, soaked them in seawater, and extracted the resulting chemical “soup” into a concentrated powder.Next, they mixed that powder into a special light-sensitive gel. Once applied to a reef surface, the gel turns into a jelly when hit with light, locking it in place. The result? A thin, algae-scented layer designed to slowly release attractive molecules over a full month.In lab tests, larvae were six times more likely to settle on surfaces treated with SNAP-X. In more realistic water-flow conditions, that number jumped to 20 times higher than untreated surfaces — especially when higher concentrations of the nanogel were used. In essence, the team created a synthetic chemical “welcome mat” that tricks coral babies into thinking a degraded reef is a great place to grow.Boosting Genetic Diversity in ReefsWhile promising, SNAP-X isn’t a silver bullet. The gel doesn’t work on its own and needs to be combined with other restoration techniques, like coral propagation and reef structuring. Still, it has serious potential.Because the compounds encourage sexual reproduction-based settlement, SNAP-X could help boost genetic diversity in reefs, a key for withstanding future stress like ocean warming. The core materials (gelatin and silica) are cheap and widely available, making this approach scalable.There’s still plenty of work ahead. Researchers don’t yet know which exact molecules in the algae extract are doing the heavy lifting, meaning they must keep harvesting them from live samples. The next step: testing SNAP-X in the wild, with more coral species, in more places.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Global Change Biology: An assessment of people living by coral reefs over space and timeMarine Ecology Progress Series: Chemical effects of macroalgae on larval settlement of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora (pdf)Trends in Biotechnology: Biomimetic chemical microhabitats enhance coral settlementHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard.

An environment conference opened in Nepal on Friday to discuss global climate change, including the impact on the highest Himalayan peaks where snow and ice are melting.The three-day conference in Kathmandu titled, “Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity,” is expected to include discussions of critical climate issues.“From the lap of Sagarmatha (Everest), the world’s highest peak, we send this message loud and clear that to protect the mountains is to protect the planet. To protect the mountains is to protect our seas. To protect the mountains is to protect humanity itself,” Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli told participants at the opening meeting.Nepal is home to eight of the tallest mountains in the world including Mount Everest. A high level of glaciers melting in the Himalayan mountains because of global warming has raised signficant concerns. Melting snow and ice have exposed the mountains and increased the risk of rock slides, landslides and avalanches.Scientists have warned the Himalayan mountains could lose up to 80% of their glaciers if the Earth warms in coming decades or centuries. They say flash floods and avalanches also could become more likely in coming years, in part because of climate change.“The tragedy is that the Himalayas are facing an unprecedented stress test in real time today, exposing not only the fragile nature of our mountain ecosystems but also a glaring evidence of the lack of meaningful global climate action,” Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said. “As a mountainous country with high disaster risk vulnerability, Nepal faces a stark predicament.”Nepal has experienced a series of severe weather events in the recent past with devastating impacts on people and their livelihoods, Deuba said.“Floods and glacial lake outbursts have caused large-scale destruction and damage, and droughts, water scarcity and forest fires have brought untold suffering to the people across the country,” she said.Ministers from neighboring India, Bhutan, and Maldives are attending the conference.Organizers have said they intend to publish a Kathmandu declaration after the discussions end Sunday. —Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press

Horses migrated back and forth repeatedly between North America and Eurasia, during the Late Pleistocene. But when a warming environment flooded a land bridge, it cut off travel between the continents, leading to both the decline of the horses in North America and changes to the land caused by their absence, according to a report in the journal Science by an international team that includes 18 indigenous scientists.The team drew upon both tribal knowledge of environmental events as well as the cutting-edge scientific tools. The study both provides a glimpse of the horse’s history on two continents as well as ways to think about conservation in the future.Grazing and Roaming HorsesHorses, when unfenced, tend to graze in a flower petal pattern around a water source. When the food runs out, they move on to another area and repeat the process. Along the way, they do what horses do — fertilize the land. Horse droppings often contain seeds and attract bugs. Some seeds grow into plants. Some bugs attract animals. When the horse disappears from an area, this process stops.“In this way, the horse is not only responding to change, it is also actually part of the change,” says Yvette Running Horse Collin, a member of the Lakota Nation, a scientist at the University of Toulouse, France, and an author of the paper. “If provided the opportunity, you would find that horses today would also move great distances in response to changes in the environment. In doing so, they provide a great service to all life. Where the horse goes, other life follows.”Ancient Horse FossilsHorses were both agents and objects of change over the past 50,000 years. The scientific team analyzed genomes from 67 ancient horse fossils found across Beringia, Siberia, and continental North America, dated them with radiocarbon and isotopes, and compared the data to all known lineages.The study reveals a wider range of horse genetic diversity during the late Pleistocene period than we see today, as well as long, bi-directional transcontinental migration. For example, some lineages found in Siberian and Iberian fossils show genetic traces of North American horses.The study suggests that not only did the closing of the bridge between continents affect the North American horse population, but other effects of warming made an impact as well. As eras shifted from Pleistocene to Holocene, grasslands turned to wet, boggy tundra unsuitable for horses to graze and difficult for them to travel upon.Climate and Geological ChangeThe authors emphasize that the study shows the necessity of looking at whole systems, not just an individual species to understand the past impacts of climate and geological change. The same applies to future conservation efforts.“In order to have successful conservation efforts for the horse, you must also put in place successful conservation efforts for other forms of life," Collin says. “It is for this reason that one of the research outcomes of this study is to suggest the creation of corridors that would allow life to move — together — as needed."Some tribes involved in the study intend to put those concepts into practice in the Black Hills of South Dakota. They will provide scientific measures of those efforts and intend to share the results with the wider scientific community.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

Suspended Grace: A sleeping sperm whale and her calfPaul Nicklen With a full belly – look closely and you can see the tentacles of the deep-sea squid she has just feasted on, dangling from her mouth – this mother sperm whale sleeps, her calf nearby. This photograph, named Suspended Grace, was taken by photographer Paul Nicklen and is one of a host of images displayed at the photography fair Photo London this week. It exudes peace, but Nicklen was feeling a real mix of emotions when he took it in Dominica in 2019. “Even as my lungs burned and my brain tried to induce panic to take a breath from the surface that was 15 metres away, I had to stay calm,” he says. “In that moment, I focused on breathing, framing and floating still. I wasn’t disconnected from fear, but I was focused.”Advertisement As he centred himself, a sense of “awe mixed with something quieter” came over him. “There was a kind of joy to it—being accepted into their rhythm for even a few moments,” says Nicklen. “Over time, that joy has deepened into something heavier. I think about the risks [whales] face now – the rising noise levels in the ocean, plastic, ship strikes, nets, warming seas. When I revisit these images, I see a lineage that may not survive unless we change. And still, I feel lucky. Lucky to have been let in. Lucky to carry their story.” Photo London is taking place at Somerset House from 15 to 18 May. Nicklen’s work is being displayed by Hilton Contemporary, which is also showing the photography of marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier – including this evocative shot from Berenty, Madagascar, in 2008, called Laundry on the Mandare. As bright clothes dry on the cracked earth, two emaciated cows stand nearby on the dry bed of the Mandare River. Laundry on the Mandare: The dry bed of the Mandare River in MadagascarCristina Mittermeier Seventeen years on, Mittermeier remembers that her thoughts on taking the shot were clouded at the time. “Not just by illness – a tropical fever – but by guilt. Not guilt for being there, but for leaving,” she says. “The families in this village had no way to escape the drought. There are no backups, no alternate routes, no tap to turn. The Mandare dries up, and everything with it.” Today, those feelings have morphed into “a kind of respect” for the endurance of the local people there “and a deep unease that this scene is becoming more common, more permanent”, she says. “I think of the resilience in that curve of fabric, bright against the dust, and how survival here is patched together one garment, one meal, one cup of water at a time,” says Mittermeier. “It’s a record of drought, yes, but also of decisions made far away that shaped who suffers and who escapes.” Below is Nicklen’s shot, Ephemeral Palace, taken in the Antarctic Peninsula in 2012. A vast iceberg is pictured as it drifts along, destined to melt as it makes its way out to sea. Ephemeral Palace: An iceberg on the Antarctic Peninsula in 2012Paul Nicklen An unexpected visitor is shown in this final shot from Nicklen, Face to Face, taken in Svalbard, Norway, in 2008. Nicklen, winner of awards including BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, said that although they are labelled “problem bears” in Canada’s Arctic, he has encountered over 2000 polar bears in the wild in his time as a photographer and he has never had to take a life in self-defence. Face to Face: A close encounter with a polar bear in NorwayPaul Nicklen Topics:

Hideo Kojima, known for his unconventional approach to game design, does not seem to believe in crowd-pleasers. Despite that, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach might become a mainstream hit. VGC reported that in a recent interview with Edge Magazine Kojima said, “I do wish I was a bit more controversial,” reflecting on the positive reaction Death Stranding 2 received from internal playtesters. He contrasted the internal reception for Death Stranding 2 to the original Death Stranding: “In fact, I did a lot of monitoring tests for the original Death Stranding. I’d find that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game. For me, I think that’s a good balance. But with the playtests for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive.” Edge 411 is out today, featuring Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. For our 16-page cover story, Simon Parkin visits Kojima Productions to play the studio’s most ambitious game to date and discuss its creation with Hideo Kojima, who explains why it is more Aliens than Alien. pic.twitter.com/AUyceJyBOA— Edge (@edgeonline) May 15, 2025 That type of pre-release praise is normally music to a game studio founder’s ears, but Kojima is different. “I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone,” he said in the Edge interview. While the original Death Stranding — with its bold package delivery premise — was not a hit right out of the gate, more critics came around to it with its Director’s Cut edition. Amid a warming reception to the original Death Stranding, it makes sense that play testers for Death Stranding 2 are more ready to buy in. Well, there’s that improving climate, and there’s also the fact that Death Stranding 2 looks like it’s building on the first game’s already ambitious base. Natural disasters like earthquakes and sandstorms create new challenges for traversing the world. On top of highways, players can also now set up efficient, but expensive, trade routes through monorails. Combat is becoming more core to the experience, with a new arsenal of sniper rifles, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and more. Even Sam’s backpack can be put down, allowing for more nimble combat and infiltration sequences. All together, it looks like Death Stranding 2 promises more freedom in how to overcome obstacles. With all that packed inside an already unforgettable world, it is no surprise that play testers are responding positively. Balancing the desire for originality with more widespread success is a key consideration for Kojima, he said. “Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either. I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But in essence, I don’t want to simply recreate something that’s already in the world,” Kojima said. “I want to make something new.” Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to be released June 26, 2025 on PlayStation 5.

Hideo Kojima, known for his unconventional approach to game design, does not seem to believe in crowd-pleasers. Despite that, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach might become a mainstream hit.VGC reported that in a recent interview with Edge Magazine Kojima said, “I do wish I was a bit more controversial,” reflecting on the positive reaction Death Stranding 2 received from internal playtesters.He contrasted the internal reception for Death Stranding 2 to the original Death Stranding: “In fact, I did a lot of monitoring tests for the original Death Stranding. I’d find that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game. For me, I think that’s a good balance. But with the playtests for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive.”That type of pre-release praise is normally music to a game studio founder’s ears, but Kojima is different. “I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone,” he said in the Edge interview. While the original Death Stranding — with its bold package delivery premise — was not a hit right out of the gate, more critics came around to it with its Director’s Cut edition. Amid a warming reception to the original Death Stranding, it makes sense that play testers for Death Stranding 2 are more ready to buy in.Well, there’s that improving climate, and there’s also the fact that Death Stranding 2 looks like it’s building on the first game’s already ambitious base. Natural disasters like earthquakes and sandstorms create new challenges for traversing the world. On top of highways, players can also now set up efficient, but expensive, trade routes through monorails. Combat is becoming more core to the experience, with a new arsenal of sniper rifles, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and more. Even Sam’s backpack can be put down, allowing for more nimble combat and infiltration sequences. All together, it looks like Death Stranding 2 promises more freedom in how to overcome obstacles.With all that packed inside an already unforgettable world, it is no surprise that play testers are responding positively. Balancing the desire for originality with more widespread success is a key consideration for Kojima, he said.“Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either. I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But in essence, I don’t want to simply recreate something that’s already in the world,” Kojima said. “I want to make something new.”Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to be released June 26, 2025 on PlayStation 5.See More:

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Scientists bamboozled by "ice piracy" where non-living glaciers are "stealing" ice Sayan Sen Neowin @ssc_combater007 · May 15, 2025 16:52 EDT Image by Tobias Bjørkli via PexelsScientists have spotted a surprising change in Antarctica—one glacier is pulling ice away from another in a process researchers call "ice piracy." This shift, once thought to take centuries or even millennia, has happened in less than 18 years, according to a new study from the University of Leeds published in The Cryosphere on May 8. Using satellite data, researchers examined eight ice streams in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler (PSK) region of West Antarctica between 2005 and 2022. They found that seven of the streams had sped up, with Smith West Glacier showing the biggest increase at 87%. But Kohler West Glacier, in contrast, had slowed by 10%. The reason? Kohler West’s ice flow had shifted toward Kohler East Glacier, which was thinning and moving faster. Over time, this caused the ice divide between the Dotson and Crosson Ice Shelves to shift eastward, changing how much ice reaches these floating ice platforms. Dr. Heather Selley, the study's lead author, explained what's happening. “We think that the observed slowdown on Kohler West Glacier is due to the redirection of ice flow towards its neighbor—Kohler East. This is due to the large change in Kohler West’s surface slope, likely caused by the vastly different thinning rates on its neighboring glaciers.” Kohler East’s rapid movement pulls in ice from Kohler West, a process Selley described as "ice piracy." “We didn’t know ice streams could ‘steal’ ice from each over such a short period, so this is a fascinating discovery,” she said. The team used satellite tracking techniques to measure how fast the glaciers were moving by monitoring surface features like crevasses and rifts. They also studied ice thinning rates with data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) CryoSat mission. The study was done in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM), with additional data from ESA, NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Co-author Pierre Dutrieux, a climate researcher at BAS, explained why this matters. “This study provides an interesting demonstration of ice piracy, where flow into one glacier gradually switches to flow into another glacier, as the ocean melts the grounding zone and re-configures ice flow.” The shifting ice flow is affecting Dotson and Crosson Ice Shelves, two floating platforms that help stabilize Antarctica’s ice sheet. Dotson Ice Shelf is about 30 miles wide, roughly the distance from Leeds to York, while Crosson Ice Shelf spans about 40 miles—the distance from Leeds to Manchester. Both shelves have already lost a lot of ice in recent decades, and this new change could impact their stability even further. Professor Anna Hogg, a study co-author, described the consequences. “The changes in flow direction have substantially altered the ice mass flux into Dotson and Crosson Ice Shelves, likely playing an important role in maintaining Dotson and accelerating the deterioration of Crosson.” Sea levels are already rising, and Antarctica’s ice plays a key role in that process. Scientists estimate that more than 410 million people worldwide could be at risk from sea-level rise by 2100. Data shows that global sea levels have increased by more than 10 cm over the last decade, and shifting ice flow could make the situation worse. Dr. Martin Wearing, an ESA scientist, emphasized how critical satellite technology is for tracking polar changes. “This new study highlights the unique ability of satellites to provide both the temporal and spatial coverage required to assess change in the polar regions. Using data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 and ESA's Earth Explorer CryoSat, the team has revealed the complex evolution of ice flow in part of West Antarctica over the past few decades. Understanding these changing dynamics and what drives them is crucial for improved projections of future ice-sheet change and contributions to sea-level rise.” This research adds to growing concerns about Antarctica’s changing ice flow patterns and how they are influenced by ocean warming, changes in air temperature, and snowfall variations. By showing that glaciers can redirect their ice flow much faster than expected, scientists are gaining new insights into how Antarctica’s ice sheet might continue changing—and what that could mean for the rest of the planet. Source: University of Leeds, The Cryosphere This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Over the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, there’s been an explosion of news about proposed budget cuts to science in the US. One trend I’ve noticed: Researchers and civil servants are sounding the alarm that those cuts mean we might lose key data that helps us understand our world and how climate change is affecting it. My colleague James Temple has a new story out today about researchers who are attempting to measure the temperature of mountain snowpack across the western US. Snow that melts in the spring is a major water source across the region, and monitoring the temperature far below the top layer of snow could help scientists more accurately predict how fast water will flow down the mountains, allowing farmers, businesses, and residents to plan accordingly. But long-running government programs that monitor the snowpack across the West are among those being threatened by cuts across the US federal government. Also potentially in trouble: carbon dioxide measurements in Hawaii, hurricane forecasting tools, and a database that tracks the economic impact of natural disasters. It’s all got me thinking: What do we lose when data is in danger? Take for example the work at Mauna Loa Observatory, which sits on the northern side of the world’s largest active volcano. In this Hawaii facility, researchers have been measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1958. The resulting graph, called the Keeling Curve (after Charles David Keeling, the scientist who kicked off the effort) is a pillar of climate research. It shows that carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas warming the planet, has increased in the atmosphere from around 313 parts per million in 1958 to over 420 parts per million today. Proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) jeopardize the Keeling Curve’s future. As Ralph Keeling (current steward of the curve and Keeling’s son) put it in a new piece for Wired, “If successful, this loss will be a nightmare scenario for climate science, not just in the United States, but the world.” This story has echoes across the climate world right now. A lab at Princeton that produces what some consider the top-of-the-line climate models used to make hurricane forecasts could be in trouble because of NOAA budget cuts. And last week, NOAA announced it would no longer track the economic impact of the biggest natural disasters in the US. Some of the largest-scale climate efforts will feel the effects of these cuts, and as James’s new story shows, they could also seep into all sorts of specialized fields. Even seemingly niche work can have a huge impact not just on research, but on people. The frozen reservoir of the Sierra snowpack provides about a third of California’s groundwater, as well as the majority used by towns and cities in northwest Nevada. Researchers there are hoping to help officials better forecast the timing of potential water supplies across the region. This story brought to mind my visit to El Paso, Texas, a few years ago. I spoke with farmers there who rely on water coming down the Rio Grande, alongside dwindling groundwater, to support their crops. There, water comes down from the mountains in Colorado and New Mexico in the spring and is held in the Elephant Butte Reservoir. One farmer I met showed me pages and pages of notes of reservoir records, which he had meticulously copied by hand. Those crinkled pages were a clear sign: Publicly available data was crucial to his work. The endeavor of scientific research, particularly when it involves patiently gathering data, isn’t always exciting. Its importance is often overlooked. But as cuts continue, we’re keeping a lookout, because losing data could harm our ability to track, address, and adapt to our changing climate.  This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.