Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Zigzag walls could help buildings beat the heat
A corrugated exterior wall reflects heat to space and absorbs less heat from the ground, keeping it several degrees cooler than a flat wall.
- Animals
A frog’s story of surviving a fungal pandemic offers hope for other species
Evolving immunity to the Bd fungus and a reintroduction project saved a California frog. The key to rescuing other species might be in the frog’s genes.
- Earth
Earthquakes added to Pompeii’s death toll
Broken bodies found at the archaeological site indicate that earthquakes played a role in the legendary tragedy.
- Climate
Record-breaking Coral Sea temperatures threaten the Great Barrier Reef
Near-annual extreme heat in the Coral Sea, including in 2024, is causing back-to-back mass bleaching events in the iconic Great Barrier Reef.
- Climate
Climate change is driving the extreme heat baking France’s Olympics
In this week’s Extreme Climate Update, we look at record-breaking temps around the world and explain what the heat index is.
- Health & Medicine
Some ‘forever chemicals’ may be absorbed through our skin
PFAS, which are found in common products such as cosmetics, food packaging and waterproof gear, have been linked to health problems.
- Climate
Earth’s jet stream helps create the seeds of clouds
The newly discovered process for making aerosols might also be the most productive.
- Climate
Earth keeps breaking global heat records
How hot could it get? In the first edition of Science News’ Extreme Climate Update, we look at how high temperatures could soar.
- Oceans
In a seafloor surprise, metal-rich chunks may generate deep-sea oxygen
Instead of sinking from the surface, some deep-sea oxygen may be created by battery-like nodules that split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Climate
Twisters asks if you can 'tame' a tornado. We have the answer
Science News talked to a meteorologist and Twisters’ tornado consultant to separate fact from fiction in Hollywood’s latest extreme weather thriller.
- Oceans
Can bioluminescent ‘milky seas’ be predicted?
For the first time, a scientist has used ocean and atmospheric data to find a milky sea, a huge expanse of luminous water, in past satellite images.
- Oceans
This AI can predict ship-sinking ‘freak’ waves minutes in advance
The model, which was trained on data from ocean buoys to identify potential rogue waves, could help save lives.
