Earth
- Climate
Scientists Say: Waterspout
A whirlwind over land is just a whirlwind. But over water, a whirlwind becomes a waterspout.
- Earth
Earth’s core may have hardened just in time to save planet’s magnetic field
Earth’s inner core began to solidify within the past 565 million years, a study finds. That could explain why the planet’s magnetic field did not collapse.
- Chemistry
Shell shocked: Emerging impacts of our acidifying seas
As Earth’s climate changes, the oceans are becoming more acidic. Here’s how oysters and reefs are responding to their acidifying bath.
- Animals
Ocean acidification may ground swimming skates
Fish might seem immune to acidic waters, but check their skeletons. They can be vulnerable and eventually alter how fish behave.
- Animals
Is ocean acidification knocking the scents out of salmon?
In more acidic water, salmon don’t seem to recognize the smell of danger. Will their populations take a nosedive as carbon-dioxide levels rise?
- Climate
Earth’s permafrost is heating up
Climate change is warming Earth’s permafrost — and in some places thawing it. This could lead to massive releases of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
- Climate
The many faces of snowstorms
There are many different types of winter storms. How do they work?
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- Chemistry
This houseplant can clean indoor air
Houseplants may be able to help clean up polluted indoor air. Scientists gave this one a boost by givng it a gene from a rabbit.
- Ecosystems
Rare-plant hunters race against time to save at-risk species
One in five plants is at risk of extinction. Meet the rare plant hunters who rappel down cliffs and trek through forests to save them.
- Climate
The big melt: Earth’s ice sheets are under attack
Antarctica and Greenland are losing ice 3 to 6 times as quickly as in the 1980s. And by 2100, the rate of loss could increase another 10-fold.
- Earth
Why Antarctica and the Arctic are polar opposites
Antarctica and the Arctic are shaped by different forces. And in the face of global warming, these cold climates are morphing in different ways.
