Earth

Earth

The Air That’s Up There

Researchers are exploring how trees affect the chemistry of the atmosphere.

Earth

Shelter from Space Storms: Energy rebounds from Earth

NASA satellite observations show that Earth's outer atmosphere interacts dramatically with the solar wind and shields the planet from it.

Earth

Honey may pose hidden toxic risk

Many honeys may contain potentially toxic traces of potent liver-damaging compounds produced naturally by a broad range of flowering plants.

Earth

September’s Science: Shutdown of airlines aided contrail studies

The shutdown of commerical aviation within the United States for 3 days after Sept. 11, 2001, provided scientists with a unique opportunity to study the influence of high-flying jet aircraft on Earth's climate.

Earth

Tornado Alley, USA

A new model that simulates 30,000 years worth of tornadoes in the United States finds that the place not to be if you fear funnel clouds is southeastern Oklahoma, where any particular spot can expect to get damaged once every 4,000 years.

Earth

Breath-Taking Popcorn

To most people, the scent of hot buttered popcorn brings to mind excursions to the local movie theater for big-screen viewings or recalls quiet winter respites before a crackling fire. To those who toil in the plants that package microwave popcorn, the same smell can not only be overpowering but also signal lung dangers, according […]

Earth

In case of temblor, run downhill

Computer models of the ground motions measured on a shallow hill during an earthquake suggest that, in certain circumstances, the ground movements could be magnified by as much as 10 times those measured on flat areas nearby.

Earth

Monitors get weird vibes from Antarctic

In late 2000, seismometers on islands in the South Pacific picked up vibrations that were eventually traced to a large iceberg drifting in the Ross Sea north of Antarctica.

Earth

Symbionts affect coral’s chemistry

The presence of symbiotic organisms in the tiny animals that build coral reefs changes the rates at which the animals take in minerals from the water, a finding that may affect the results of many research projects that have used chemical analyses of coral remains to infer past sea-surface temperatures.

Earth

The Silent Type: Pacific Northwest hit routinely by nonquakes

Once every 14 months or so, portions of coastal British Columbia and northwestern Washington State experience a slow ground motion that, if released all at once, would generate an earthquake measuring more than 6 on the Richter scale.

Earth

Smog’s ozone spawns funky carpet smells

Strange, unpleasant odors may emanate from carpets for years due to reactions caused by exposure to smoggy air.

Earth

Feminized Frogs: Herbicide disrupts sexual growth

At concentrations currently found in water, the widely used weed killer atrazine hormonally strips male frogs of their masculinity and may be partly responsible for global amphibian declines.