Earth
- Earth
Age of Earth’s crust confirmed
Decaying atoms traced in zircon uphold dating of Earth's crust at about 4.374 billion years old.
- Environment
Legionnaires’ disease bacteria lurk in tap water
Found in nearly half of faucets, contamination could explain sporadic cases of disease.
- Animals
Fish lose their fear on a denuded reef
Juvenile damselfish lose their ability to smell danger when in a degraded habitat.
- Life
Big study raises worries about bees trading diseases
Pathogens may jump from commercial colonies to the wild.
- Oceans
Unknowns linger for sea mining
Scientists struggle to predict underwater digs’ effects on sea life.
- 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.
- Climate
Sharks could serve as ocean watchdogs
Tagged with sensors, toothy fish gather weather and climate data in remote Pacific waters.
- Ecosystems
Arctic melting may help parasites infect new hosts
Grey seals and beluga whales encounter killer microbes as ranges change.
- Environment
How oil breaks fish hearts
Hydrocarbons that spill into oceans stifle the beat of tuna cardiac cells.
- 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.
- 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.
- Climate
Strong winds may have waylaid global warming
Gusts over the Pacific Ocean may have stashed heat underwater since 2001.
