Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
Rise of East African Plateau dated by whale fossil
A whale fossil is helping to pinpoint when the East African Plateau started to rise and how the uplift played a role in human evolution, scientists say.
- Climate
Arctic warming bolsters summer heat waves
Sagging storms brought on by rapid Arctic warming worsen summertime heat waves across the Northern Hemisphere.
- Agriculture
Cage free isn’t good enough for livestock, ‘The Modern Savage’ argues
Even on a small farm, life can be brutal for animals, historian and animal rights advocate says in new book.
- Environment
Replacement for toxic chemical in plastics, receipts may be just as toxic
Mounting evidence suggests that BPS, a common chemical in plastics, may cause the same health effects as BPA.
- Earth
Tethys Ocean implicated in Pangaea breakup
The shrinking of the Tethys Ocean may have broken up the Pangaea supercontinent.
- 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.
- Earth
Volcanic lightning forges tiny glass balls from airborne ash
The lightning that crackles through volcanic plumes can melt ash into tiny glass beads.
- 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.
- Climate
Coastal Los Angeles losing fog to urban sprawl
Fog in parts of Southern California has become significantly less frequent due to urban warming.
- Plants
Beetle RNA makes crops a noxious meal
When beetles munch plants bearing their RNA, genes the bugs need to survive are turned off.
- 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.
- 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.
