Technologies

Scientists concerned climate change is causing animals to ‘shape-shift’

Wood mice have larger ears. Australian parrots have bulkier bills. And the shifts are happening very quickly, researchers say.

The climate crisis is sending natural selection into overdrive, a new study suggests, forcing animals to cope with rapidly warming temperatures by physically morphing, or «shape-shifting.» That raises a piercing question: Can evolution keep up with the result of human-driven carbon emissions?

In the last 150 years, Australian parrots, such as gang-gang cockatoos and red-rumped parrots, have shown up to a 10% average increase in bill size alongside rising temperatures in their natural habitats, according to research published Tuesday in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

«It’s alarming that we are seeing these responses so early on in the climate crisis,» said study author Sara Ryding, a researcher in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. «We don’t know if they’ll be able to keep up as the crisis worsens.»

The fluffy parrots streaked with bright colors aren’t the only victims of a warmer world. Several other species of birds in North America and Australia have seen an increase in bill size, wood mice have bigger ears, and some bats are flaunting an upgraded, larger set of wings.

Those larger appendages are expected to help the animals manage hot weather because they offer a greater surface area for releasing body heat. «This is not necessarily an increase that’s visible to the naked eye,» Ryding noted, «but it’s still functionally important.»

Though evolution has occurred since the beginning of life on Earth, Ryding worries that right now it’s happening far too quickly.

«I don’t want the takeaway to be that, ‘Oh, animals are evolving in response to climate change, that means they’ll be fine,’ because that simply isn’t true,» she said.

The team’s study, which scoured through tons of already published papers to compare trends in animal shape-shifting against climate change, recognized that the rampant adaptations are happening relatively early along the projected timeline of the climate crisis.

That timeline doesn’t taper off for a while.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change already calls many countries’ previous goal of limiting global warming in the next decades to 1.5 degrees, or even 2 degrees, as «beyond reach.» That’s unless there are «immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,» reads the group’s report from August, which the panel deems a «reality check.»

«Climatic changes are happening at a faster rate than ever before,» Ryding said. «Although evolutionary changes can be a slow process, taking thousands — or more — years, we also know that strong selection can drive faster evolutionary change.»

By strong selection, Ryding is referring to the intensity with which natural selection occurs. If only one in 10 members of a species can survive in a warm climate due to their having a larger appendage, the other nine won’t live long enough to pass their genes onto the next generation.

That’s why we’re seeing new cohorts of species with bulkier appendages riding the trajectory of global warming.

«Seeing just how widespread this phenomenon is across geographic scales and across a broad range of animals — the unifying factor that we find is climate change,» Ryding said.

The correlation makes sense, because of a theory first developed in 1877 by American zoologist and ornithologist Joel Asaph Allen. It basically states that animals living in warmer climates will have larger, longer appendages than those in colder areas.

«Animals can let go of excess body heat through their appendages, so larger appendages allow them to let go of even more excess body heat, which is beneficial as the climate warms,» Ryding explained.

Allen’s rule has been widely studied by scientists, including in a paper from 2020 that aims to establish its benefit as a predictive tool for climate change outcomes. However, the sheer coverage of Ryding’s work solidifies the phenomenon of expedited evolution as a far-reaching issue.

«I hope that these findings really highlight how climate change is impacting animals,» Ryding said, «and how important it is that we work to reduce our emissions and avoid the climate crisis as much as possible.»

Technologies

460,000 Student Loan Borrowers Seeking Lower Payments Will Be Denied. What to Do If You’re One of Them

Most applicants were eligible for SAVE, which has been struck down. Here’s how to apply for other repayment plans.

Nearly half a million federal student loan borrowers who applied for lower monthly payments will be denied by the Department of Education.

Based on internal documents obtained by Politico, the department is rejecting 460,000 student loan borrowers who selected the lowest payment option based on their income. For most applicants, that was the Saving for a Valuable Education repayment plan.

SAVE was struck down by a federal court in February, so how were people still applying for the plan? It’s likely the Education Department is still processing applications submitted before the Trump administration removed the SAVE plan as an option on Feb. 21, 2025, said student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz.

As of June 30, the department reported 1.5 million pending applications for borrowers who are seeking Income-Driven Repayment plans. It processed 186,731 applications in June.

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Processing delays are the latest hurdle for borrowers trying to navigate student loan repayment. Millions of SAVE borrowers’ loans are currently in a general forbearance, with payments expected to remain on hold until mid-2026. However, the Department of Education announced this month that those loans will start accruing interest again on Aug. 1, so borrowers may be feeling pressured to choose another repayment program.

If you’ve applied for a repayment plan, here’s what you need to know about the status of your application and when you could start repayments.

Read more: SAVE Student Loan Borrowers Have Less Than 2 Weeks Before Interest Restarts. Here’s What to Do

How can you find out the status of your loan and repayment plan request?

If you applied for a new repayment plan and are denied, your loan processor should notify you when your application has been processed. You can also check the status of your plan request by logging into your StudentAid.gov account and going to the «My Activity» page. Your application should be listed as «In Review», «Action Required» or «Completed or Closed.»

Although the Federal Student Aid site says processing typically takes about 30 days, it notes you should expect delays due to the high volume of requests.

What happens if I’m rejected for a repayment plan?

If you applied for an income-driven repayment plan and were rejected, you may be placed in a standard 10-year repayment plan if you don’t choose another repayment plan, Kantrowitz said. «That’s typically what happens when a borrower is no longer eligible for an income-driven repayment plan.»

However, you can apply for another repayment plan at this time. The other repayment plans are also in a bit of a transition period since the Republican-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed. Existing borrowers can still sign up for the Income-Based Repayment plan. Two other income-driven repayment plans, income-contingent and PAYE, are still options on the federal student loan site, but will be phased out.

Existing borrowers will also have the option to enroll in the Repayment Assistance Plan, a new plan that was passed in the bill, but this option won’t be available until next year.

«The best option for most borrowers who were in the SAVE repayment plan is IBR, since IBR still qualifies for forgiveness, while ICR and PAYE do not,» Kantrowitz said. «[Previous] payments made under SAVE, ICR, PAYE, REPAYE and IBR count toward IBR forgiveness.»

If you’re a SAVE borrower who applies for a new repayment plan and it’s held up by processing delays, your loans should remain in good standing while you’re waiting. However, interest will start accruing next month, so you may consider making interest-only payments while waiting for your application to process.

Technologies

You Can See Two Meteor Showers at Once In July’s Night Sky. Here’s How to Catch a Glimpse

Peaking at their full glory on the same day in July are the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids meteor showers. Here’s when to look up.

While you may not have ever seen one, meteor showers actually happen all year. In fact, they happen so often that they overlap for significant percentages of the year. There are two times when three meteor showers will be active in October, for example. But a rarer feat? Having two meteor showers that peak at the same time. It’ll happen later this month, on July 29.

The show will come courtesy of the Alpha Capricornids and Southern delta Aquariids meteor showers. The former began on Saturday and runs through Aug. 12, with a peak of July 29. Southern delta Aquariids will start on July 28, peaks early on July 29, and then runs until Aug. 12 as well. That means for one evening, the two meteor showers are peaking at the same time, giving stargazers a much better chance at catching a shooting star.

Of the two, the Southern delta Aquarids is typically the larger meteor shower, tossing upwards of 25 meteors per hour during its zenith. Alpha Capricornids is a lesser meteor shower, with about five per hour on average. Combined, they’ll output an estimated 30 per hour.

How to see two meteor showers at once

Since the meteors are coming from two different points in the sky, you would think spotting meteors from both would be difficult, but that is far from the truth.

Alpha Capricornids, which hails from the 169P/NEAT comet, originates from the Capricornus constellation. It will rise from the eastern skies across the continental US around sunset and streak across the southern sky, setting in the western sky at sunrise.

For the Southern delta Aquariids, its radiant — the point from which its meteors seem to originate — is the Aquarius constellation. Aquarius is right next to Capricornus. That means it also rises out of the eastern horizon, streaks across the southern sky, and sets in the western horizon around dawn.

If you have trouble finding either of them, Stellarium’s free sky map will help you hunt them down. Set the time, date and location, and you’re off to the races. Once you find one, the other one is essentially right there next to it.

Tips on spotting shooting stars

As per the norm, the tips here are the same as they are for the aurora borealis and planet parades. Light pollution and weather are your two biggest enemies. Since you can only do anything about one of those, let’s focus on light pollution. You’ll want to drive as far away from the city and suburbs as possible, as the light pollution will make it difficult to see the dimmer meteors. The further away you are, the better, as even suburban light pollution can obfuscate most meteors.

Once out there, you just have to sit and wait. Since the constellations will move across the south as you watch, you may have to rotate your chair if you’re out there for a while. Otherwise, a pair of binoculars may help. Telescopes aren’t recommended, as they obscure your field of view and may actively obstruct your ability to see meteors.

Technologies

Every Free Pokemon Code and In-Game Item From Pokemon Presents July 2025

This Pokemon Direct focused on updates for mobile games and live service titles, which inevitably means there are promo codes and other goodies you can redeem now.

July’s Pokemon Presents didn’t feature any major mainline game announcements, but you’re eating good if you play one of the Pokemon live service games. Sizable updates are coming to the whole suite of Pokemon mobile games, including Pokemon Go, Pokemon Masters Ex, Pokemon Cafe Remix and Pokemon Sleep (though Pokemon TCG Pocket was left out to dry this time around).

New playable characters are coming to Pokemon Unite, and we got additional news about Pokemon Champions and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Even people who don’t play too many games got their fill of good news as the release date was revealed for Netflix’s Pokemon Concierge.

If you have a keen eye, though, you also spotted nearly half a dozen promo codes and free item reveals scattered throughout today’s Pokemon Presents stream. But, just in case, here are all the free Pokemon goodies you can redeem right now.

Read more: The Top 25 Best Pokemon Games of All Time, Ranked

Pokemon Go

The next Pokemon Go Fest will be a massive one — literally. Pokemon Go Fest Global 2025: Max Finale takes place between Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, incentivizing players to take on challenging Gigantamax battles in order to catch the game’s newest legendary, Eternatus.

In order to gear up for these fights, you can redeem the GOFESTMAX promo code in the Pokemon Go web store to unlock a special timed research to power up your Pokemon box. This research gets you a free Gigantamax Cinderace, Rillaboom or Inteleon, which you can otherwise only catch after battling them in some of the game’s hardest raids.

Pokemon Masters Ex

Fan-favorite Scarlet and Violet characters are arriving in Pokemon Masters Ex. You’ll have a chance to earn Carmine and her partner Pokemon, Sinistcha, in an upcoming September update.

To celebrate the new wave of arrivals, anyone who logs into the game right now will earn 3,000 free gems to use however you like: pull trainers to your heart’s content now, or hold onto them until the new characters have joined the roster.

Pokemon Cafe Remix

It’s a pirate’s life for Lapras in the latest Pokemon Cafe Remix update. Starting July 23, you can earn sea captain Lapras, pirate crew Alolan Meowth, Totodile and Minccino and unlock themed decorations to deck out your cafe.

To celebrate all the summery fun, you can recruit a free Jigglypuff with a sun hat staff member by logging in now. A free 11-pull express ticket is also available every day during the duration of the event.

Pokemon Unite

Latios and Latias team up to enter the fray to commemorate Pokemon Unite’s fourth anniversary. While Latios joined the battle in a recent update, Latias will become a playable pocket monster on Aug. 8. A new game mode, Electrode Volleyball, is also available for all players to experience now.

To celebrate the pocket monster multiplayer online battle arena’s anniversary, you can redeem the UNITE0722 promo code to unlock a limited three-day Latios access pass, a platinum Latios boost emblem and a platinum Latias boost emblem.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

A legendary set of Tera Raids is arriving in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to celebrate the game’s free Switch 2 update. Right now, players can fight shiny versions of the Treasures of Ruin. Once the global community collectively defeats Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu and Chi-Yu 1 million times each, players will be able to catch their shiny variants after the Tera Raids.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players are also able to celebrate the release of the Switch 2 with new character customization unlocks. Use the STRACKSU1T promo code to unlock the tracksuit apparel item in Pokemon Scarlet and the VTRACKSU1T promo code to unlock the outfit in Pokemon Violet.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

This follow-up game to Pokemon Legends: Arceus comes out on Oct. 16, and we just got our first look at Mega Dragonite and the fearsome Rogue Mega Evolution in-game raid battles. If you already know that you’re going to buy Pokemon Legends: Z-A at launch, there are free in-game rewards you can earn ahead of time.

Players who buy the game will earn a free Ralts holding a Gardevoirite, which allows you to unlock the powerful Mega Gardevoir early in the game. If you buy a digital copy of Legends: Z-A, you’ll also earn 100 free Pokeballs to do with as you please.