Earth

  1. Earth

    Freshwater first appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago, ancient crystals hint

    Oxygen ratios in ancient zircon crystals suggest that the planet’s water cycle got started hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought.

    By
  2. Climate

    Warm water is sneaking underneath the Thwaites Glacier — and rapidly melting it

    The salty water, just 3.6 degrees Celsius above the ice’s melting point, is undermining the foundation of the Antarctic glacier.

    By
  3. Environment

    ‘The High Seas’ tells of the many ways humans are laying claim to the ocean

    The book explains how the race for ocean resources from fish to ores to new medicines — the Blue Acceleration — is playing out.

    By
  4. Earth

    A weaker magnetic field may have paved the way for marine life to go big

    Decreased protection from cosmic radiation may have increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, allowing animals to grow larger.

    By
  5. Earth

    A hidden danger lurks beneath Yellowstone

    A volcanic eruption at Yellowstone is unlikely anytime soon, but evidence is growing that a violent hydrothermal, or steam, explosion is possible.

    By
  6. Climate

    As the Arctic tundra warms, soil microbes likely will ramp up CO2 production

    Experiments in mini greenhouses show how the tiny organisms lurking underground in a "sleepy biome" could be a contributor to climate change.

    By
  7. Environment

    A new approach to fighting wildfires combines local knowledge and AI

    Land managers in the western United States are using potential operational delineations, or PODS, to prepare for — and take advantage of — wildfires.

    By
  8. Climate

    A ruinous hailstorm in Spain may have been supercharged by warming seas

    Giant hail that pummeled northeast Spain in August 2022 could not have formed without climate change, computer simulations suggest.

    By
  9. Animals

    Ximena Velez-Liendo is saving Andean bears with honey

    By training beekeepers, biologist Ximena Velez-Liendo is helping rural agricultural communities of southern Bolivia coexist with Andean bears.

    By
  10. Climate

    Three reasons why the ocean’s record-breaking hot streak is devastating

    Ocean warming enhances hurricane activity, bleaches coral reefs and melts Antarctic sea ice. That warming has been off the charts for the past year.

    By
  11. Climate

    Will stashing more CO2 in the ocean help slow climate change?

    Research is needed on how ocean carbon removal methods — such as iron fertilization and direct capture — could impact the environment.

    By
  12. Climate

    A rapid shift in ocean currents could imperil the world’s largest ice shelf

    Roughly the size of Spain, the Ross Ice Shelf stabilizes major glaciers along Antarctica’s coast — and is at risk of retreating, a new study finds.

    By