Earth and Human Activity

  1. Chemistry

    Particles in air help fatten clouds’ water droplets

    Making their own clouds has shown scientists how the fattest water droplets form. Understanding this could lead to better forecasts of climate change.

    By Thomas Sumner
  2. Earth

    Quake risk in some central states rivals California’s

    Risks of tremors in some central U.S. states are as high as those in quake-prone California. The reason: waste fluids from oil and gas drilling.

    By Thomas Sumner
  3. Earth

    Breathing very dirty air may boost obesity risk

    Breathing dirty Beijing air made rats heavier and less healthy than rats breathing clean air. Scientists now worry such polluted air may do the same thing to people.

    By Ashley Yeager
  4. Environment

    Not so sweet: Fake sugar found at sea

    Sucralose — sold in stores as Splenda — has begun turning up in seawater. This raises concern about the fake sweetener’s impacts on the environment.

    By Ashley Yeager
  5. Chemistry

    Gulf oil spills could destroy shipwrecks faster

    In the Gulf of Mexico, leftover crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill may be speeding the corrosion of old shipwrecks.

    By Thomas Sumner
  6. Tech

    Powered by poop and pee?

    Scientists are developing methods to not only remove human waste from wastewater, but also to harness the energy hidden within it.

    By Alison Pearce Stevens
  7. Chemistry

    Olive oil untangles plastic

    Vegetable oils can make plastic fibers stronger. And the process is safer and better for the environment than other detanglers.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  8. Animals

    Using dolphins to find unknown ocean pollutants

    Long-lasting pollutants may threaten marine mammals and human health. To find those pollutants, scientists are sampling blubber, then running the fatty material through new types of tests.

    By Liz Devitt
  9. Climate

    Arctic ice travels fast, carrying pollution

    Climate change is melting old sea ice in the Arctic. Now, younger, thinner ice is migrating far and fast, taking pollutants with it.

    By Thomas Sumner
  10. Climate

    Concerns about Earth’s fever

    Burning fossil fuels is causing the planet to heat up, causing weather patterns to change, sea levels to rise and diseases to spread.

    By Sharon Oosthoek
  11. Climate

    Explainer: How scientists know Earth is warming

    Scientists can calculate global temperatures, both present and past. Their findings show that the planet is rapidly heating up.

    By Sharon Oosthoek
  12. Animals

    Profile: A human touch for animals

    Temple Grandin uses her own autism to understand how animals think. The animal scientist is famous for fostering the humane treatment of livestock.

    By Jennifer Weeks