Earth

  1. Life

    Big study raises worries about bees trading diseases

    Pathogens may jump from commercial colonies to the wild.

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  2. Oceans

    Unknowns linger for sea mining

    Scientists struggle to predict underwater digs’ effects on sea life.

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  3. Earth

    Magma spends most of its existence as sludgy mush

    Volcanic magma may spend most of its time in a chunky state resembling cold porridge, a new study finds.

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  4. Climate

    Sharks could serve as ocean watchdogs

    Tagged with sensors, toothy fish gather weather and climate data in remote Pacific waters.

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  5. Ecosystems

    Arctic melting may help parasites infect new hosts

    Grey seals and beluga whales encounter killer microbes as ranges change.

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  6. Environment

    How oil breaks fish hearts

    Hydrocarbons that spill into oceans stifle the beat of tuna cardiac cells.

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  7. Earth

    The Sixth Extinction

    On only five occasions in Earth’s long history has a large fraction of the planet’s biodiversity disappeared in a geological instant. But, journalist Kolbert reminds us in her new book, we are well on our way to making it six.

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  8. Climate

    Biggest climate warmers

    The United States, China, Russia, Brazil, India, Germany and the United Kingdom are responsible for more than 60 percent of the 0.74 degree Celsius rise in global average temperature observed from 1906 to 2005.

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  9. Climate

    Strong winds may have waylaid global warming

    Gusts over the Pacific Ocean may have stashed heat underwater since 2001.

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  10. Climate

    Weather patterns over Southern Hemisphere have a regular pulse

    Variations in energy and rainfall over the Southern Hemisphere follow a pattern that repeats every 20 to 30 days.

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  11. Earth

    Ammonite jaws provide a window into ancient climate

    Temperature of marine environment can be determined from cephalopod fossils.

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  12. Ecosystems

    Amazon doesn’t actually go green in dry seasons

    An optical illusion in satellite data made forests appear to grow faster.

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