Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Arctic algae crusts preserve climate data
The records show that sea-ice cover has been declining since 1850.
- Earth
Fire may smolder under Antarctic ice
Quakes hint at moving magma that could influence glacial flow.
- Oceans
Extremely salty water is at least 100 million years old
Supersaline sediments off East Coast shed light on Atlantic Ocean’s early history.
- Animals
Gassed snails can’t jump
When exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide, some snails move like slugs and others don’t jump at all.
- Climate
Storms are becoming more intense, moving toward poles
Researchers find that altered rainfall patterns have the fingerprints of human-caused climate change.
- Climate
Historical events linked to changes in Earth’s temperature
Ozone treaty, wars and Great Depression influenced global warming rate, scientists find.
- Climate
Natural aerosols confound climate predictions
Natural aerosol emissions complicate scientists’ attempts to predict future climate change.
- Earth
Greenhouse gas injections may unleash earthquakes
Plans to pump carbon dioxide into the ground to mitigate climate change could create other problems.
- Materials Science
Qingsongite
This newly christened mineral has an atomic structure that’s similar to diamond and nearly as hard.
- Earth
Wet terrain responsible for Iceland’s hollow lava towers
Normally found underwater, the rocky structures form on land too.
- Climate
Tiny shells hint at hidden ocean warming
Pacific waters are heating up 15 times faster than in earlier eras.
- Earth
Pressure patterns could portend heat waves
High-pressure systems may help scientists forecast temperature hikes 15 to 20 days out.
