Earth

Earth

Ancient zircons may record the dawn of plate tectonics

A change in gemstone composition starting about 3.8 billion years ago may offer the earliest record of one tectonic plate sliding over another.

Particle Physics

Muons spill secrets about Earth’s hidden structures

Tracking travel patterns of subatomic particles called muons helps reveal the inner worlds of pyramids, volcanoes and more.

Climate

Coastal cities around the globe are sinking

Of 99 coastal cities, nearly one-third are sinking in some places at more than a centimeter per year, making them more vulnerable to rising seas.

Anthropology

How ancient, recurring climate changes may have shaped human evolution

Climate changes drove where Homo species lived over the last 2 million years, with a disputed ancestor giving rise to H. sapiens, a new study claims.

Agriculture

More than 57 billion tons of soil have eroded in the U.S. Midwest

Researchers discovered startling soil erosion rates in the Midwest. Farming has worsened erosion, but no-till practices and cover crops can help.

Climate

Climate change intensified deadly storms in Africa in early 2022

Tropical storms battered southeast Africa in quick succession from January through March, leading to hundreds of deaths and widespread damage.

Tech

50 years ago, the future of solar energy looked bright

In the 1970s, scientists and engineers were coming around to the idea of “farming” the sun’s energy on a large scale.

Climate

A UN report says stopping climate change is possible but action is needed now

We already have a broad array of tools to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, a new report finds. Now we just have to use them.

Climate

A global warming pause that didn’t happen hampered climate science

Trying to explain why global warming appeared to slow down in the early 2000s distracted scientists and shook their confidence.

Science & Society

Here are the Top 10 times scientific imagination failed

Some scientists of the past couldn’t imagine that atoms or gravity waves could one day be studied – or nuclear energy harnessed.

Climate

Wally Broecker divined how the climate could suddenly shift

Wally Broecker’s insight into the shutdown of the great ocean conveyor belt spurred the study of abrupt climate change.

Climate

Forests help reduce global warming in more ways than one

Trees are often touted as bulwarks against climate change for their capacity to sequester carbon, but that’s just one part of the story.