Earth

  1. Animals

    Insects may undermine trees’ ability to store carbon

    Insects eat more leaves on trees grown in carbon dioxide-rich environments than those grown without the extra CO2. That may undermine forests as carbon sinks in the future.

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  2. Earth

    Volcanic lightning forges tiny glass balls from airborne ash

    The lightning that crackles through volcanic plumes can melt ash into tiny glass beads.

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  3. Plants

    Plant growth patterns changing on much of Earth’s surface

    More than half of Earth’s land surface has seen major changes in factors such as leaf-on date and how much vegetation grows in a season.

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  4. Climate

    Coastal Los Angeles losing fog to urban sprawl

    Fog in parts of Southern California has become significantly less frequent due to urban warming.

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  5. Plants

    Beetle RNA makes crops a noxious meal

    When beetles munch plants bearing their RNA, genes the bugs need to survive are turned off.

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  6. Climate

    Scientists confirm amassing CO2 heats Earth’s surface

    Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase the amount of thermal radiation striking Earth’s surface.

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  7. Earth

    Water’s unclear origins, shaky solutions to climate change and more reader feedback

    Readers discuss the pitfalls of carbon storage, whether a recent movie got Alan Turing's story right and more.

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  8. Oceans

    ‘Ocean Worlds’ chronicles the story of water on Earth and across the cosmos

    Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams recount the history and predict the future of Earth’s oceans.

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  9. Oceans

    Glassy blue iceberg goes belly up

    A photographer snaps a rare picture of a recently overturned iceberg near Antarctica.

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  10. Earth

    Steam bubbles carry gold and sulfur up from Earth’s depths

    Dense blends of metals and sulfur get a ride to the surface on water vapor bubbles.

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  11. Environment

    A coast-to-coast picture of America’s cacophony of sounds

    The National Park Service mapped noise across the United States.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    E-cigarettes may be gateway to addiction for teens

    Teenagers are using e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco product and for many, it’s the first time they’ve tried a tobacco product at all.

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