Earth

  1. Animals

    Tiny sea turtles are swimmers, not drifters

    Young green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles moved in different directions than instruments set adrift in the sea, which shows the animals were swimming.

    By
  2. Animals

    Dealing with droughts, museums going digital and more reader feedback

    Readers share their experiences with dry weather in the U.S., discuss how humans mentally sort quantities and more.

    By
  3. Science & Society

    One anniversary to celebrate, one to contemplate

    In this issue, both feature articles focus on anniversaries, though of two very different kinds.

    By
  4. Environment

    Controversial insecticide use rises as farmers douse seeds

    Use of neonicotinoids, a class of controversial insecticides, has risen dramatically, posing threat to pollinating insects.

    By
  5. Climate

    Canadian glaciers face drastic demise

    Western Canadian glaciers will shrink 70 percent by 2100, a detailed melting simulation suggests.

    By
  6. Animals

    Eggs and other land foods won’t feed polar bears

    Polar bears will not be able to survive on land by eating birds, eggs and vegetation, a new review concludes.

    By
  7. Oceans

    UV light reveals hidden patterns on seashell fossils

    Under UV light, fossil seashell color patterns glow, a researcher finds.

    By
  8. Environment

    Five years on, Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s impact lingers

    Five years after the Gulf of Mexico’s largest disaster, researchers are still studying its ecological impact and struggling to learn the fate of most of the spilled oil.

    By
  9. Earth

    Spot the northern lights with Aurorasaurus

    Crowdsourced Aurorasaurus project uses Twitter to track the northern lights.

    By
  10. Climate

    Fewer cold snaps in the forecast

    Rapid Arctic warming will reduce the frequency of cold snaps throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, new research suggests.

    By
  11. Earth

    Plate loss gave chain of Pacific islands and seamounts a bend

    The sinking Izanagi tectonic plate may have rerouted the mantle flow beneath the Pacific, halting the Hawaiian hot spot.

    By
  12. Environment

    Tampons: Not just for feminine hygiene

    Tampons soaked in polluted water glow under UV light, revealing detergent-filled wastewater in rivers.

    By