Penguins could be playing a crucial role in stabilizing the climate in Antarctica when they go No. 2, according to new research.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The weird way that penguin poop might be cooling Antarctica on May 22, 2025. Alaska, Hawaii and areas along the mainland West Coast would be at risk if an earthquake erupts along the Cascadia subduction zone within the next 50 years.

Huge colonies of penguins in Antarctica fill the air with ammonia, which stabilises particles in the atmosphere that allow climate-cooling clouds to form