Earth
To understand how ‘night-shining’ clouds form, scientists made one themselves
A rocket, a bathtub’s worth of water and a high-altitude explosion reveal how water vapor cools the air to form shiny ice-crystal clouds.
Earth
More Stories in Earth
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EarthColor-coded radar maps reveal a patchwork of California wildfire destruction
A composite made up of fine-scale vegetation maps from different years lets researchers track the story of plant loss and regrowth around Los Angeles.
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EarthA magnetic field reversal 42,000 years ago may have contributed to mass extinctions
The weakening of Earth's magnetic field beginning around 42,000 years ago correlates with a cascade of environmental crises, scientists say.
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PlantsModified genes can distort wild cotton’s interactions with insects
In a Yucatan nature park, engineered genes influence nectar production, affecting ants’ and maybe pollinators’ attraction to the wild cotton plants.
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EarthFin whale songs can reveal hidden features of the ocean floor
Fin whale calls can penetrate into Earth’s crust, offering scientists a new way to study the properties of the ocean floor.
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EarthA drop in CFC emissions puts the hole in the ozone layer back on track to closing
After a recent bump in illicit CFC-11 pollution, emissions of the ozone-destroying chemical are back down to pre-2013 levels.
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EarthThree things to know about the disastrous flood in India
The flood, which killed at least 30 people, may have been caused by a collapsing glacier or a landslide, with climate change possibly playing a role.
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EarthFossil mimics may be more common in ancient rocks than actual fossils
Evidence of early life may be harder to preserve than pseudofossils — structures that form abiotically but resemble living remnants.
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EarthThe birth of a lightning bolt was caught on video
High-speed imagery shows the formation of an electrical connection between opposing currents, offering new insight into how these flashes form.
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EarthAn upwelling of rock beneath the Atlantic may drive continents apart
Rock rising from more than 600 kilometers deep at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge may play a more active role in plate tectonics than thought.