Earth
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Agriculture
Downtown Fisheries?
Advances may make fish farming a healthy prospect, even for inner cities.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
U.S. smog limit permits subtle lung damage
Ambient concentrations of smog ozone in many regions can cause lungs to leak, potentially compromising the health of even robust people.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Air-Pollution Pileup: Mediterranean endures emissions from afar
Although most Mediterranean countries aren't big polluters, the area is a crossroads for pollution-carrying air currents from Europe, Asia, and North America.
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Earth
Snowball Melting? Ancient formation shows glacier activity
An ancient, well-preserved glacial formation in Oman provided evidence that Earth experienced intermittent ice ages like those in Earth's more recent history.
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Earth
Contraceptive-Patch Worry: Disposal concern focuses on wildlife
Some scientists now worry that discarded contraceptive patches may leak synthetic estrogen into the environment, potentially harming wildlife.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Haze clears on sooty climate conditions
The results of a new study suggest that soot plays a bigger role in regional climate changes than scientists had previously realized.
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Earth
Shifting Sands
Sand dunes can provide scientists with clues about ancient patterns of wind and precipitation.
By Sid Perkins -
Earth
Global warming is marmot wake-up call
Marmots are coming out of hibernation earlier, while chipmunks and ground squirrels sleep longer-effects that could be attributed to global warming.
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Earth
Lawn Agent Cues Embryo Shortfall: Herbicide weeds out mice in the womb
Minuscule amounts of over-the-counter weed killers impair reproduction in mice.
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Earth
Clipping the Fin Trade
New research and policy developments aim to curb the wasteful and gruesome practice of killing sharks solely for their fins.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Impurities clock crystal growth rates
A novel method for measuring tiny amounts of hydrogen-containing impurities allows researchers to determine growth rates along different directions in a quartz crystal.
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Earth
A deadly threat in undeployed airbags
The extremely toxic and reactive chemical used to inflate airbags could cause risks to human health and wildlife if accidentally released into the environment.
By Janet Raloff