Earth

  1. Environment

    Pollution killed 9 million people in 2015

    First global look estimates the massive human and financial toll caused by pollution-related health problems.

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  2. Earth

    How volcanoes may have ended the dynasty of Ptolemy and Cleopatra

    Volcanic ash in polar ice reveal a link between eruptions and the timing of revolts in Cleopatra’s Egypt.

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  3. Oceans

    Here’s a breakdown of the animals that crossed the Pacific on 2011 tsunami debris

    Hundreds of marine animals from Japan have washed up on U.S. beaches since the destructive 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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  4. Earth

    When the Larsen C ice shelf broke, it exposed a hidden world

    Scientists plan urgent missions to visit the world the Larsen C iceberg left behind.

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  5. Climate

    During El Niño, the tropics emit more carbon dioxide

    El Niño increases carbon emissions from the tropics — mimicking future climate change.

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  6. Animals

    New deep-sea sponge could play a starring role in monitoring ocean health

    A new species of sponge that dwells on metal-rich rocks could help scientists track the environmental impact of deep-sea mining.

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  7. Agriculture

    Much of the world’s honey now contains bee-harming pesticides

    A controversial group of chemicals called neonicotinoids has a global impact, tests of honey samples show.

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  8. Plants

    José Dinneny rethinks how plants hunt for water

    Plant biologist José Dinneny probes the very beginnings of root development, which may have important implications for growing food in a changing climate.

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  9. Chemistry

    Chong Liu one-ups plant photosynthesis

    Chong Liu mixes bacteria and inorganics into systems that can generate clean energy better than a leaf.

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  10. Environment

    Radioactive material from Fukushima disaster turns up in a surprising place

    Radioactive cesium is reaching the ocean through salty groundwater.

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  11. Oceans

    Castaway critters rafted to U.S. shores aboard Japan tsunami debris

    Researchers report finding 289 living Japanese marine species that washed up on American shores on debris from the 2011 East Japan earthquake and tsunami.

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  12. Climate

    Tropical forests have flipped from sponges to sources of carbon dioxide

    Analyses of satellite images suggest that degraded forests now release more carbon than they store.

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