Earth

  1. Climate

    The Great Barrier Reef is experiencing a major coral bleaching event right now

    A second coral bleaching event has struck the Great Barrier Reef in 12 months, new observations reveal, raising concerns about the natural wonder’s future.

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  2. Earth

    Whirlwinds of crystals called gravel devils spotted in Andes Mountains

    Large whirlwinds in northern Chile can carry gravel-sized gypsum crystals several kilometers before dumping them in mounds.

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  3. Environment

    When coal replaces a cleaner energy source, health is on the line

    Health concerns prompted a shift from nuclear power to coal. But that shift came with its own health troubles, a new study suggests.

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  4. Oceans

    Thinning ice creates undersea Arctic greenhouses

    Arctic sea ice thinned by climate change increasingly produces conditions favorable for phytoplankton blooms in the waters below, new research suggests.

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  5. Earth

    Deadly New Zealand quake hopscotched across faults

    The Nov. 14, 2016, earthquake in New Zealand was much larger than thought possible at the time, prompting a rethink of hazard assessments.

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  6. Climate

    Arctic sea ice hits record wintertime low

    Warm temperatures and heat waves reduced sea ice extent in the Arctic to its smallest maximum extent ever seen.

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  7. Physics

    To understand rivers, let physics be your guide

    Where the River Flows unites physics and environmental science to explain Earth’s waterways.

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  8. Earth

    Remnants of Earth’s original crust preserve time before plate tectonics

    Canadian rocks containing bits from 4.2 billion years ago suggest that full-fledged plate tectonics had a late start.

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  9. Climate

    Changing climate could worsen foods’ nutrition

    Climate change could aggravate hidden hunger by sapping micronutrients from soils and plants, reducing nutrition in wheat, rice and other crops.

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  10. Genetics

    How to grow toxin-free corn

    Corn genetically altered to produce specialized molecules may prevent a fungus from tainting it with carcinogenic toxins.

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  11. Earth

    Warming soils may belch much more carbon

    New measurements suggest soils below 15 centimeters deep could play a sizable role in boosting carbon emissions as the planet warms.

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  12. Agriculture

    Fleets of drones could pollinate future crops

    Chemist Eijiro Miyako turned a lab failure into a way to rethink artificial pollination.

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