Earth

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.

Earth

Geologists discover tectonic plate’s slippery underbelly

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

Environment

Tuna mercury rising

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

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.

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.

Climate

Central American fires may intensify U.S. tornadoes

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

Agriculture

Superbugs take flight from cattle farms

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

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.

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.

Environment

Atrazine’s path to cancer possibly clarified

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

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.

Earth

Faulty thermometers exaggerated western U.S. mountain warming

Defective thermometers used in snowpack and ecology research overstated warming in western U.S. mountains.