Earth
- Climate
Rising temps may mean fewer passengers on airplane flights
Global warming could force airplanes to carry a lighter load — and fewer passengers —on each flight.
- Climate
Rising temperatures may mean fewer passengers on airplane flights
Global warming could force airplanes to carry a lighter load — and fewer passengers —on each flight.
- Earth
Delaware-sized iceberg breaks off Antarctic ice shelf
An iceberg about the size of Delaware splintered from the Larsen C ice shelf in one of the largest calving events ever recorded.
- Earth
Snow and rain tug on earthquake faults in California
California’s water cycle is linked to periodic increases in small earthquakes.
- Climate
Climate change could exacerbate economic inequalities in the U.S.
Counties across the United States won’t all pay the same price for climate change, a new simulation predicts.
- 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.
By Susan Milius - 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.