Earth
- Earth
Battering storms caused Antarctic sea ice to shrink at record pace
Unusually intense storms could explain why Antarctic sea ice shrank to its smallest observed extent this year.
- Chemistry
Every breath you take contains a molecule of history
In 'Caesar’s Last Breath', best-selling author Sam Kean tells vivid stories about the gases we can’t see.
- Environment
New material could filter water contaminants that others miss
A new polymer offers a better way to pull fluorine-containing pollutants out of drinking water.
- Earth
Magma stored under volcanoes is mostly solid
Ancient zircon crystals provide clues about the magma that fuels volcanic eruptions.
- Climate
Readers question climate’s freshwater effects
Warming lakes, windmills for the Arctic, mosquito control and more in reader feedback.
- Climate
Climate change might help pests resist corn’s genetic weapon
Rising temperatures may allow pests to eat corn that is genetically modified to produce an insect-killing toxin.
- Earth
Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf is within days of completely cracking
The crack in Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf grew another 17 kilometers between May 25 and May 31, 2017 and is at risk of breaking off a massive iceberg.
- Climate
U.S. will withdraw from climate pact, Trump announces
President Trump announced June 1 that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
- Particle Physics
Readers puzzled by proton’s properties
Readers sent feedback on under-ice greenhouses in the Arctic, the Martian atmosphere and more.
- Earth
Deep heat may have spawned one of the world’s deadliest tsunamis
The 2004 Indonesian quake was surprisingly strong because of dried-out, brittle minerals far below.
- Environment
When it’s hot, plants become a surprisingly large source of air pollution
During a heat wave, trees and shrubs can sharply raise ozone levels, a new study shows.
- Climate
Higher temperatures could trigger an uptick in damselfly cannibalism
Experiments in the lab suggest that increases in temperature could indirectly lead to an increase in cannibalistic damselfly nymphs.
