Earth

  1. Earth

    50 years ago, scientists thought they had found Earth’s oldest rocks

    Even older rocks and minerals continue fueling debates over Earth’s crust, plate tectonics and even when life arose.

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  2. Climate

    Cow poop emits climate-warming methane. Adding red algae may help

    Adding a type of methane-inhibiting red algae directly to cow feces cut down methane emission from the poop by about 44 percent, researchers report.

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  3. Environment

    The most intense sunlight on Earth can be found in the Atacama Desert

    On the Chilean Altiplano plateau, every square meter of the ground receives, on average, more solar power than Mount Everest and occasionally almost as much as Venus.

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  4. Climate

    Here’s how much climate change increases the odds of brutally hot summers

    Climate change made 2023’s record-breaking heat waves in the United States, Mexico, China and southern Europe much more likely, new simulations show.

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  5. Earth

    ‘The Next Supercontinent’ predicts a future collision of North America and Asia

    In his new book, Ross Mitchell traces the dance of the continents through time to predict what Amasia, the next supercontinent, might look like.

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  6. Climate

    What’s causing this summer’s extreme heat waves?

    Climate change and meandering jet streams are fomenting this summer’s extreme waves of heat.

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  7. Animals

    In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests

    The spikes were meant to keep birds away. But five corvid nests in Europe use the bird-deterrents as structural support and to ward off predators.

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  8. Climate

    Last week was the hottest ever recorded — here’s why we keep smashing records

    Global temperature records are being shattered as El Niño and climate change combine to push the Earth into uncharted territory, researchers say.

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  9. Earth

    How Kenya is helping its neighbors develop geothermal energy

    Renewable energy is crucial to halting climate change. In East Africa, the region’s geology makes geothermal energy a viable option.

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  10. Earth

    Wildfires aren’t going away. Here’s how smoke can affect your health

    How does repeat exposure to wildfire smoke affect our health? Three experts weigh in on the massive air pollution fueled by Canada’s ongoing fires.

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  11. Climate

    Canada’s Crawford Lake could mark the beginning of the Anthropocene

    The mud of a Canadian lake holds an extremely precise record of humans’ influence on Earth. But the Anthropocene isn’t an official geologic epoch yet.

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  12. Materials Science

    This ‘thermal cloak’ keeps spaces from getting either too hot or cold

    A new thermal fabric prototype could help keep cars, buildings and other spaces a comfortable temperature during heat waves while reducing CO₂ emissions.

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