Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Steam bubbles carry gold and sulfur up from Earth’s depths
Dense blends of metals and sulfur get a ride to the surface on water vapor bubbles.
- Environment
A coast-to-coast picture of America’s cacophony of sounds
The National Park Service mapped noise across the United States.
- Health & Medicine
E-cigarettes may be gateway to addiction for teens
Teenagers are using e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco product and for many, it’s the first time they’ve tried a tobacco product at all.
- Oceans
On East Coast, sea levels lean southward
On North America’s East Coast, sea levels tilt slightly downward to the north, new research finds.
- Health & Medicine
Stoplights are hot spots for airborne pollution
Drivers get a big chunk of their exposure to pollutants from short stops at traffic intersections.
- Oceans
Millions of tons of plastic end up in oceans each year
A new estimate quantifies how much plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans.
- Climate
Worst drought in a millennium predicted for central and southwest U.S.
Comparing reconstructions of past drought conditions with models of future dryness shows that the Central Plains and Southwest U.S. will become the driest in a millennium.
- Earth
Mineral hunting, mob math and more reader feedback
Readers ask about Earth's most abundant mineral and discuss the notoriously unpredictable behavior of pedestrians.
- Physics
Raindrops kick up soil chemicals
The champagne-like fizz produced when a raindrop hits the ground may be responsible for the earthy aroma after a rainstorm.
- Climate
Artificial fixes for climate change nixed — for now
Experts says schemes to manually adjust the world’s climate are not ready for use, but should be studied just in case.
- Health & Medicine
Fallout from nuclear bomb testing presaged today’s radioactive tracers
Scientists in 1965 measured buildup of radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb testing in people.
- Environment
Humans’ environmental rap sheet gets longer
Ice cores reveal human-caused air pollution 240 years before the Industrial Revolution.
