Earth
- Climate
Earth keeps breaking global heat records
How hot could it get? In the first edition of Science News’ Extreme Climate Update, we look at how high temperatures could soar.
- Oceans
In a seafloor surprise, metal-rich chunks may generate deep-sea oxygen
Instead of sinking from the surface, some deep-sea oxygen may be created by battery-like nodules that split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Climate
Twisters asks if you can 'tame' a tornado. We have the answer
Science News talked to a meteorologist and Twisters’ tornado consultant to separate fact from fiction in Hollywood’s latest extreme weather thriller.
- Oceans
Can bioluminescent ‘milky seas’ be predicted?
For the first time, a scientist has used ocean and atmospheric data to find a milky sea, a huge expanse of luminous water, in past satellite images.
- Oceans
This AI can predict ship-sinking ‘freak’ waves minutes in advance
The model, which was trained on data from ocean buoys to identify potential rogue waves, could help save lives.
- Climate
Plants might not hold on to carbon as long as we thought
Radiocarbon from bomb tests reveals that plants store more carbon than previously estimated in leaves and stems, which are vulnerable to degradation.
- Environment
Landfills belch toxic ‘forever chemicals’ into the air
An analysis of samples from three Florida landfills shows that landfill gas can carry more PFAS than the liquid that leaches from the waste.
- Environment
The world has water problems. This book has solutions
The Last Drop tackles global water problems and explores how humans can better manage the precious resource.
- Environment
Federally unprotected streams contribute most of the water to U.S. rivers
A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ephemeral streams aren’t protected by the Clean Water Act could have sizable ripple effects, a study suggests.
- Climate
Why this year’s climate conditions helped Hurricane Beryl smash records
Scientists predicted an active hurricane season, but a July Category 5 storm is still stunning.
- Climate
How powdered rock could help slow climate change
A method called enhanced rock weathering shows promise at capturing carbon dioxide from the air. But verifying the carbon removal is a challenge.
- Agriculture
50 years ago, scientists ID’d a threat to California wine country
Fifty years after scientists identified the cause of Pierce's disease, which damages vineyards, there still isn't a cure.
