Earth
- Earth
New app puts an earthquake detector in your pocket
Smartphone app MyShake uses motion-sensing accelerometers to detect nearby quakes. The app could provide early warnings of incoming tremors, its creators say.
- Astronomy
In all sorts of circumstances, life finds a way
Editor in Chief discusses the new marine habitats formed by human pollution and the alarming rise of the Zika virus.
- Environment
Urban heat islands exist even in the Arctic
Arctic cities are a source of warming in the far north. Unlike midlatitude heat islands, poorly insulated buildings — not the sun — are a primary source.
- Earth
Ocean’s plastics offer a floating fortress to a mess of microbes
Microbes take up residence on ocean plastics, potentially causing changes in ocean environments.
- Agriculture
Plants trick bacteria into attacking too soon
Scientists have discovered that a plant compound interferes with bacterial communication.
- Science & Society
‘GMOs’ isn’t a four-letter word, but it is hard to define
The definition of what constitutes a genetically modified organism is a challenge to those tasked with developing standards for labeling foods that contain GMOs.
- Climate
Forest management not so hot at fighting warming
Forest management practices in Europe have slightly worsened climate change, new research shows.
- Earth
Ancient tectonic plate blocks magma plume at Yellowstone, simulation shows
A rising plume of hot rock from Earth’s mantle may not be responsible for the Yellowstone supervolcano, new research suggests.
- Climate
Phytoplankton rapidly disappearing from the Indian Ocean
Phytoplankton populations in the Indian Ocean fell 30 percent over the last 16 years largely due to global warming, new research suggests.
- Genetics
GMOs haven’t delivered on their promises — or risks
Genetically modified foods have been studied extensively and are abundant on supermarket shelves, but they haven’t managed to end world hunger yet.
- Animals
Climate change may be deadly for snowshoe hares
The mismatch between coat color and the landscape can be deadly for a snowshoe hare.
- Environment
Converted milk proteins clean pollution, strike gold
A new membrane uses sticky amyloid proteins to trap contaminants in water.
