Climatology
Scientists Save Bats and Birds from Wind Turbine Slaughter
In the past two decades, wind generation in the United States has increased almost 50 times over, now comprising nearly a full quarter of the country’s renewable energy. Arising from this push, though, is a huge problem for the birds and bats that live near wind farms, reports Meera Subramanian in Nature. “The troubling issue with [...]
June 20, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Beautiful Infographic Charts Ugly Reality of Species Loss
Climate change. Illegal hunting. Habitat destruction. It’s no shocker that global biodiversity is plummeting. Now, the new “Living Planet Index” from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society London presents an attractively designed but immensely depressing interactive infographic depicting the rate of change of 2,500 species populations from 1970 to 2008. Spoiler alert: most [...]
June 20, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Stunning View of Arctic Could Be Last of its Kind
Photo: NASA/GSFC/Suomi NPP Scientists working with data collected by NASA’s new Suomi NPP satellite put together this absolutely gorgeous view of the Earth’s icy north. The image, which shows the Arctic polar ice cap, a green Europe poking out of the clouds on the left, and northern Africa, the middle east, and Asia, was made [...]
June 19, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Interview With Indianapolis Prize Winner and Polar Bear Researcher Steven Amstrup
Recognized for his role in animal conservation, Amstrup explains what climate change is doing to the arctic and what he's doing to stop it
June 14, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Climate Change Means More Wildfires in the West
A new study indicates that temperate regions will experience more fires, while equatorial areas will see fewer
June 13, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
A New Opportunity at the Panama Canal
The ongoing expansion of the waterway has given Smithsonian researchers a chance to find new fossils
June 2012 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Can Supervolcanoes Erupt More Suddenly Than We Think?
Enormous magma reserves may sit quietly for just thousands or even hundreds of years
May 31, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Biggest Supermoon in Years is Coming Saturday Night
The moon's closest approach to earth will coincide with a perfectly full moon
May 02, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
10 Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since Last Earth Day
We recap the most surprising, awe-inspiring and alarming things that we have learned about the Earth and the environment since last year's holiday
April 19, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
UPDATED: How Humans Cause Earthquakes
Fracking is just the latest cause to make the news for its link to quakes
April 16, 2012 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Could The Sun Set Off The Next Big Natural Disaster?
A new study finds that a strong solar storm could disable satellites for a decade
March 08, 2012 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Climate Change’s Latest Victim: Ice Hockey
For outdoor ice rinks, hockey season has gotten shorter in the past 50 years
March 05, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
Trees Weathered the Ice Age
Pine and spruce trees managed to survive in certain spots in Scandinavia, according to DNA analyses
March 02, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
Svalbard Global Seed Vault Turns Four
Four years ago this week, researchers opened the "Doomsday Vault" to store frozen seeds in case of disaster
February 29, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
Arabic Manuscripts: It Used To Snow in Iraq
Baghdad was the bustling capital of the vast Islamic Empire a thousand years ago, when the city's climate was much different than today
February 27, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
The Wandering Albatross and Global Warming
The giant oceanic birds are producing more and plumper chicks, at least for now
February 08, 2012 |
By Greg Laden
What Happens Before a Volcano Blows?
Volcanologists thought that the buildup to a major eruption would take centuries. But this report adds to a growing suspicion that it can happen much faster than expected
February 07, 2012 |
By Greg Laden
An Astronomer’s Solution to Global Warming
The technology developed for telescopes, it turns out, can harness solar power
February 03, 2012 |
By Alaina G. Levine
Meet Lucy Jones, "the Earthquake Lady"
As part of her plan to prepare Americans for the next "big one," the seismologist tackles the dangerous phenomenon of denial
February 2012 |
By Amy Wallace
Top Ten Science Blog Posts of 2011
Cats, zombies, earthquakes, chickens--our readers have an eclectic taste
December 28, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
