{
  "id": 197028,
  "title": "Giant ice mountains on the other side of Earth once dictated Australia’s climate – new study",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/giant-ice-mountains-on-the-other-side-of-earth-once-dictated",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-06T00:16:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/giant-ice-mountains-on-the-other-side-of-earth-once-dictated-australias-climate-new-study-287949"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a groundbreaking study published in Climate of the Past, researchers have discovered that giant ice mountains on the other side of the Earth once dictated Australia’s climate. During the most recent ice age, approximately 49,000 years ago, massive ice sheets in North America were already large enough to influence climate far beyond their edges, despite never reaching Australia. The study, conducted by Himadri Saini and Laurie Menviel, demonstrates the interconnectedness of Earth’s climate system and the far-reaching effects of these ancient ice giants. The ice sheets not only reshaped coastlines but also altered atmospheric circulation patterns, leading to significant shifts in rainfall patterns across Australia and other parts of the world.",
  "summary": "Mountains of ice far away in the northern hemisphere surely couldn’t change rainfall in Australia – or could they?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/197028.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Giant ice mountains on the other side of Earth once dictated Australia's climate—new study",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/giant-ice-mountains-on-the-other-side-of-earth-once-dictated-227453",
        "published": "2026-08-06T15:40:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Scientific American",
        "title": "Did life on Earth only arise once? Perhaps not",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/did-life-on-earth-only-arise-once-perhaps-not",
        "published": "2026-08-07T13:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}