Earth Science

Hutton, as painted by Sir Henry Raeburn in 1776.

The Blasphemous Geologist Who Rocked Our Understanding of Earth's Age

James Hutton was a leading light of his time, but is rarely talked about today

Maria Zuber, first woman to run a NASA spacecraft mission, says she has a "genetic predilection" to explore space.

This Scientist Seeks Out the Secret History of Other Worlds

Maria Zuber has spent her career enabling discoveries beyond Earth. She says the best is yet to come

An artist's impression of a planet forming through accretion.

To Uncover Earth’s Origins, Scientists Must Look Beyond It

Missions to study the other planetary bodies in our solar system could help solve the mystery of how our own came to be.

The Mauna Loa observatory.

The Enduring Climate Legacy of Mauna Loa

Sixty years after a trailblazing climate scientist scaled its heights, the Hawaii-based observatory remains essential

We’ve never cared less about a charismatic animal standing forlornly on a rapidly deteriorating landscape.

Podcast: Does Anybody Even Care About the Arctic Anymore?

This week's episode of Warm Regards asks why our coldest region has gotten the cold shoulder

A map of gravity variations on the Earth's seafloor, which mostly correspond to underwater ridges and the edges of Earth's tectonic plates.

Study Says Earth's Plate Tectonics May Be Just a Phase

New models suggest that earth's plates could grind to a halt in about five billion years.

“I hope people of the future will look back on us and see that we learned the lessons of deep time,” says Smithsonian paleontologist Scott Wing.

Studying the Climate of the Past Is Essential for Preparing for Today's Rapidly Changing Climate

A Smithsonian scientist explains why in the new Age of Humans, we must turn from crisis management to planet management

A scientist looks at mirror segments for the NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The mirrors underwent cryogenic testing—made possible by scarce helium gas—to see how they would respond to extreme temperatures. Now, scientists have found a huge cache of helium gas that could make the element more accessible to scientists.

Scientists Found a Huge Reservoir of Much-Needed Helium

Helium is used in everything from particle accelerators to MRI machines, and a dearth of the gas has long plagued researchers

Watch Scientists Make Their Own Lava

Basaltic rock and a lot of heat equals a homegrown brew that’s as beautiful as it is dangerous

Rough diamonds from the Juina region of Brazil.

Diamonds Illuminate the Origins of Earth's Deepest Oceans

Crystals could be the key to where our water came from, and what that means for finding life on other planets

Prospecting for fossils in the Morrison Formation near Shell, Wyoming

Hunting Lost Worlds in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin

A geology tour with Kirk Johnson, Director of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and Will Clyde, a geology professor at University of New Hampshire

Scientists injected more than 200 tons of dissolved carbon dioxide into this field in Iceland. Two years later, almost all the carbon had been converted into rock.

Iceland Carbon Capture Project Quickly Converts Carbon Dioxide Into Stone

More than 95 percent of gas injected into the ground precipitated out as harmless carbonate, scientists calculate

The scalding solution that pipes from the vents does not boil because of the mass of water pushing down from above.

Scientists Explore Breathtaking Hydrothermal Vents in Virtual Reality

With a high-tech remotely operated vehicle, a team is able to map a dark, hot and toxic vent field on the ocean floor

A 2.7-billion-year-old micrometeorite extracted from limestone found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Ancient Spacedust Reveals Surprising Twist in Evolution of Earth’s Early Atmosphere

Mini fossil meteorites are providing new insights about how our ancient atmosphere evolved into its current state

What Caused the 2011 D.C. Earthquake?

A thinning mantle led to the 5.8 magnitude shake in the Southeast, and more may be in store

Diamonds squeeze the truth about Earth's core out of experimental samples of iron and lighter elements like oxygen and carbon.

Crushing Pressures Start to Reveal the Truth About Earth's Core

Iron makes up the bulk of our planet's core. But now, researchers are getting closer to figuring out what else swirls at the center of the Earth

A rainbow can be spotted in the mists of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with an exploration of the planet's most colorful places?

Celebrate Earth Day With a Rainbow of Spectacular Photos

Nature's palette is unparalleled

Workers in Sumatra process an oil palm harvest from the plantation on the left even as the remnants of the natural peat swamp forest in the distance are burned to make way for new plantations.

The Mad Dash to Figure Out the Fate of Peatlands

As the planet’s peat swamps come under threat, the destiny of their stored carbon remains a mystery

New USGS Map Shows Man-Made Earthquakes Are on the Rise

This updated earthquake hazard map shows seven million more Americans are at risk of quakes

A passenger aboard a commercial flight to Anchorage, AK snapped this picture of the volcano in action.

Alaska’s Most Active Volcano Is at It Again

Pavlof Volcano spews ash 20,000 feet into the air, and scientists warn pilots to steer clear

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