Earth

  1. Earth

    Efforts to contain Mississippi floods may have made them worse

    Intensive management of the Mississippi River has increased the size of its largest floods, suggests a new study.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    Are we ready for the deadly heat waves of the future?

    As heat waves become more common, cities try to respond.

    By
  3. Climate

    Seafloor map shows why Greenland’s glaciers melt at different rates

    A new high-res look at the seafloor shows how ledges and dips affects whether relatively warm ocean water reaches the ice.

    By
  4. Earth

    Powerful New England quake recorded in pond mud

    The newfound sediment signature of the 1755 Cape Ann earthquake could be used to trace other prehistoric temblors.

    By
  5. Animals

    Humpback whale bumps have marine biologists stumped

    Christine Gabriele is taking tissue samples from humpback whales in Hawaii to determine why more and more have nodular dermatitis.

    By
  6. Science & Society

    How past disasters can help us prepare for the future

    In The Big Ones, seismologist Lucy Jones examines the science behind some of the most catastrophic natural disasters in human history.

    By
  7. Environment

    How bees defend against some controversial insecticides

    Some bees have enzymes that allow them to resist toxic compounds in some neonicotinoid pesticides.

    By
  8. Science & Society

    Why it’s great to have a geologist in the house

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute enthuses about learning how ancient plans may have helped make Earth muddy.

    By
  9. Environment

    The great Pacific garbage patch may be 16 times as massive as we thought

    The giant garbage patch between Hawaii and California weighs at least 79,000 tons, a new estimate suggests.

    By
  10. Earth

    False alarms may be a necessary part of earthquake early warnings

    To give enough time to take protective action, earthquake warning systems may have to issue alerts long before it’s clear how strong the quake will be.

    By
  11. Climate

    Tree rings tell tale of drought in Mongolia over the last 2,000 years

    Semifossilized trees preserved in Mongolia contain a 2,000-year climate record that could help predict future droughts.

    By
  12. Earth

    Will Smith narrates ‘One Strange Rock,’ but astronauts are the real stars

    Hosted by Will Smith, ‘One Strange Rock’ embraces Earth’s weirdness and explores the planet’s natural history.

    By