Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
How a newly identified bacterium saps corals of their energy
A parasitic bacterium that preys on corals quickly reproduces when it senses more nutrients in its host.
- Earth
Brazil’s Amazon has burned this badly before. This year’s fires are still bad
An environmental scientist discusses possible impacts from the thousands of fires burning across the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.
- Science & Society
‘End Times’ explores the catastrophic events that could kill us all
A new book looks at the threats that could wipe out humankind and what can be done to counteract them.
- Climate
Climate change may make El Niño and La Niña less predictable
Atlantic Niñas and Niños have been fairly reliable bellwethers for severe El Niño and La Niña events in the Pacific. A warming world may change that.
- Animals
Why one biologist chases hurricanes to study spider evolution
For more rigorous spider data, Jonathan Pruitt rushes into the paths of hurricanes.
- Earth
Climate misinformation may be thriving on YouTube, a social scientist warns
Analyzing 200 climate-related videos on YouTube shows that a majority challenge widely accepted views about climate change and climate engineering.
- Earth
Fluid in superdeep diamonds may be from some of Earth’s oldest unchanged material
Primordial rock deep in the mantle and dating to just after Earth’s formation could yield insights about the planet’s formation and evolution
- Earth
The worst wildfires can send smoke high enough to affect the ozone layer
Pyrocumulonimbus clouds can send soot and other damaging particles 23 kilometers into the air
- Earth
One in 4 people lives in places at high risk of running out of water
An update to the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas reveals that 17 countries withdraw more than 80 percent of water available yearly.
- Climate
Mercury levels in fish are rising despite reduced emissions
Climate change and overfishing can increase how much mercury accumulates in fish, counteracting efforts to reduce human-caused emissions.
- Science & Society
With nowhere to hide from rising seas, Boston prepares for a wetter future
Boston has armed itself with a science-driven master plan to protect itself from increasingly inevitable storm surges and rising seas.
- Science & Society
How the 5 riskiest U.S. cities for coastal flooding are preparing for rising tides
The five U.S. cities most at risk of coastal flooding from rising sea levels are in various stages of preparedness.
