Earth
- Climate
In ‘Warming Up,’ the sports world’s newest opponent is climate change
In her debut book, Madeleine Orr presents an authoritative account of climate change’s impact on sports, and how the industry can fight back.
- Earth
Something weird is happening to Earth’s inner core
A new study claims to confirm that the inner core is now rotating more slowly than it was over a decade ago, but some researchers remain skeptical.
- Climate
A heat dome is baking the United States. Here’s why that’s so dangerous
As climate change makes heat waves more frequent and intense, older adults, pregnant people and others are at higher risk for heat-related symptoms.
- Earth
50 years ago, the sun’s influence on Earth’s lightning was revealed
The solar wind and sunspots seem to give lightning a boost. But exactly how solar activity stimulates strikes is an enduring mystery.
- Climate
The Arctic is warming rapidly. These clouds may hold clues as to why
Climate simulations can’t fully handle towering Arctic thunderclouds. So scientists have been flying a C-130 into and around the clouds to learn more.
- Earth
Geoscientists found the most dangerous part of a famous West Coast fault
Seismic data reveal that the Cascadia megathrust consists of at least four segments, the most dangerous of which may lurk offshore of Washington.
- Earth
In 2018, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted like a stomp rocket
The stomp rocket–like mechanism is a newly observed type of eruption.
- Earth
Freshwater first appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago, ancient crystals hint
Oxygen ratios in ancient zircon crystals suggest that the planet’s water cycle got started hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought.
- Climate
Warm water is sneaking underneath the Thwaites Glacier — and rapidly melting it
The salty water, just 3.6 degrees Celsius above the ice’s melting point, is undermining the foundation of the Antarctic glacier.
- Environment
‘The High Seas’ tells of the many ways humans are laying claim to the ocean
The book explains how the race for ocean resources from fish to ores to new medicines — the Blue Acceleration — is playing out.
- Earth
A weaker magnetic field may have paved the way for marine life to go big
Decreased protection from cosmic radiation may have increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, allowing animals to grow larger.
- Earth
A hidden danger lurks beneath Yellowstone
A volcanic eruption at Yellowstone is unlikely anytime soon, but evidence is growing that a violent hydrothermal, or steam, explosion is possible.
