Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Climate
Chances of an Atlantic hurricane season busier than 2005’s are slim — for now
The 28 named tropical storms that swirled through the Atlantic Ocean in 2005 is about as many as the region can produce in a year.
- Health & Medicine
Air pollution is shaving a year off our average life expectancy
The first country-by-country look at how dirty air affects when we die shows it can have more impact on mortality than breast or lung cancer.
- Earth
Scientists create a mineral in the lab that captures carbon dioxide
Magnesite takes a long time to form in nature. Now, a team has found a way to speed up the making of the mineral, which can store carbon dioxide.
- Oceans
Beaked whales may frequent a seabed spot marked for mining
Grooves in the seafloor may signal that whales visit a region that is a prime target for future seabed mining.
