Earth

  1. Environment

    ‘Green’ burials are slowly gaining ground among environmentalists

    Researchers asked older environmental activists what they planned to do with their bodies after death. Many were unaware of “green” burial options.

    By
  2. Paleontology

    Climate change helped some dinosaurs migrate to Greenland

    A drop in CO2 levels helped massive plant eaters called sauropodomorphs trek from South America to Greenland 214 million years ago, says a new study.

    By
  3. Earth

    Color-coded radar maps reveal a patchwork of California wildfire destruction

    A composite made up of fine-scale vegetation maps from different years lets researchers track the story of plant loss and regrowth around Los Angeles.

    By
  4. Earth

    A magnetic field reversal 42,000 years ago may have contributed to mass extinctions

    The weakening of Earth's magnetic field beginning around 42,000 years ago correlates with a cascade of environmental crises, scientists say.

    By
  5. Plants

    Modified genes can distort wild cotton’s interactions with insects

    In a Yucatan nature park, engineered genes influence nectar production, affecting ants’ and maybe pollinators’ attraction to the wild cotton plants.

    By
  6. Earth

    Fin whale songs can reveal hidden features of the ocean floor

    Fin whale calls can penetrate into Earth’s crust, offering scientists a new way to study the properties of the ocean floor.

    By
  7. Earth

    A drop in CFC emissions puts the hole in the ozone layer back on track to closing

    After a recent bump in illicit CFC-11 pollution, emissions of the ozone-destroying chemical are back down to pre-2013 levels.

    By
  8. Earth

    Three things to know about the disastrous flood in India

    The flood, which killed at least 30 people, may have been caused by a collapsing glacier or a landslide, with climate change possibly playing a role.

    By
  9. Earth

    Fossil mimics may be more common in ancient rocks than actual fossils

    Evidence of early life may be harder to preserve than pseudofossils — structures that form abiotically but resemble living remnants.

    By
  10. Earth

    The birth of a lightning bolt was caught on video

    High-speed imagery shows the formation of an electrical connection between opposing currents, offering new insight into how these flashes form.

    By
  11. Earth

    An upwelling of rock beneath the Atlantic may drive continents apart

    Rock rising from more than 600 kilometers deep at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge may play a more active role in plate tectonics than thought.

    By
  12. Climate

    Ship exhaust studies overestimate cooling from pollution-altered clouds

    Lines of clouds formed by ship exhaust offer a window into aerosol-cloud interactions but may overestimate how much pollution-altered clouds cool the climate.

    By