Earth

Earth

It’s electric! Long-sought new field found in Earth’s atmosphere

This ambipolar electric field is weak. Yet it’s still strong enough to control the evolution of Earth’s upper atmosphere — and maybe life as we know it.

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

Thunderstorms churn up a ‘boiling pot’ of high-energy gamma rays

A thunderstorm seen in gamma ray vision plays out as a complex, frenzied lightshow above the clouds.

Earth

Analyze This: Why do atmospheric ‘ghosts’ glow green after red sprites?

Green ghosts — blurs of light that sometimes follow lightning — get their color from oxygen and metals in space dust.

Oceans

Underwater mountains in the Pacific Ocean may be home to 20 new species

A recent expedition to undersea mountain ranges off the coast of Chile revealed a new seamount and a rich world of deep-sea biodiversity.

Environment

Scientists want to create a sort of Noah’s Ark on the moon

Climate change is threatening Earth’s biodiversity banks. A lunar “ark” would safeguard seeds and cells against changes happening on Earth.

Earth

Surprise! The jet stream can trigger cloud formation

Most cloud-seeding particles may come from a newly discovered mechanism — stratospheric intrusion.

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.

Animals

This biologist tracks seadragons, with help from the public

Nerida Wilson uses artificial intelligence to identify seadragons in photos taken by citizen scientists.

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.

Earth

As Yellowstone’s supervolcano slumbers, another big danger lurks

Superheated water beneath Yellowstone could fuel hydrothermal explosions with the force of an atomic bomb. And lessons from the past suggest they could happen today.

Tech

New system uses evaporation to greatly cool artificial turf

It relies on rainwater that gets stored below a field of plastic "grass." The design also limits how much rain — and pollution — will run off artificial turf.