Earth

  1. Environment

    Satellite imagery reveals ‘hidden’ tornado tracks

    Twisters that churn over barren landscapes leave scars that are invisible to human eyes but are detectable with infrared light.

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  2. Climate

    How an Indigenous community in Panama is escaping rising seas

    The Indigenous Guna peoples' relocation from Panama could offer lessons for other communities threatened by climate change.

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  3. Climate

    Baseball’s home run boom is due, in part, to climate change

    Higher air temperatures led to an average of 58 more home runs each MLB season from 2010 to 2019, a study shows.

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  4. Oceans

    ‘Jet packs’ and ultrasounds could reveal secrets of pregnant whale sharks

    Only one pregnant whale shark has ever been studied. New underwater techniques using ultrasound and blood tests could change that.

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  5. Math

    Here’s why the geometric patterns in salt flats worldwide look so similar

    New research suggests the shared geometry of salt flats from Death Valley to Iran comes from fluid flows underground.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks

    Researchers are racing to try to understand how much humans are exposed and what levels are toxic.

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  7. Climate

    By flying over atmospheric rivers, scientists aim to improve forecasts

    Drenching atmospheric rivers are slamming the U.S. West Coast, bringing needed water but dangerous flooding. Here’s how scientists study these storms.

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  8. Agriculture

    Martian soil may have all the nutrients rice needs

    Experiments hint that in the future, we might be able to grow the staple food in the soils of the Red Planet.

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  9. Oceans

    50 years ago, researchers discovered a leak in Earth’s oceans

    An analysis of oceanic rocks hinted that ocean water drains into Earth’s mantle. How much makes it back into the ocean remains unclear.

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  10. Earth

    Earth’s inner core may be more complex than researchers thought

    Seismic waves suggest that Earth has a hidden heart, a distinct region within the solid part of the planet’s core.

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  11. Earth

    A moon-forming cataclysm could have also triggered Earth’s plate tectonics

    Deeply buried remnants of a hypothetical planet that slammed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago might have set subduction into motion.

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  12. Agriculture

    Dry farming could help agriculture in the western U.S. amid climate change

    Some farmers in the western United States are forgoing irrigation, which can save on water and produce more flavorful fruits and vegetables.

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