Earth

Ecosystems

Can forensics help keep endangered rosewood off the black market?

Timber traffickers are plundering the world’s forests, but conservationists have a new set of tools to fight deforestation.

Tech

Here’s what it will take to adapt the power grid to higher wildfire risks

Better sensing tech on power lines and reliance on more local power sources could help avoid vast power outages like those in California in October.

Climate

A new estimate triples the number of people in the path of rising seas

Sea level rise could flood coastal areas now home to 340 million to 480 million people by 2100, with Asia most affected, a study finds.

Earth

Powerful storms may be causing offshore ‘stormquakes’

A perfect-storm mixture of hurricane, ocean and seafloor topography can create distinct seismic signals called “stormquakes.”

Animals

Humpback whales use their flippers and bubble ‘nets’ to catch fish

A study reveals new details of how humpback whales hunt using their flippers and a whirl of bubbles to capture fish.

Earth

50 years ago, an Antarctic fossil pointed to Gondwanaland’s existence

Fifty years ago, fossils from Antarctica helped seal the deal that the southern continents were once connected in one, giant landmass called Gondwanaland.

Earth

Too much groundwater pumping is draining many of the world’s rivers

Too much groundwater use could push over half of pumped watersheds past an ecological tipping point by 2050, compromising aquatic ecosystems worldwide.

Humans

Nepal is reeling from an unprecedented dengue outbreak

As climate change opens new regions to mosquitoes, Nepal suffers an outbreak of the painful viral disease that has sickened more than 9,000 people.

Climate

In a climate crisis, is geoengineering worth the risks?

Some scientists say the world needs to reconsider some human-made ideas to cool the climate as dire warnings about the looming crisis ramp up.

Science & Society

This year’s SN 10 enjoy the journey, not just the discovery

Meet 10 young researchers who combine persistence and passion to make headway on science’s big questions.

Climate

Abigail Swann’s alternate Earths show how plants shape climate

Abigail Swann's studies reveal that water vapor from forests can affect drought patterns a hemisphere away.

Life

Michelle O’Malley seeks greener chemistry through elusive fungi

Michelle O’Malley studies anaerobic gut fungi, microbes that could help make chemicals and fuels from sustainable sources.