Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
‘End of the Megafauna’ examines why so many giant Ice Age animals went extinct
‘End of the Megafauna’ ponders the mystery of what killed off so many of Earth’s big animals over the last 50,000 years.
- Particle Physics
Physicists measured Earth’s mass using neutrinos for the first time
Counting tiny particles that can zip straight through the Earth reveals what the planet is like on the inside.
- Chemistry
New devices could help turn atmospheric CO2 into useful supplies
New electrochemical cells transform carbon monoxide into useful chemical compounds like ethylene and acetate much more efficiently than their predecessors.
- Climate
‘18 Miles’ is full of interesting tales about Earth’s atmosphere
The new book ‘18 Miles’ takes readers on a journey through the atmosphere and the history of understanding climate and weather.
- Climate
Hurricane Willa breaks an eastern and central Pacific storm season record
The combined might of eastern and central Pacific hurricanes produced a record-breaking year of storm energy.
- Agriculture
Plants engineered to always be on alert don’t grow well
Scientists bred a type of weed to lack proteins that help stem the production of bitter chemicals used to ward off insect attacks.
- Climate
More tornadoes are popping up east of the Mississippi
Tornadoes are becoming slightly less frequent in Tornado Alley, while more are touching down farther east in the United States, a study suggests.
- Archaeology
The water system that helped Angkor rise may have also brought its fall
A complex water system magnified flooding’s disruption of the medieval Cambodian city of Angkor.
- Earth
These ancient mounds may not be the earliest fossils on Earth after all
A new analysis suggests that tectonics, not microbes, formed cone-shaped structures in 3.7-billion-year-old rock.
- Agriculture
Add beer to the list of foods threatened by climate change
Barley crops around the world will be threatened by drought and heat.
- Environment
We’re probably undervaluing healthy lakes and rivers
Clean water legislation often doesn’t seem like a good deal on paper. Here’s why that may be misleading.
- Climate
Here’s what’s unusual about Hurricane Michael
Warm Gulf waters were the engine behind Hurricane Michael’s quick intensification.
