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A study suggests an ancient species of great ape was likely driven to extinction by environmental changes. Scientists in China and Australia reported Wednesday on the demise of a great ape that once lived in southern China. The apes survived for around 2 million years and were the largest great ape known to scientists. They stood 10 feet tall and weighed up to 650 pounds. They munched on fruits and flowers in the tropical forests until the environment began to change. Then their preferred foods weren't available during the dry seasons. The giant species couldn't adapt as smaller apes did by climbing trees for more food. The study's findings were published in the journal Nature.

The massive screens of the newest TVs make for flashy displays at CES. But this year they herald big changes.

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Areas across the globe have seen spring snowpack shrink over the last 40 years, and a new study says for many of them climate change is clearly to blame. Wednesday's study in the journal Nature finds a key threshold for the future of snowpacks in the Northern Hemisphere: 17.6 degrees. In places where the winter averages colder than that, often the snowpack survives because it’s cold enough. But areas warmer than 17.6 degrees for a winter average, like the Upper Colorado River basin, tend to see their winter wonderland dreams melt. And it's bad news for water supply.

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A crippling fuel leak has forced a U.S. company to give up on landing a spacecraft on the moon. Astrobotic Technology's lander began leaking fuel shortly after Monday's launch from Florida. The company said Tuesday that the leak may have been the result of a ruptured tank. The spacecraft also encountered problems with its solar panel. The company said the goal now was to keep the lander operating as long as possible in space. A second lander from a Houston company is due to launch next month. Only four countries have successfully landed on the moon.

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