Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Flooding Earth’s atmosphere with oxygen may not have needed a triggering event
Building an oxygen-rich world doesn’t require volcanism, supercontinent breakups or the rise of land plants — just nutrient cycling, a study finds.
- Climate
How the Arctic’s poor health affects everyday life
A new NOAA report features testimony from indigenous communities in Alaska who are weathering the impacts of Arctic warming.
- Earth
Fingerprints of climate change are increasingly appearing in extreme weather
A new report finds evidence that some of 2018’s extreme weather events were linked to human-caused climate change.
- Climate
See how an Alaskan glacier has shrunk over time
Scientists have created a time-lapse series of images of the retreat of an Alaskan glacier using NASA and U.S. Geological Survey Landsat data.
- Ecosystems
A newly found Atacama Desert soil community survives on sips of fog
Lichens and other fungi and algae unite to form “grit-crust” on the dry soil of Chile’s Atacama Desert and survive on moisture from coastal fog.
- Oceans
Stealthy robots with microphones could improve maps of ocean noise
Recordings from underwater microphones on stealthy robotic gliders could create a better “soundscape” of noises throughout the ocean, researchers say.
- Earth
Climate-warming CO₂ emissions will hit a record high in 2019
Despite countries adopting renewable power sources and coal use falling slightly, oil and gas use are pushing global carbon dioxide emissions to record heights.
- Climate
Countries urgently need to ramp up emissions cuts to meet climate targets
A new U.N. report finds that pledged emissions cuts aren’t nearly enough to limit warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius by 2100.
- Earth
Critics say an EPA rule may restrict science used for public health regulations
Editors of six major scientific journals argue that a rule proposed by the U.S. EPA may keep key data from factoring into environmental regulations.
- Climate
Most Americans now see signs of climate change where they live
In a Pew Research survey, most Americans said the U.S. government isn’t doing enough to counter climate change amid local weather extremes.
- Climate
50 years ago, scientists puzzled over a slight global cooling
Five decades ago, scientists were puzzled over a slight dip in global temperatures. Today we know it was just a blip, and that Earth’s climate is warming thanks to industrial activity over the last century.
- Climate
The loss of ‘eternal ice’ threatens Mongolian reindeer herders’ way of life
Mongolian reindeer herders help scientists piece together the loss of the region’s vital “eternal ice” patches.
