Earth

Climate

CO₂ emissions are on track to take us beyond 1.5 degrees of global warming

Current and planned infrastructure will exceed the level of emissions that would keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a new analysis finds.

Climate

Is climate change causing Europe’s intense heat? A scientist weighs in

Science News talks with climate scientist Karsten Haustein about attributing extreme heat events in Europe and South Asia to climate change.

Animals

U.S. honeybees had the worst winter die-off in more than a decade

Colonies suffered from parasitic, disease-spreading Varroa mites. Floods and fire didn’t help.

Oceans

The world’s fisheries are incredibly intertwined, thanks to baby fish

A computer simulation reveals how one nation's management of its fish spawning grounds could significantly help or hurt another country's catch.

Climate

Cold War–era spy satellite images show Himalayan glaciers are melting fast

Declassified spy satellite photographs reveal that glacier melt in the Himalayas has sped up dramatically in the last two decades.

Chemistry

How seafood shells could help solve the plastic waste problem

Chitin and chitosan from crustacean shells could put a dent in the world’s plastic waste problem.

Earth

Is a long-dormant Russian volcano waking up? It’s complicated

Scientists debate how to interpret seismic activity near Bolshaya Udina on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula.

Ecosystems

Many of the world’s rivers are flush with dangerous levels of antibiotics

Antibiotic pollution can fuel drug resistance in microbes. A global survey of rivers finds unsafe levels of antibiotics in 16 percent of sites.

Environment

Some Canadian lakes still store DDT in their mud

Yesterday’s DDT pollution crisis is still today’s problem in some of Canada’s lakes.

Climate

The National Weather Service has launched its new U.S. forecasting model

The United States has finally unveiled its new, highly touted weather prediction model, but some scientists worry that it’s not ready for prime time.

Agriculture

The U.S. is still using many pesticides that are banned in other countries

In 2016, the United States used millions of kilograms of pesticides that are banned or being phased out in the European Union, Brazil and China.

Oceans

Tiny plastic debris is accumulating far beneath the ocean surface

Floating trash patches scratch only the surface of the ocean microplastic pollution problem.