Researchers retrieve oldest continuous ice core from Little Dome C
Technology
Researchers have drilled up the oldest-ever continuous ice core from East Antarctica's Little Dome C, capturing air bubbles that have been sealed away for over 1.2 million years.
This ancient ice gives us a direct window into what Earth's atmosphere was really like back then; think of it as nature's own climate archive.
Bubbles shed light on Mid-Pleistocene Transition
These trapped air bubbles hold actual samples of greenhouse gasses like CO2 and methane from way before humans showed up.
By studying them, scientists hope to crack the mysteries of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a turning point when Earth's ice ages started changing rhythm.
All this could help us understand how our planet's climate has shifted over time, and maybe even give us clues about what comes next.