Earth

  1. Earth

    Surface spills near fracking sites implicated in water contamination

    Chemical spills from fracking operations are the likely source of chemicals found in drinking water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania.

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  2. Oceans

    Oxygen in Black Sea has declined by more than a third since 1955

    The Black Sea’s oxygen-rich surface layer shrank by more than a third from 1955 through 2013, compressing marine habitats and bringing toxic hydrogen sulfide closer to the surface.

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  3. Animals

    Jumping conchs triumph at overheated athletics

    “Simple” circulatory system outdoes fancier ones in delivering oxygen for jumping conchs in simulated climate change conditions.

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  4. Oceans

    Widespread coral bleaching threatens world’s reefs

    The world’s corals are experiencing their third major bleaching event in 17 years.

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  5. Animals

    What happens to animals in a hurricane?

    Hurricanes can be devastating to animals on land and in the sea, but they can also provide opportunities.

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  6. Earth

    Giant asteroid may have triggered deadly volcano eruptions

    Increased volcanic eruptions coincided much more closely with an asteroid impact and the extinction of the dinosaurs than previously believed, a new study suggests.

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  7. Animals

    Some seabirds will be hit hard by sea level rise

    Seabird species that nest on low-lying islands in stormy winter months could see huge losses as sea levels rise, a new study finds.

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  8. Animals

    Life in the polar ocean is surprisingly active in the dark winter

    The Arctic polar winter may leave marine ecosystems dark for weeks on end, but life doesn’t shut down, a new study finds.

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  9. Animals

    Alpine bee tongues shorten as climate warms

    Pollinators’ match with certain alpine flowers erodes as climate change pushes fast evolution.

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  10. Cosmology

    Complexity in the universe, hidden craters and more reader feedback

    Readers discuss order and disorder in the universe, the languages of science communication and more.

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  11. Particle Physics

    Map captures Earth’s antineutrino glow

    Tiny subatomic particles called antineutrinos stream away from Earth at different concentrations across the globe, a new map illustrates.

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  12. Climate

    Hurricane reports ignore indirect deaths

    Nearly half of all hurricane and tropical storm fatalities are indirect, yet they typically aren’t included in official storm reports.

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