Earth

Fossils

Clues to the Great Dying

Millions of years ago, nearly all life on Earth vanished. Scientists are now starting to figure out what happened.

Environment

Mealworms chow down on plastic

Gut bacteria in mealworms break down polystyrene. Feeding plastic to the worms, or the germs they carry, could be a way to get rid of these wastes.

Climate

Picture This: Biggest hurricane in the West

The hurricane that’s storming into western Mexico has had higher sustained winds than any seen in the Western Hemisphere. It’s also got the lowest atmospheric pressure, making it a monster storm.

Earth

Scientists Say: Jet Stream

You might hear about the jet stream on a weather report, but what is it? We explain.

Earth

The dirt on soil

More than just dirt, soils teem with microbes essential for growing crops. Soils also help prevent floods and even play a role in climate change.

Environment

Humans are ‘superpredators’

A new study compares the hunting habits of wild animals and humans. People, it turns out, are unlike any other predator on Earth.

Environment

Stuffy classrooms may lower test scores

New research links fresh air in classrooms to test scores. Elementary-school students in stuffy classrooms, it found, may perform worse on standardized tests.

Health & Medicine

Cool Jobs: Finding foods for the future

What's for dinner... tomorrow? Scientists are developing new foods to meet the demands of the growing population in a changing world.

Animals

Weed killers may go from plant to pooch

Dogs love to roll around in the grass. But if there is weed killer around, it could end up on — and in — our furry pals.

Agriculture

‘Wildlife-free’ farms don’t make salads safer

Scientists find that removing wildlife from farms did not make raw vegetables safer to eat.

Earth

Quake provides test for tsunami prediction

The 8.3-magnitude Chilean earthquake offered an unexpected chance to test a new way of predicting tsunami damage.

Oceans

Explainer: What is a tsunami?

Earthquakes and landslides can create huge waves that travel across oceans.