Earth

Earth

Dust creates deserts in the sky

Vast rivers of dust flow through the sky. This invisible force shapes our world in profound ways. And scientists are finally homing in on a major source.

Earth

Cool Jobs: Getting to know volcanoes

It’s too hot to explore the insides of a volcano. These scientists examine their lava, their low-frequency rumblings and their ‘vog’.

Animals

Pollen can become bee ‘junk food’ as CO₂ rises

Increasing levels of the greenhouse gas are changing diminishing the food value of pollen, bees’ only source of protein.

Ecosystems

This microbe thinks plastic is dinner

The bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis chows down on one type of polluting plastics. That means it could become helpful in cleaning up environmental waste.

Earth

Cool Jobs: Mapping the unknown

Scientists find different ways of exploring places humans will never visit — and drawing maps to help us better understand such mysterious places.

Earth

Carbon dioxide could explain how geysers spout

A new study overturns 150 years of thinking about Yellowstone’s geysers. Carbon dioxide, not just hot water, may be driving those spectacular eruptions.

Chemistry

Particles in air help fatten clouds’ water droplets

Making their own clouds has shown scientists how the fattest water droplets form. Understanding this could lead to better forecasts of climate change.

Earth

Quake risk in some central states rivals California’s

Risks of tremors in some central U.S. states are as high as those in quake-prone California. The reason: waste fluids from oil and gas drilling.

Chemistry

Smash hit: Making ‘diamond’ that’s harder than diamonds

Scientists had suspected extreme meteorite impacts might turn graphite into an unusual type of diamond. Now they’ve seen it happen — in under a nanosecond.

Earth

Breathing very dirty air may boost obesity risk

Breathing dirty Beijing air made rats heavier and less healthy than rats breathing clean air. Scientists now worry such polluted air may do the same thing to people.

Chemistry

Microbes mine treasure from waste

Like miniature factories, bioreactors house microbes recruited to chew through wastes to clean dirty water, make chemicals or generate electricity.

Environment

Not so sweet: Fake sugar found at sea

Sucralose — sold in stores as Splenda — has begun turning up in seawater. This raises concern about the fake sweetener’s impacts on the environment.