Chron.com

Researchers at Texas A&M University found that urban areas can strengthen some slow-moving thunderstorms capable of producing flash flooding by altering airflow, moisture and heat patterns around cities. However, researchers also emphasized that not every storm reacts the same way, and some systems can actually weaken over urban environments depending on atmospheric conditions.

Galveston's Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research is expected to break ground in November 2026 on a new sea turtle rehabilitation hospital and educational outreach center that supporters hope will expand rescue efforts for some of the Gulf's most vulnerable marine life.

On Monday, students from Texas A&M-Galveston's Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies departments, in collaboration with island-based archaeological nonprofit LX Heritage, will begin collecting soil core samples from La Maison Rouge's grounds, followed by a two-week excavation of the property later in the month.

Not only was it a never-before-seen specimen, but it was also carrying larvae, a state Dr. Maria Pia Miglietta, associate professor of marine biology at Texas A&M Galveston, described as the jellyfish equivalent of being pregnant. That rare find gave researchers a fleeting window to do something even rarer: follow a brand-new species through its entire life cycle.

"In 1974, they put these 10 cars in the ground along Route 66 at an angle–to them, it's about the rise and fall of the tail fin. The tail fins on the Cadillacs get bigger as they go along and it’s about the height of car culture," said Jonathan Revet, MFA, head of the art, theater, and dance department at Texas A&M University.

"When you see how many butterflies don't make the migration, it gives you perspective," James Tracy, a postdoctoral researcher in A&M's Department of Entomology, said in an AgriLife Today news release. "It shows how closely our daily lives overlap with the natural world, and we are researching some small adjustments that could make a real difference."

Dr. Guilherme N. Corte, a marine biologist and assistant professor at Texas A&M University, was similarly surprised after conducting fieldwork in the area over the summer. "It was really impressive! I have not seen such high densities on the beaches I have studied so far—Brazil, Australia, Caribbean," Corte told Chron. "One possibility is that they are aggregating for reproductive purposes. Many hermit crab species synchronize reproduction with warmer months, when higher temperatures accelerate larval development."

The Gulf of Mexico has a natural barrier made up of Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas, which can prevent outside tsunamis from sweeping the area. There's only a "narrow passage" for a tsunami to hit the Gulf of Mexico, according to Juan Horillo, emeritus associate professor with Texas A&M. "We have a very low probability of a tsunami," Horillo said. "The only source could be a landslide, but that doesn't happen often."