Earth

  1. Climate

    Monsoon deluges turned ancient Sahara green

    The ancient Sahara Desert sprouted trees and lakes for thousands of years thanks to intense rainfall.

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  2. Climate

    For three years in a row, Earth breaks heat record

    Spurred by climate change and heat from a strong El Niño, 2016 was the hottest year on record.

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  3. Earth

    Coastal waters were an oxygen oasis 2.3 billion years ago

    Coastal waters contained enough oxygen to support complex life-forms including some animals hundreds of millions of years before fossils of such life first appear.

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  4. Climate

    Petrified tree rings tell ancient tale of sun’s behavior

    The 11-year cycle of solar activity may have been around for at least 290 million years, ancient tree rings suggest.

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  5. Earth

    Mapping the future of continents and batteries

    Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses how science provides new perspectives on the past and the future.

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  6. Earth

    Evidence falls into place for once and future supercontinents

    Shifting landmasses have repeatedly reshaped Earth’s surface. Researchers piecing together the past are now picturing a new supercontinent, due in 250 million years.

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  7. Earth

    Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf nears breaking point

    A fast-growing crack in Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf could soon break off a 5,000-square-kilometer hunk of ice into the ocean.

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  8. Earth

    Antarctic ice shelf heading toward collapse

    A fast-growing crack in Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf could soon break off a 5,000-square-kilometer hunk of ice into the ocean.

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  9. Climate

    Warming could disrupt Atlantic Ocean current

    The Atlantic current that keeps northwestern Europe warm may be less stable under future climate change than previously thought, revised simulations show.

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  10. Earth

    ‘Waterworld’ Earth preceded late rise of continents, scientist proposes

    Cooling mantle temperatures may have lifted Earth’s continents above sea level, helping spur the Cambrian explosion.

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  11. Earth

    Data show no sign of methane boost from thawing permafrost

    Rapid Arctic warming has increased emissions of carbon dioxide, but not methane, from northern Alaska tundra.

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  12. Earth

    Megadiamonds point to metal in mantle

    Imperfections in supersized diamonds hint at metallic iron and nickel in Earth’s mantle.

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