Science Snapshots: June 21, 2026

New seismic hazard spotted in Japan’s 2011 quake

Following the 2011 earthquake, 15 minutes after the main shock, the ground across Japan shifted east by up to 6 mm. Using satellite data, scientists have now found this movement was triggered by ScS waves, seismic waves that travel down from the earthquake source, bounce off the planet’s core, and return to the surface. Because these waves travel nearly vertically, they hit Japan’s tectonic plate boundaries all at once. The scientists called this a new seismic hazard.

War in Ukraine hit differently mammals differently

Using camera traps, researchers in Ukraine compared animal activity during the 2022 Russian occupation to peacetime data from 2021 in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. They found mammals adjusted their habits quickly to survive. For instance, red deer and foxes significantly reduced their activity at night. When combat intensified, roe deer activity dropped while brown hares were spotted more often. And while wild boars avoided military sites, lynx and foxes stayed closer to human settlements.

The plague was deadly even before farming’s rise

Scientists have found evidence of plague outbreaks among hunter-gatherers near Lake Baikal in Siberia dating back 5,500 years. The find challenges the old belief that the plague only became a major threat once humans began living in dense, crowded farming communities. The team analysed ancient DNA and estimated an infection rate of 39%. However, the strains lacked the genes needed to be spread by flea bites, suggesting it moved directly from person to person.