Earth Science
400 Years Worth of Water Discovered in Sub-Saharan Namibia
Three hundred meters below the arid landscape of northern Namibia researchers have discovered a source of fresh water, enough to match the region's current water demand for up to 400 years.
July 20, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
At 107°F, Death Valley Sets Record for Hottest Daily Low
Death Valley, California set an unusual new record last week matching the hottest low temperature ever recorded on Earth.
July 18, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Ocean Acidity Rivals Climate Change As Environmental Threat
Rising ocean acidity is now considered to be just as much of a formidable threat to the health of Earth’s environment as the atmospheric climate changes
July 18, 2012 |
By Kat J. McAlpine
Harvard Geoengineers Want To Fake a Volcanic Eruption
A team lead by engineers want to spray sunlight-reflecting sulfate particles into the upper atmosphere, a small-scale simulation of a volcanic eruption, to see if they can cool the climate.
July 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
North Carolina Rep Pushes Wrong Button and Approves Fracking in the State
Fracking can go ahead in North Carolina, all because one tired legislator pushed the wrong button.
July 05, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Beautiful New Earth-From-Space Footage from NASA
Take a couple minutes between the barbecue and fireworks to put things into the larger context by appreciating “that we are all riding through the universe together on this spaceship we call Earth, that we are all interconnected, that we are all in this together, that we are all family.” The Atlantic points us to this beautiful [...]
July 05, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
One of the First Maps to Include “America” Found in Old Geometry Book
Tucked away in a geometry book at the Munich University Library, researchers found a 500-year old map of the new world, and one of the first to bear the name America.
July 03, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
100 Years of Earthquakes On One Gorgeous Map
Data visualizer John Nelson compiled historical earthquake records to produce this gorgeous, and informative, map. In all, 203,186 earthquakes are marked on the map, which is current through 2003. And it reveals the story of plate tectonics itself.
July 02, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Obama Could Win 2012 Because the South Used to Be Underwater
One hundred million years ago, the coastline of North America was drastically different than it is now. First off, the precursors of the Rocky Mountains, stretching from the tip of Alaska to Central America, were their own island, separated from the eastern states by the ocean. Florida was under water, as was much of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. And this ancient coastline, giving birth to the Deep South since the waters receded, could swing this year's election.
June 28, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Sea Level Rising Three Times Faster Than Average on Northeast US Coast
A study lead by United States Geological Survey scientist Asbury Sallenger found that over the past 20 years the ocean height has gone up faster along the coast north of Cape Hateras, North Carolina, than to the south. According to Nature, In absolute figures, sea levels on this stretch of coast have climbed by between 2 [...]
June 25, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Does Larry Ellison Know His $600 Million Island Is Sinking?
CNN is reporting that Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle (the people who make Java), is buying 98% of Lanai, Hawaii’s sixth largest island. According to Reuters, ‘It is my understanding that Mr. Ellison has had a long standing interest in Lanai. His passion for nature, particularly the ocean, is well known specifically [...]
June 21, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
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
Australia Creates World’s Largest Marine Reserve Network
The plan will protect the Coral Sea as well as pygmy blue whale habitat off the southern coast of Western Australia
June 14, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
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
Music for Airports Soothes the Savage Passenger
Brian Eno's Music for Airports is a sound environment created specifically to complement the experience of waiting in an airport terminal
June 07, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Sea Monster Bathynomus
The hulking crustacean has razor-sharp mandibles and eyes that catch the light like a cat's. Now it has turned into a high-tech saboteur
June 07, 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
Saab Reinvents Air Traffic Control With a Digital Panorama
With Saab's new digital panorama, the local air traffic controller may soon go the way of the technical support specialist.
June 04, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Today Is Your Last Chance This Lifetime to See Venus Pass in Front of the Sun
Venus' next transit of the sun isn't until 2117—so read about what to watch for and make sure to look to the skies
June 01, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
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
