Scientists have shown that ammonites — an extinct type of shelled mollusk that’s closely related to modern-day nautiluses and squids — made homes in the unique environments surrounding methane seeps in the seaway that once covered America’s Great Plains. The findings provide new insights into the mode of life and habitat of these ancient animals.

Like snow sliding off a roof on a sunny day, the Greenland Ice Sheet may be sliding faster into the ocean due to massive releases of meltwater from surface lakes, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder-based Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.