Earth

More Stories in Earth

  1. Climate

    Meet Chonkus, a mutant microbe that could help fight climate change

    A hulking marine cyanobacterium, Chonkus has traits that appears to make it especially good for storing away carbon on the ocean floor.

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  2. Ecosystems

    There’s life beneath the snow — but it’s at risk of melting away

    The organisms that make winter homes in this subnivium help forests thrive year-round. But climate change is making this ecosystem disappear.

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  3. 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.

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  4. 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.

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  5. Earth

    Scientists Say: Frost Quake

    When wet soil abruptly freezes, it creates high pressure underground. When the pressure releases, it can trigger a mini-earthquake called a frost quake.

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  6. Tech

    To stay cool, some future homes may build on past power-free tech

    Accordion-pleated walls and other heat-managing structures could cool homes in hot, dry places naturally — without electricity.

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  7. 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?

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  8. Animals

    Wayward baby puffins get help from a community-led Puffling Patrol

    Fitted with ID tags or tracking devices, birds from one Iceland colony give scientists an eye into puffins’ largely unknown lives at sea.

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  9. Climate

    Trees may be even bigger climate heroes than we thought

    These plants absorb methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in addition to carbon dioxide. Methane’s uptake is likely thanks to microbes living in tree bark.

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