Earth
A volcanic eruption might have helped bring the Black Plague to Europe
A volcanic eruption may have triggered a deadly chain of events that brought the Black Plague to Europe in the 14th century.
Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Earth
- Oceans
Combining western science with Indigenous knowledge could help the Arctic
Polar marine ecologist Marianne Falardeau investigates how Arctic ecosystems are shifting under climate change.
- Climate
Life-saving research on extreme heat comes under fire
The Trump administration’s cuts to heat research come at a time when climate change is making extreme heat waves more common and intense.
- Oceans
Deep-sea mining might feed plankton a diet of junk food
An analysis of mining plumes in the Pacific Ocean reveals they kick up particles sized similarly to the more nutritious tidbits that plankton eat.
- Animals
This fly’s flesh-eating maggot is making a comeback. Here’s what to know
After a decades-long hiatus, new world screwworm populations have surged in Central America and Mexico — and are inching northward.
- Plants
A special shape shift helps a shrub thrive in blistering heat
A microscope reveals an algae-like adaptation that might future-proof crop photosynthesis in extreme heat.
- Animals
Mosquitoes infiltrated Iceland. Will they survive the winter?
Mosquitoes have reached Iceland, a place once thought too harsh for them to survive. Climate change may play a role in this shift.
- Animals
Deep Antarctic waters hold geometric communities of fish nests
Scientists found thousands of patterned fish nests in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, boosting calls for marine protected areas.
- Climate
Hurricane Melissa spins into a monster storm as it bears down on Jamaica
The story of Atlantic hurricanes is treading a familiar — and frightening — path: Climate change is fueling huge, slow-moving, rain-drenching storms.
- Animals
Polar bears provide millions of kilograms of food for other Arctic species
A new study shows how much food polar bears leave behind — and how their decline threatens scavengers across the Arctic.
