Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Termites, not fairies, cause plant circles in African deserts
Underground insect engineers create water traps in the soil, allowing rings of green grasses in the sand.
- Earth
Kansas was unbearably hot 270 million years ago
Temperatures soared to nearly 74 degrees Celsius, which no plants or animals could endure.
- Earth
Landslides detected from afar
Seismic fingerprints can reveal that a rock avalanche has occurred in a remote location.
- Life
Disease threatens garden impatiens
Surprising scientists, once-mild downy mildew has struck the popular blooms in 33 states.
- Life
Microbes flourish at deepest ocean site
At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, eleven kilometers down, bacteria prosper despite crushing pressure and isolation.
- Earth
Extreme storm surges may occur more often
Climate simulations suggest hurricane-caused flooding will increase in frequency as temperatures warm.
- Earth
Canada’s ice shrinking rapidly
Melt from Arctic Archipelago will raise sea levels by 3.5 centimeters.
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- Life
Camel ancestors lived in the Arctic
Fossils on Ellesmere Island suggest famous desert dweller got its start in cold regions.
- Animals
Native pollinators boost crop yields worldwide
Farms with crops from coffee to mangoes don’t get the best yields if they rely solely on honeybees.
- Life
Impact craters may have been a toasty home for early life
The heat generated during a cosmic crash could have nurtured ancient organisms.
- Earth
Nutrients matter in tropical forests
Soil nutrients and rainfall predict tree species range in Panama’s tropical forests.
