Climate
Hidden tree bark microbes munch on important climate gases
Trees are known for absorbing CO2. But microbes in their bark also absorb other climate-active gases, methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide.
By Douglas Fox
Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Earth
- Earth
An underwater volcano off Oregon didn’t erupt in 2025 after all. Why not?
Data from Axial, the most-monitored underwater volcano, are helping geophysicists hone eruption predictions. For Axial, 2026 is their next bet.
- Earth
Early Earth’s belly held onto its water
When the early Earth’s magma ocean crystallized 4.4 billion years ago, the deep mantle trapped an ocean’s worth of water, scientists say.
- Anthropology
Drought may have doomed the ‘hobbits’ of Flores
Stalagmite data suggest Homo floresiensis faced prolonged drought that stressed both them and their prey, contributing to their disappearance.
- Earth
A volcanic eruption might have helped bring the Black Plague to Europe
A volcanic eruption may have triggered a deadly chain of events that brought the Black Plague to Europe in the 14th century.
- Earth
Human-caused earthquakes are real. Here’s why even stable regions can snap
Human activity can cause “healed” faults to release their stored strength, triggering unexpected quakes in tectonically stable regions.
- Climate
Here are 3 big ideas to combat climate change, with or without COP
As action from the U.N.’s huge COP30 international meeting falls short, smaller groups are banding together to find ways to fight climate change.
- Oceans
Combining western science with Indigenous knowledge could help the Arctic
Polar marine ecologist Marianne Falardeau investigates how Arctic ecosystems are shifting under climate change.
- Climate
Life-saving research on extreme heat comes under fire
The Trump administration’s cuts to heat research come at a time when climate change is making extreme heat waves more common and intense.
- 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.
