Earth

  1. Environment

    Plastic goes missing at sea

    A survey of the world’s oceans finds far less polymer trash than expected, and researchers don’t know where the rest of the plastic is.

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  2. Animals

    Emperor penguin population could decline by 2100

    Emperor penguins’ reign over Antarctic sea ice could be in decline by the beginning of the 22nd century.

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  3. Earth

    Wavy jet stream linked with extreme weather

    Extreme weather events have been linked with big waves in the jet stream.

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  4. Environment

    Triclosan may spoil wastewater treatment

    Common antimicrobial could make microbes more drug resistant and less efficient at breaking down sewage sludge in municipal treatment plants.

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  5. Environment

    E-cigarettes may inflame lungs as much as cigarettes do

    Acute lung impacts of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes are nearly identical, new study finds.

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  6. Earth

    Earth’s deep interior holds vast reservoir of water

    Ocean’s worth of water trapped in Earth’s mantle, lab experiments and seismic data suggest.

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  7. Earth

    Rock made of plastic turns up on Hawaii beach

    A new type of rock made from trash could mark human's impact on Earth in the future rock record.

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  8. Agriculture

    Fertilizer produces far more greenhouse gas than expected

    Farmers’ overuse of nitrogen-based fertilizers may explain previously puzzling high emissions of nitrous oxide.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Health risks of e-cigarettes emerge

    Research uncovers a growing list of chemicals that end up in an e-cigarette user’s lungs, and one study finds that an e-cigarette’s vapors can increase the virulence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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  10. Oceans

    Dusk heralds a feeding frenzy in the waters off Oahu

    Even dolphins benefit when layers of organisms in the water column overlap for a short period.

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  11. Environment

    Carbon dioxide levels hit landmark in Northern Hemisphere

    The Northern Hemisphere experienced the first full month with the greenhouse gas at or above the symbolic 400 parts per million level.

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  12. Climate

    Violent storms may shatter sea ice

    Tall waves’ effect on sea ice hints at troubled water in the future.

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