Earth
- Ecosystems
Termite mound paradises help buffer dry land against climate change
Landscapes dotted by Africa’s great termite mounds look on the verge of turning into desert but are, in fact, more resilient.
- Earth
Ice ages boost production of new ocean crust
When sea levels drop during ice ages, magma at mid-ocean ridges surges.
- 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.
