Earth

Environment

Bug-killer linked to decline in birds

One of the most popular chemicals used to protect crops from bugs may also take a toll on birds, a Dutch study finds. U.S. farmers also rely on these insecticides, a second study finds.

Earth

Mailing off my microbeads

I was shocked to find out that my face wash contains plastics that might possibly harm marine creatures. So I’m donating it to science.

Agriculture

Your food choices affect Earth’s climate

Producing food can put a lot of climate-warming pollutants into the atmosphere. But some foods, especially meats, contribute more than others.

Microbes

Superbugs: A silent health emergency

Have antibiotics become too popular? Overusing these medicines fuels resistant germs that pose a global health threat.

Animals

Teen shows salty lionfish are getting fresh

Lauren Arrington kept spotting lionfish in rivers near her Florida home. Her science fair project probed how much fresh water these ocean fish could stand — and led to a published research paper.

Environment

Seeing red: North’s CO2 hits new peak

CO2 values are now 50 percent higher than before the Industrial Revolution.

Environment

Native ‘snot’

The ‘rock snot’ choking rivers may be native algae. Experts blame its sudden and dramatic emergence on changes in Earth’s atmosphere, soils and climate.

Climate

This umbrella ‘listens’ to rain — for science

Scientists have developed an umbrella that ‘listens’ to falling raindrops. One day, a fleet of such simple rain gauges may help scientists better map weather patterns and changes in Earth’s water supplies.

Earth

Nifty science

Inspired research put select high school seniors on the path to the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search finals.

Earth

Thirst for water moves and shakes California

Here’s a scary cost to pumping up groundwater to slake the thirst of crops in California’s Central Valley: It may uplift nearby mountains and trigger tiny earthquakes, experts find.

Earth

Don’t let the bedbugs bite

A trio of teens has found a nontoxic way to stop bedbugs dead in their tracks. The method relies on a mesh of fibers that a bug can step into easily — but never leave.

Oceans

Digging a trench to stop a tsunami

Boyd Kane built his own wave tank to study tsunamis and how he might change the seafloor to stop their advance.