Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
Cuts in some greenhouse gases could slow sea level rise
Methane, ozone and other short-lived pollutants have a big impact on ocean heights, simulation finds.
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- Climate
Rising carbon dioxide means more air turbulence
More jarring flights are likely, simulation suggests.
- Earth
Isolated coral reefs can regrow after bleaching
Having neighboring coral reefs is unnecessary for recovery.
- Earth
How the West was done
The tectonic history of North America’s Pacific Rim gets even more jumbled.
- Earth
In Antarctica, melting may beget ice
Disintegration of floating glaciers could be responsible for freezing of seawater.
- Earth
Fungi pull carbon into northern forest soils
Organisms living on tree roots do the lion’s share of sequestering carbon.
- Animals
Termites, not fairies, cause plant circles in African deserts
Underground insect engineers create water traps in the soil, allowing rings of green grasses in the sand.
- Earth
Kansas was unbearably hot 270 million years ago
Temperatures soared to nearly 74 degrees Celsius, which no plants or animals could endure.
- Earth
Landslides detected from afar
Seismic fingerprints can reveal that a rock avalanche has occurred in a remote location.
- Life
Disease threatens garden impatiens
Surprising scientists, once-mild downy mildew has struck the popular blooms in 33 states.
- Life
Microbes flourish at deepest ocean site
At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, eleven kilometers down, bacteria prosper despite crushing pressure and isolation.
