Earth
- 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.
- Animals
Alpine bee tongues shorten as climate warms
Pollinators’ match with certain alpine flowers erodes as climate change pushes fast evolution.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Earth
Shortcut math predicts tsunami height quickly
The September 16 earthquake that rattled Chile proved an unexpected test for new numerical calculations that could provide quicker forecasts of incoming tsunamis.
- Oceans
Giant barrel sponges are hijacking Florida’s coral reefs
Giant barrel sponges are gradually taking over and threatening Florida’s coral reefs, a new census suggests.
- Environment
Home fires, farm fumes are leading causes of air-pollution deaths
Deadly air pollution comes from surprising sources, but toxicity of different types is still up in the air.
- Animals
Warmer waters give Arctic mosquitoes a growth spurt
Arctic mosquitoes develop faster in warmer waters, outpacing increased predation.
- Climate
Earth just had its first storm-free hurricane peak in 38 years
This year marks the first time since 1977 that September 12, the typical height of the Atlantic hurricane season, passed without a single major cyclone anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Animals
Shipwreck provides window into Tudor-era cod fishing
In the 1500s, England was feeding its navy with fish caught far from home, a new study finds.
- Climate
Burning remaining fossil fuels would eradicate Antarctic ice
Finishing off Earth’s available carbon resources would nearly eliminate the Antarctic ice sheet and raise sea levels by more than 50 meters, new research calculates.
