Earth
- Humans
Toxic yes: Toxins? No
Yet another news story baits us with the promise of reading about noxious toxins – and doesn't deliver.
By Janet Raloff - Animals
Not-OK Coral
First big species audit finds coral extinction risks severely under-reported
By Susan Milius -
- Earth
Howdy, neighbor!
About 800 million years ago, East Antarctica, now one of the coldest regions on Earth, abutted what is now Death Valley, Calif., one of the hottest.
By Sid Perkins - Ecosystems
Aspiring to Save the Planet
The failure of the G-8 Summit to put some teeth in greenhouse-gas limits suggests it may be time for a global climate czar.
By Janet Raloff -
- Agriculture
Farm life turns male toads female
A detailed inventory of toads in Florida finds that, as land becomes more agricultural, more cane toads resemble females both inside and out.
By Janet Raloff - Agriculture
Fishy Data on Weed Killer
A popular weed killer can feminize wildlife by tinkering with a gene that indirectly affects the production of sex hormones.
By Janet Raloff - Science & Society
Climate Threatens Living Fossil
Thanks to global warming, within the lifetimes of certain reptiles in the South Pacific, all members of their species could be born male.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Precious little gems
Ancient microdiamonds embedded inside ancient zircons found in western Australia suggest that life may have existed on Earth up to 4.25 billion years ago.
By Sid Perkins - Climate
EPA asks: Could you drive less?
Gas prices may need to climb more before most of us do the right thing.
By Janet Raloff - Animals
Live fast, die young
With a lifespan of just five months, the chameleon Furcifer labordi leads a briefer life than any other land-dwelling vertebrate.
By Amy Maxmen