Earth

  1. Animals

    Southern birds may be moving into your winter backyard

    A warming climate is letting warm-adapted birds live farther north in winter, a new study finds.

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  2. Environment

    No water contamination found in Ohio’s fracking epicenter

    Methane in Ohio groundwater comes from biological sources, such as bacteria, not fossil fuel exploration.

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  3. Environment

    Engineered plants demolish toxic waste

    With help from bacteria, plants could one day clean up polluted sites.

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  4. Physics

    Falling raindrops break terminal velocity

    Unknown mechanism causes tiny raindrops to fall faster than terminal velocity.

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  5. Climate

    Rivers may gush under sullied skies

    By dimming sunlight and curbing evaporation, air pollution can increase the amount of water flowing through rivers, new simulations suggest.

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  6. Environment

    World’s first full-scale clean coal plant now up and running

    After decades of delays, technology that cuts carbon emissions from commercial power plants has made its worldwide debut.

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  7. Ecosystems

    Help scientists find floating forests of kelp

    By looking for signs of kelp in satellite images, citizen scientists can help researchers keep track of the world’s seaweed forests.

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  8. Environment

    Human ingenuity takes on Mother Nature in ‘The Big Ratchet’

    Geographer Ruth DeFries explains how technological innovations have allowed humans to overcome environmental challenges throughout history.

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  9. Animals

    Lacking ice, huge walrus herd congregates on Alaska shore

    A large group of walruses has hauled out on the beach near Point Lay, Alaska. The animals have been forced onto shore due to a lack of sea ice in the region.

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  10. Oceans

    Satellites expose mysteries of the deep ocean

    New detailed map of Earth’s seafloor reveals never-before-seen formations.

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  11. Animals

    Crabs guard coral from army of sea stars

    Coral guard-crabs proved their worth during a 2008 outbreak of crown-of-thorns sea stars, with many successfully protecting their coral from being eaten.

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  12. Climate

    Missing winds probably foiled 2014’s chance for El Niño

    Lack of antitrade winds probably hampered 2014 El Niño.

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