Earth
- Climate
When the moon throws shade, the weather can change
Scientists have been puzzled about how a solar eclipse can impact weather. Here’s some of what they learned during the August 2017 event.
- Environment
Wildfires worsen extreme air pollution in U.S. northwest
America’s air is getting cleaner — except in places prone to frequent wildfires.
- Earth
An ancient cold snap causes heated debate
Despite criticism from fellow scientists, some researchers won’t let go of the idea that a comet caused a prehistoric cold snap.
- Earth
People are changing which parts of Earth get more (or less) water
Human activities have been reshaping the planet’s water map. Some changes created new lakes. Others caused lakes to disappear.
- Life
Bird poop helps keep coral reefs healthy, but rats are interfering
Eradicating invasive rats from islands may help boost numbers of seabirds. The birds’ droppings provide nutrients to nearby coral reefs.
- Earth
Kilauea’s volcanic fireworks show no signs of stopping
Watch some of the most striking videos and images of the ongoing eruption’s strange, fiery beauty.
- Earth
After erupting, one volcano sings a unique ‘song’
After a strong eruption in 2015, one Ecuadoran volcano “rang like a bell.”
- Earth
Scientists Say: Upwelling
This is a process in which a substance rises and spreads out over something else. Upwelling happens in the ocean, inside the Earth and even in a planet’s atmosphere.
- Animals
Here’s what narwhals sound like underwater
Scientists eavesdropped while narwhals clicked and buzzed. The work could help pinpoint how the whales may react to more human noise in the Arctic.
- Climate
Antarctica’s melting speeds up
Antarctica’s ice has been melting faster in the last five years. This has raised the world’s oceans almost 8 millimeters on average.
- Chemistry
‘Thirdhand’ smoke can hitchhike to non-smoking sites
Harmful “thirdhand” smoke — the type that attaches to surfaces — can hitch a ride on airborne particles or clothes and travel into non-smoking buildings.
- Climate
Tropical cyclones are getting more sluggish
Hurricanes and other storms are traveling more slowly than they used to. That might mean even more rainfall for communities they batter.
