Earth and Human Activity
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AnimalsA love of small mammals drives this scientist
Alexis Mychajliw’s science is driven by her love of animals. She now looks to tar pits and fossilized poop to understand ancient ecosystems.
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EnvironmentProtecting forests may help head off future pandemics
Hungry bats are more likely to shed harmful viruses to people or livestock when they spread out to hunt food. Conserving forests may limit this risk.
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ClimateEight ways you can cut your carbon footprint
Learn how you can limit the climate-warming gases associated with what you eat, the products you buy and the energy you use.
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ClimateThe world is aiming for ‘net zero’ emissions of greenhouse gases
Nations are charting how they might ‘zero’ out their releases of climate-warming gases. Success might greatly lower the risks of climate catastrophes.
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EnvironmentGas stoves can spew lots of pollution, even when they’re turned off
A new study finds they can leak benzene and other harmful chemicals into homes, sometimes at very high levels.
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EnvironmentFor a better brick, just add poop
Sewage sludge. Cow dung. They’re not just waste — scientists are finding uses for processed poop in construction materials.
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ClimateGreen energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, a new study finds
Switching over to clean, renewable power — and away from fossil fuels — could save trillions of dollars by 2050, a new study finds.
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ChemistryExplainer: All about carbon dioxide
Animals and other life on Earth exhale carbon dioxide, which plants use for photosynthesis. But too much of this gas can perturb Earth’s climate.
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ClimateExplainer: What is decarbonization?
Lowering carbon levels in our atmosphere to stabilize the climate may start with switching from fossil fuels to greener energy sources.
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TechUnderwater cameras get a new power source — sound!
Needing no batteries, a new digital camera can run almost continuously to offer new, deeper insights into the ocean world.
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EnvironmentMicroplastic pollution aids viruses and prolongs their infectivity
The tiny plastic bits give these germs safe havens. That protection seems to increase as the plastic ages and breaks into ever smaller pieces.
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EarthFossil-fuel use is confusing some carbon-dating measurements
Carbon-14 dating of recent artifacts will soon give scientists confusing results. That’s another price society pays for its reliance on fossil fuels.