Earth

  1. Earth

    Ice ages boost production of new ocean crust

    When sea levels drop during ice ages, magma at mid-ocean ridges surges.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    E-cigarettes lower immunity to flu and other germs

    Electronic cigarettes produce substantial amounts of lung inflammation, a new mouse study finds. They may also reduce the ability to fight off infections from strep and flu germs.

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  3. Earth

    Geologists discover tectonic plate’s slippery underbelly

    Slippery layer of partially melted rock underneath tectonic plate revealed using reflected dynamite blast vibrations.

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  4. Environment

    Tuna mercury rising

    From 1998 to 2008, mercury levels in Hawaiian Yellowfin tuna have increased by 3.8 percent per year, researchers suggest.

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  5. Climate

    Warming Arctic will let Atlantic and Pacific fish mix

    The ultra-cold, ice-covered Arctic Ocean has kept fish species from the Atlantic and Pacific separate for more than a million years — but global warming is changing that.

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  6. Earth

    ‘Island on Fire’ recounts enormous 18th century eruption

    The 18th century eruption of Iceland’s Laki volcano spewed sulfurous gases that briefly cooled the globe and probably contributed to the early deaths of tens of thousands of people.

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  7. Climate

    Central American fires may intensify U.S. tornadoes

    Smoke originating from Central American fires may strengthen U.S. tornadoes.

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  8. Agriculture

    Superbugs take flight from cattle farms

    Winds can carry antibiotics and drug-resistant bacteria from cattle farms to downwind communities.

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  9. Climate

    The continental divide of 2014 temperature

    According to data from NASA and NOAA, 2014 was one of the hottest years on record — in some states.

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  10. Climate

    Warming could nearly double rate of severe La Niña events

    Changing climate in the western Pacific could roughly double the frequency of severe La Niña events that cause extreme weather shifts across the globe.

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  11. Environment

    Atrazine’s path to cancer possibly clarified

    Scientists have identified a cellular button that the controversial herbicide atrazine presses to promote tumor development.

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  12. Climate

    2014 was Earth’s warmest year on record

    Record-hot 2014 marks the 38th consecutive year of temperatures above the 20th century’s average.

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