Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Agriculture
‘Smart lighting’ might make vertical farming more affordable
A new computer program adjusts grow lights to cut down on electric bills without sacrificing photosynthesis.
- Environment
A biogeochemist is tracking the movements of toxic mercury pollution
Exposing the hidden movements of mercury through the environment can help reduce human exposure.
- Climate
Climate change could double U.S. temperature-linked deaths by mid-century
Each year, roughly 8,000 deaths in the United States are associated with extreme temperatures. And as temperatures rise, this number could swell.
- Climate
Earth’s ancient ‘greenhouse’ conditions were hotter than thought
A timeline of 485 million years of Earth’s surface temperatures shows ancient greenhouse conditions were hotter than scientists thought.
- Climate
Can solar farms and crop farms coexist?
Researchers working in the field of agrivoltaics are studying how to combine solar farming with grazing, crop production or ecological restoration.
- Planetary Science
Scientists find a long-sought electric field in Earth’s atmosphere
The Earth’s ambipolar electric field is weak but strong enough to control the shape and evolution of the upper atmosphere.
- Life
Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction
Long-lasting, widespread heat and weather extremes may have caused the Great Dying extinction event 252 million years ago.
- Environment
How much is climate change to blame for extreme weather?
Scientists can estimate how much more likely or severe some past natural disasters were due to human-caused climate change. Here's how.
- Health & Medicine
California droughts may help valley fever spread
Droughts temporarily dampen the number of valley fever cases across the state, but cases spike in the years after rains return.
- Earth
How earthquakes build beefy gold nuggets
The strain imparted by an earthquake can generate voltages in quartz veins that stimulate the mineralization of gold.
- Environment
Fiddler crabs are migrating north to cooler waters
The crabs are climate migrants and could be a harbinger of changes to come as more species move in.
- Climate
Summer-like heat is scorching the Southern Hemisphere — in winter
Warmer winters are fast becoming a global phenomenon and can affect everything from the food we grow to the spread of diseases.
