Earth and Human Activity

Earth

This long-buried glacier ice is at least 770,000 years old

Thanks to climate change, thawing permafrost in the Canadian Arctic has revealed this glacier remnant that could be more than a million years old.

Chemistry

Some bacteria in wastewater can break down a common plastic

These microbes can break the carbon bonds that make PET plastics so hard to degrade. This type of plastic makes up almost one-third of plastic waste.

Climate

2024 set new record for hottest year, passing a dangerous heat threshold

For the first year in recorded history, Earth’s average temperature topped 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Earth

Scientists Say: Avulsion

As rivers seek out easier routes to the sea, path reroutes can transform our world. This is ‘avulsion’ refers to in geology. In medicine, the word can describe injuries.

Climate

Why is Los Angeles on fire?

High heat and little rain have extended wildfire season to year-round in some parts of California. Fast winds and dry conditions are fueling L.A.’s current infernos.

Materials Science

This teen materials scientist wants to save the Great Salt Lake

Thermo Fisher JIC finalist Sophia Zhang investigated hydrogels that might conserve water in farming — a big stressor of the lake’s water supply.

Earth

A landslide in a Greenland fjord echoed around Earth for 9 days

Warming permafrost and glacial melt destabilized a fragile mountain slope, leading to a landslide-triggered tsunami in a fjord. Is this a sign of more to come?

Animals

Giant rat border agents could help put a stop to wildlife poaching

African giant pouched rats have been trained to ferret out elephant ivory, pangolin scales and more. They could be put to work preventing smuggling.

Earth

Earthquakes upped the death toll at Pompeii

Broken bodies found at a house in Pompeii suggest that earthquakes played a role in the legendary tragedy.

Climate

An ancient log shows how burying wood can fight climate change

A blanket of clay soil helped the wood hold onto the carbon it had absorbed — for thousands of years.

Earth

Meet the sneaky and surprisingly dangerous squall-line tornado

These destructive, radar-dodging twisters often form at night. Emerging data from the U.S. Southeast might soon make forecasting the tornadoes possible.

Climate

Let’s learn about how much climate change is to blame for extreme weather

Scientists can find out whether a natural disaster was more frequent or severe due to human-caused climate change. Here’s how.