Earth

Physics

Freshwater ice can melt into scallops and spikes

Ice submerged in liquid water can melt into three different shapes, depending on the water’s temperature.

Earth

Weird ‘superionic’ matter could make up Earth’s inner core

Computer simulations suggest that matter that behaves like a mash-up of solid and liquid could explain oddities of Earth’s center.

Animals

Deep-sea Arctic sponges feed on fossilized organisms to survive

Slow-moving sponges, living deep in the Arctic Ocean where no currents deliver food, scavenge a carpet of long-dead critters.

Climate

Satellites have located the world’s methane ‘ultra-emitters’

Plugging leaks from methane ultra-emitters would make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions — and be cost-effective for those countries, scientists say.

Oceans

The past’s extreme ocean heat waves are now the new normal

Marine heat waves that were rare more than a century ago now routinely occur in more than half of global ocean, suggesting we’ve hit a “point of no return.”

Tech

Materials of the last century shaped modern life, but at a price

From our homes and cities to our electronics and clothing, the stuff of daily life is dramatically different from decades ago.

Planetary Science

Machine learning points to prime places in Antarctica to find meteorites

Using data on how ice moves across Antarctica, researchers identified more than 600 spots where space rocks may gather on the southern continent.

Earth

What the Tonga volcano’s past tells us about what to expect next

The January 15 eruption of a Tongan volcano triggered atmospheric shock waves and a rare volcanic tsunami; its history suggests it may not be done.

Climate

Intense drought or flash floods can shock the global economy

Rainfall extremes have powerful impacts on the global economy, affecting the manufacturing and services sectors more than agriculture.

Earth

Volcanic avalanches of rock and gas may be more destructive than previously thought

Pressures within pyroclastic flows may be as much as three times as great as observations had suggested.

Climate

Climate change communication should focus less on specific numbers

Even if nations don’t meet goals to curb global climate change, any progress is better than none.

Earth

Some volcanic hot spots may have a surprisingly shallow heat source

Mysterious hot spots of volcanic activity in the interior of tectonic plates just got a little stranger.