Earth

  1. Science & Society

    How science and society crossed paths in 2017

    In 2017, Science News covered the science events that everyone was talking about.

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  2. Climate

    These weather events turned extreme thanks to human-driven climate change

    Ruling out natural variability, scientists say several of 2016’s extreme weather events wouldn’t have happened without human-caused climate change.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Fracking linked to low birth weight in Pennsylvania babies

    Babies born to moms living within one kilometer of a hydraulic fracturing site were more likely to be born underweight, researchers say.

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  4. Earth

    Federal maps underestimate flood risk for tens of millions of people, scientists warn

    New flood maps suggest that the U.S. government underestimates how many people live in floodplains.

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  5. Climate

    The Larsen C ice shelf break has sparked groundbreaking research

    The hubbub over the iceberg that broke off Larsen C may have died down, but scientists are just getting warmed up to study the aftermath.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Worries grow that climate change will quietly steal nutrients from major food crops

    Studies show that rice, wheat and other staples could lose proteins and minerals, putting more people at risk of hunger worldwide.

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  7. Earth

    Watching this newborn island erode could tell us a lot about Mars

    The birth and death of a young volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean may shed light on the origins of volcanoes in Mars’ wetter past.

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  8. Animals

    Narwhals react to certain dangers in a really strange way

    After escaping a net, narwhals significantly lower their heart rate while diving quickly to get away from humans.

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  9. Science & Society

    Would you opt to see the future or decipher the past?

    Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill wonders what it would be like if scientists could see into the past and the future.

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  10. Animals

    Most blue whales are ‘righties,’ except for this one move

    Though many blue whales tend to be “right-handed” when hunting for krill, one specific barrel roll move requires a lefty twist.

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  11. Oceans

    In the deep ocean, these bacteria play a key role in trapping carbon

    Mysterious nitrite-oxidizing bacteria capture more carbon than previously thought and may be the primary engine at the base of the deep ocean’s food web.

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  12. Earth

    What the Pliocene epoch can teach us about future warming on Earth

    By simulating the changes that occurred during the warm Pliocene epoch, researchers are trying to predict Earth’s future hundreds of years from now.

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