Earth

  1. Earth

    How hurricanes and other devastating disasters spur scientific research

    Hurricanes such as Harvey, Irma and others have been devastating, even deadly, yet they drive our desire for scientific discovery.

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  2. Environment

    Air pollution takes a toll on solar energy

    Dust and other tiny air pollutants can reduce solar energy output by as much as 25 percent in parts of the world.

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  3. Climate

    Rising temperatures threaten heat-tolerant aardvarks

    Aardvarks may get a roundabout hit from climate change — less food.

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  4. Earth

    North America’s largest recorded earthquake helped confirm plate tectonics

    Henry Fountain’s 'The Great Quake' mixes drama and science to tell the story of the 1964 Alaska earthquake.

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  5. Oceans

    How deep water surfaces around Antarctica

    New 3-D maps trace the pathway that deep water takes to the surface of the Southern Ocean.

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  6. Archaeology

    Ancient mud documents the legacy of Rome’s lead pipes

    Researchers used lead levels in Rome’s ancient harbors to track lead pipe use and urbanization.

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  7. Astronomy

    On a mountain in Wyoming, the eclipse brings wonder — and, hopefully, answers

    Astronomy writer Lisa Grossman joined scientists on a mountain in Wyoming who were measuring the corona using four different instruments to try to figure out why it’s so hot.

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  8. Astronomy

    Does the corona look different when solar activity is high versus when it’s low?

    Carbondale, Ill., will get two eclipses in a row, seven years apart — making it the perfect spot to watch the solar cycle in action.

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  9. Astronomy

    Why are the loops in the sun’s atmosphere so neat and tidy?

    Observations during the total solar eclipse may explain why the sun’s atmosphere is so organized despite arising from a tangled magnetic field.

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  10. Animals

    Giant larvaceans could be ferrying ocean plastic to the seafloor

    Giant larvaceans could mistakenly capture microplastics, in addition to food, in their mucus houses and transfer them to the seafloor in their feces.

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  11. Astronomy

    What can the eclipse tell us about the corona’s magnetic field?

    The corona’s plasma jumps and dances thanks to the magnetic field, but scientists have never measured the field directly.

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  12. Earth

    Seismologists get to the bottom of how deep Earth’s continents go

    Scientists may have finally pinpointed the bottoms of the continents.

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