Earth

  1. Plants

    Ancient trees’ gnarled, twisted shapes provide irreplaceable habitats

    Traits that help trees live for hundreds of years also foster forest life, one reason why old growth forest conservation is crucial.

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  2. Agriculture

    Mixing up root microbes can boost tea’s flavor

    Inoculating tea plant roots with nitrogen-metabolizing bacteria enhances synthesis of theanine, an amino acid that gives tea its savoriness.

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  3. Agriculture

    Could a rice-meat hybrid be what’s for dinner?

    A hybrid food that combines rice, animal cells and fish gelatin could one day be a more sustainable way to produce meat.

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  4. Animals

    Migratory fish species are in drastic decline, a new UN report details

    The most comprehensive tally of how migrating animals are faring looks at more than 1,000 land and aquatic species and aims to find ways to protect them.

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  5. Animals

    Here’s how many shark bites there were in 2023

    The chance of being bitten by a shark is still incredibly slim, according to a new report from the Florida Museum of Natural History.

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  6. Earth

    Where are U.S. earthquakes most likely? A new map shows the hazard risks

    Updates to the National Seismic Hazard Model have elevated the average ground shaking hazard across the country.

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  7. Climate

    Cold, dry snaps accompanied three plagues that struck the Roman Empire

    New climate data for ancient Italy point to temperature and rainfall influences on past infectious disease outbreaks.

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  8. Earth

    Many but not all of the world’s aquifers are losing water

    Many aquifers are quickly disappearing due to climate change and overuse, but some are rising because of improved resource management.

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  9. Climate

    Numbats are built to hold heat, making climate change extra risky for the marsupials

    New thermal imaging shows how fast numbats’ surface temperature rises even at relatively reasonable temperatures.

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  10. Earth

    STEVE and other aurora-like glows perplex scientists with their complex physics

    New views of STEVE from citizen scientists keep raising questions about the atmospheric light show — but computer models may offer some answers.

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  11. Earth

    Speed bumps under Thwaites Glacier could help slow its flow to the sea

    A seismic survey of Thwaites’ icy underbelly shows the Antarctica glacier may be snagging on tall rises in land. That could help slow global sea level rise.

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  12. Physics

    Invisible comet tails of mucus slow sinking flakes of ‘marine snow’

    New measurements reveal the gunk that surrounds the particles, an important factor in understanding how the ocean sequesters carbon.

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