Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Air pollution is triggering diabetes in 3.2 million people each year
A new study quantifies the link between smoggy air and diabetes.
- Animals
Why humans, and Big Macs, depend on bees
Thor Hanson, the author of Buzz, explains the vital role bees play in our world.
- Earth
Kilauea’s spectacular pyrotechnics show no signs of stopping
Watch some of the most striking videos and images of the strange, fiery beauty of the Hawaii volcano’s ongoing eruption.
- Earth
Earth’s rivers cover 44 percent more land than we thought
A global survey of rivers and streams based on satellite data suggests that these waterways traverse about 773,000 square kilometers.
- Planetary Science
Mars got its crust quickly
The Martian crust had solidified within 20 million years of the solar system’s formation.
- Genetics
Readers ponder geothermal power and more
Readers respond to stories from the May 26, 2018 issue of Science News.
- Climate
Why won’t this debate about an ancient cold snap die?
Critics are still unconvinced that a comet caused a mysterious cold snap 12,800 years ago.
- Earth
This volcano revealed its unique ‘voice’ after an eruption
Identifying patterns in a volcano’s low-frequency sounds could help monitor its activity.
- Earth
Underwater fiber-optic cables could moonlight as earthquake sensors
The seafloor cables that ferry internet traffic across oceans may soon find another use: detecting underwater earthquakes.
- Animals
Here’s what narwhals sound like underwater
Scientists eavesdropped while narwhals clicked and buzzed. The work could help pinpoint how the whales may react to more human noise in the Arctic.
- Climate
Antarctica has lost about 3 trillion metric tons of ice since 1992
Antarctica’s rate of ice loss has sped up since 1992 — mostly in the last five years, raising global sea level by almost 8 millimeters on average.
- Environment
Sunshine is making Deepwater Horizon oil stick around
Sunlight created oxygen-rich oil by-products that are still hanging around eight years after the Deepwater Horizon spill.
