Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Surface spills near fracking sites implicated in water contamination
Chemical spills from fracking operations are the likely source of chemicals found in drinking water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania.
- Oceans
Oxygen in Black Sea has declined by more than a third since 1955
The Black Sea’s oxygen-rich surface layer shrank by more than a third from 1955 through 2013, compressing marine habitats and bringing toxic hydrogen sulfide closer to the surface.
- Animals
Jumping conchs triumph at overheated athletics
“Simple” circulatory system outdoes fancier ones in delivering oxygen for jumping conchs in simulated climate change conditions.
- Oceans
Widespread coral bleaching threatens world’s reefs
The world’s corals are experiencing their third major bleaching event in 17 years.
- Animals
What happens to animals in a hurricane?
Hurricanes can be devastating to animals on land and in the sea, but they can also provide opportunities.
- Earth
Giant asteroid may have triggered deadly volcano eruptions
Increased volcanic eruptions coincided much more closely with an asteroid impact and the extinction of the dinosaurs than previously believed, a new study suggests.
- Animals
Some seabirds will be hit hard by sea level rise
Seabird species that nest on low-lying islands in stormy winter months could see huge losses as sea levels rise, a new study finds.
- Animals
Life in the polar ocean is surprisingly active in the dark winter
The Arctic polar winter may leave marine ecosystems dark for weeks on end, but life doesn’t shut down, a new study finds.
- Animals
Alpine bee tongues shorten as climate warms
Pollinators’ match with certain alpine flowers erodes as climate change pushes fast evolution.
- Cosmology
Complexity in the universe, hidden craters and more reader feedback
Readers discuss order and disorder in the universe, the languages of science communication and more.
- Particle Physics
Map captures Earth’s antineutrino glow
Tiny subatomic particles called antineutrinos stream away from Earth at different concentrations across the globe, a new map illustrates.
- Climate
Hurricane reports ignore indirect deaths
Nearly half of all hurricane and tropical storm fatalities are indirect, yet they typically aren’t included in official storm reports.
