Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Here’s how climate change is fueling Hurricane Florence
Scientists take a stab at predicting climate change’s influence on Hurricane Florence.
- Earth
A new map reveals the causes of forest loss worldwide
A new study shows where global forest loss is due to permanent deforestation versus short-term shifts in land use.
- Earth
Sea level rise doesn’t necessarily spell doom for coastal wetlands
Wetlands can survive and even thrive despite rising sea levels — if humans give them room to grow.
- Climate
Wildfires make their own weather, and that matters for fire management
Mathematical equations describing interactions between wildfires and the air around them help explain their power and destruction.
- Oceans
A massive net is being deployed to pick up plastic in the Pacific
As the Ocean Cleanup project embarks, critics remain unconvinced that scooping up debris is the best way to solve the ocean’s plastic problem.
- Agriculture
How plant microbes could feed the world and save endangered species
Scientists have only scratched the surface of the plant microbiome, but they already believe it might increase crop yield and save species from extinction.
- Astronomy
Readers’ interest piqued by Parker Solar Probe, general relativity and more
Readers had questions about NASA's Parker Solar Probe, Einstein's general relativity theory and underwater cables used as earthquake sensors.
- Animals
A gentoo penguin’s dinner knows how to fight back
Cameras attached to gentoo penguins off the Falkland Islands revealed that, despite the birds’ small size, their lobster krill prey can sometimes win in a fight.
- Materials Science
A new material harnesses light to deice surfaces
A new sun-powered material could someday melt the ice off airplane wings, wind turbines and rooftops.
- Climate
As temperatures rise, so do insects’ appetites for corn, rice and wheat
Hotter, hungrier pests likely to do 10 percent to 25 percent more damage to grains for each warmer degree.
- Earth
Artificial intelligence could improve predictions for where quake aftershocks will hit
Scientists trained an artificial intelligence system to figure out where aftershocks are likely to occur.
- Health & Medicine
As algae blooms increase, scientists seek better ways to predict these toxic tides
Scientists around the United States are developing programs that can predict harmful algal blooms in advance.
