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Russia-Ukraine
U.S. Approves Strikes on Russia
U.S. President Joseph Biden given permission to Ukraine to strike into Russian territory with missiles supplied by the American government, including the long-range ATACMS missile system. After 1,000 days since Russia began its full-scale war on Ukraine, this is a significant change in U.S. policy in its support for Ukraine’s defense, but there may still be certain restrictions on the use of long-range missiles that haven’t been made public. Since word got out, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes on Russian territory with American missiles would mean that NATO is directly involved in this war. Operationally, Ukraine is unable to target ATACMS missiles without direct intelligence from the United States military.
This map depicts the distance into Russian territory where Ukraine could potentially strike with U.S.-supplied HIMARS and ATACMS missile systems. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Azerbaijan
COP29 Meets as Heat Rises
Delegates from around the world are meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, called COP29, the top global forum for policy making and agenda forming in tackling climate change. The conference has been accused of being ineffective, with a new Climate Action Tracker project reporting that the expected level of global heating has remained unchanged since 2021. At prior gatherings, global leaders agreed to limit overall global temperature rise by 2100 to 2.7°F (1.5°C), but some some projections show temperatures rising by 4.9°F (2.7°C) within this time frame. Despite the breakthrough rollout of clean technologies replacing coal, gas, and oil, fossil fuel subsidies have soared, and their funding quadrupled between 2021 and 2022. Scientists say the 4.9°F prediction has a wide margin of error, and the actual temperature rise could be notably higher, resulting in more catastrophic events.
This map depicts the Climate Action Tracker’s data on which countries are critically insufficient, highly insufficient, insufficient, and almost insufficient in meeting the global heating goals and targets, and which one’s actions are on track to help meet the goal of limiting overall warming to 1.5º. Click on the map to learn more.
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Russia
35,000-year-old Kitten Discovered
The remains of a 35,000-year-old saber-toothed kitten were discovered under the Siberian permafrost in Russia’s Sakha Republic. The kitten, which died of unknown causes at three weeks old, had whiskers, claws, and a dark brown fur coat with hairs 0.8 to 1.2 inches (20 to 30 mm) long. If intact, the kitten would have been 14 inches (35 cm) long. This groundbreaking find, from the species Homotherium latidens, has no relation to modern felids, with scientists recording this species’ fur texture, muscle mass, and muzzle shape for the first time. Because of its adaptation to the thick snow in the Siberian region, the kitten had wide paws, no carpal pads, a large neck and mouth opening, elongated limbs, and a unique muzzle shape, unlike those found previously in the Americas, Africa, and Eurasia. Saber-toothed cats went extinct approximately 12,000 years ago during the Pleistocene era. Multiple remains have been found trapped in the Siberian permafrost as the cold, dry conditions of the region allow fossils to be perfectly encapsulated and preserved.
This map depicts the location of the 35,000-year-old saber-toothed kitten fossil in Russia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What is the name of the rift valley that stretches from the Horn of Africa down to Mozambique?
A: East African Rift Valley
The East African Rift Valley (EAR) is a major tectonic feature that stretches from the Afar Triple Junction in the Horn of Africa down to Mozambique. This rift is part of an active tectonic boundary that gradually splits the African continent into two parts: the Nubian Plate (western side) and the Somali Plate (eastern side). It’s one of the few places on Earth where a continental landmass is actively drifting apart, which is a rare tectonic phenomenon. Rifts are the initial stage of a continental break-up and, if successful, can lead to the formation of a new ocean basin.
Source
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Q: What mountain range is considered the traditional boundary between north and south India?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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