Earth

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

More Stories in Earth

  1. Oceans

    Deep-sea mining might feed plankton a diet of junk food

    An analysis of mining plumes in the Pacific Ocean reveals they kick up particles sized similarly to the more nutritious tidbits that plankton eat.

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  2. Animals

    This fly’s flesh-eating maggot is making a comeback. Here’s what to know 

    After a decades-long hiatus, new world screwworm populations have surged in Central America and Mexico — and are inching northward.

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  3. Plants

    A special shape shift helps a shrub thrive in blistering heat

    A microscope reveals an algae-like adaptation that might future-proof crop photosynthesis in extreme heat.

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  4. Animals

    Mosquitoes infiltrated Iceland. Will they survive the winter?

    Mosquitoes have reached Iceland, a place once thought too harsh for them to survive. Climate change may play a role in this shift.

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  5. Animals

    Deep Antarctic waters hold geometric communities of fish nests

    Scientists found thousands of patterned fish nests in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, boosting calls for marine protected areas.

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  6. Climate

    Hurricane Melissa spins into a monster storm as it bears down on Jamaica

    The story of Atlantic hurricanes is treading a familiar — and frightening — path: Climate change is fueling huge, slow-moving, rain-drenching storms.

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  7. Animals

    Polar bears provide millions of kilograms of food for other Arctic species

    A new study shows how much food polar bears leave behind — and how their decline threatens scavengers across the Arctic.

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  8. Climate

    Australia’s tropical forests now emit CO₂, clouding the COP30 talks

    These tropical forest CO₂ emissions may warn of similar shifts in other regions, a key topic for COP30 climate talks in Brazil.

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  9. Chemistry

    Coffee beans pooped out by civets really are tastier. Here’s why

    Pricey civet coffee gets its cred from its journey through the mammal’s gut, which changes the content of fat, protein, fatty acids — and even caffeine.

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