Earth

  1. Physics

    Auroras form when electrons from space ride waves in Earth’s magnetic field

    New lab results confirm that auroras are triggered by disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field called Alfvén waves.

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  2. Paleontology

    Something mysteriously wiped out about 90 percent of sharks 19 million years ago

    Deep sediments beneath the Pacific Ocean revealed a mystery: a massive shark die-off with no obvious cause.

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  3. Climate

    The last 30 years were the hottest on record for the United States

    Typical temps across large swaths of the country are now 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than their 20th-century averages.

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  4. Earth

    2021 will be another busy year for the Atlantic hurricane season

    The average season is busier than it used to be, as NOAA predicts 13 to 20 named Atlantic storms between June 1 and November 30.

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  5. Climate

    ‘Tree farts’ contribute about a fifth of greenhouse gases from ghost forests

    Greenhouse gases from dead trees play an important role in the overall environmental impact of ghost forests, a new study suggests.

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  6. Climate

    ‘Zombie’ forest fires may become more common with climate change

    Wildfires that survive winter underground can flare up after warm summers and account for more than one-third of the scorched ground in some regions.

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  7. Climate

    Climate change disinformation is evolving. So are efforts to fight back

    Researchers discuss effective ways to counter the changing tactics of climate denial.

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  8. Animals

    The U.S.’s first open-air genetically modified mosquitoes have taken flight

    After a decade of argument, Oxitec pits genetically modified mosquitoes against Florida’s spreaders of dengue and Zika.

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  9. Climate

    Rivers might not be as resilient to drought as once thought

    Seven years after Australia’s Millennium drought, water flow in many rivers isn’t returning to predrought levels.

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  10. Animals

    A common antibiotic slows a mysterious coral disease

    Applying the antibiotic amoxicillin to infected lesions halted tissue death in corals for at least 11 months after treatment.

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  11. Climate

    Mangrove forests on the Yucatan Peninsula store record amounts of carbon

    Dense tangles of roots and natural water-filled sinkholes join forces to stockpile as much as 2,800 metric tons of carbon per hectare in the soil.

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  12. Microbes

    These climate-friendly microbes recycle carbon without producing methane

    A newly discovered group of single-celled archaea break down decaying plants without adding the greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere.

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