Earth

Climate

Wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes broke all kinds of records in 2020

Climate change did not take a break during the pandemic.

Earth

Towering fire-fueled thunderclouds can spew as many aerosols as volcanic eruptions

A massive plume of smoke lofted into the stratosphere during Australia’s fires may represent a new class of “volcanic-scale” pyrocumulonimbus clouds.

Animals

Plastic waste forms huge, deadly masses in camel guts

Eating plastic isn’t just a sea animal problem. Researchers found suitcase-sized masses of plastic in dromedaries’ guts in the United Arab Emirates.

Earth

In the past 15 years, climate change has transformed the Arctic

Accumulating evidence and new tools have helped scientists better understand how the Arctic is changing, but the pace has been faster than expected.

Archaeology

Ancient people may have survived desert droughts by melting ice in lava tubes

Bands of charcoal from fires lit long ago, found in an ice core from a New Mexico cave, correspond to five periods of drought over 800 years.

Earth

An enormous supervolcano may be hiding under Alaskan islands

A geologic game of connect the dots reveals hints that Mount Cleveland, the Aleutians’ most active volcano, may sit on a giant undersea crater.

Humans

Ancient humans may have deliberately voyaged to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands

Satellite-tracked buoys suggest that long ago, a remote Japanese archipelago was reached by explorers on purpose, not accidentally.

Life

Dog ticks may get more of a taste for human blood as the climate changes

At high temperatures, some brown dog ticks that can carry the bacteria that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever seem to prefer humans over dogs.

Environment

Plastics are showing up in the world’s most remote places, including Mount Everest

From the snow on Mount Everest to the guts of critters in the Mariana Trench, tiny fragments called microplastics are almost everywhere.

Earth

50 years ago, scientists named Earth’s magnetic field as a suspect in extinctions

In 1970, researchers saw a link between magnetic pole reversals and extinctions. Fifty years later, scientists have uncovered more suggestive examples but no strong evidence of a direct link.lamb

Earth

Technology and natural hazards clash to create ‘natech’ disasters

Hurricanes, wildfires and nature’s other extreme events are increasingly causing damage to infrastructure crucial for safety and communication.

Microbes

50 years ago, scientists suspected microbes flourished in clouds

In 1970, scientists presented early evidence that microbes in clouds may be alive and kicking.