Earth
- Ecosystems
On Whales’ Appetites: What a Waste
An advocacy group and renowned scientist floundered in an attempt to compel opinion shapers with the science showing that industrial fleets, not whales, pose a serious threat to fish stocks.
- Health & Medicine
Breathe easy
When it comes to heart function, the concentration of pollution in the air may matter less than its chemical makeup.
- Plants
Forest invades tundra
The Arctic tundra is under assault from trees, with serious implications for global climate change.
- Climate
Now that’s abrupt
Past abrupt climate change in the North Atlantic could have started as far south as China, scientists say.
- Agriculture
A vanilla Vanilla
The orchid that gives us vanilla beans has startlingly low genetic diversity, suggesting crops might be susceptible to pathogens, researchers report.
- Planetary Science
Surprise found in comet dust
Scientists find an odd mineral that could offer clues to the solar system's origins.
- Earth
Unintended consequences
A full recovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica in the coming years could significantly boost warming of the atmosphere over and around the icy continent.
- Humans
Wash Your Veggies!
The lesson in all of these food-poisoning outbreaks is that we must not expect a risk-free food-supply chain.
- Climate
Goldilocks tree leaves
Leaves mostly keep their cool (or warmth) wherever they live, a finding that might affect reconstructions of past climates.
- Climate
Polar Bear Fallout
Why fights are likely to break out in the next few months to years between industry, environmental advocates, and the feds as regulations are developed, and litigated, over how to conserve declining numbers of polar bears.
- Climate
Science academies call for climate action
Thirteen national academies of science today called on world leaders to “to limit the threat of climate change.” Read more in the current Science & the Public blog by Janet Raloff.
- Earth
A rapid rise for the Andes
New evidence suggests that the South American mountain chain shot up 2.5 kilometers in a geological blink of an eye.
