Earth Science
This Might Be Why People Don’t Move Away From Tornado Zones
Living through a tornado doesn't change our optimism about our chances of injury compared to other people
March 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Trapped as Climate Changes, Giant Gusts of Hot Air Trigger Weather Extremes
Thanks to global warming, hot air piles up at mid-latitudes and causes storms and heat waves to linger for long stretches of time, new research shows.
March 02, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
Transforming Raw Scientific Data Into Sculpture and Song
Artist Nathalie Miebach uses meteorological data to create 3D woven works of art and playable musical scores
March 01, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
What Does the Unbelievably Bad Air Quality in Beijing Do to the Human Body?
The level of soot in Beijing's air is off the charts, leading to higher risks of lung cancer, heart attacks and other health problems
March 01, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Dust from the Sahara Can Seed Rain and Snow Clouds Over the Western U.S.
Clouds above California contain dust and bacteria from China, the Middle East and even Africa, new research shows
February 28, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Canadian Government Winds Down Research That Could Help Stop Climate Change
If carbon dioxide emissions don't start dropping in the next few decades, we're looking at hundreds of years of high temperatures
February 27, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Lighting Up the Arctic Sky With Artificial Aurorae
The U.S. military's Naval Research Lab teamed up with university researchers and defense contractors to set the atmosphere aglow
February 27, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
How to Survive China’s Pollution Problem: Masks and Bubbles
The air quality in China's biggest cities is famously atrocious, but designers think they may have found a way to combat the issue
February 26, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Red Planet Is Only Red on the Outside
A rusty sheen turns Mars red, but beneath the rock is a plain gray
February 26, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Climate Change is Reducing Our Ability to Get Work Done
Increased temperature and humidity have already limited humankind's overall capacity for physical work—and it will only get worse in the future
February 25, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Brace Yourselves, the Drought’s Not Close to Over Yet
Unless we get a lot of rain, soon, the U.S. is heading for another summer of drought
February 22, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Natural Gas Fracking May Be the Only Industry in China That’s Developing Slowly
It has the largest shale gas reserves in the world, but China is slow to push for fracking
February 22, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Melting Polar Ice Will Spike Sea Levels at the Equator
Expect higher sea levels in the equatorial Pacific and lower ones near the poles by 2100, according to new research
February 21, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
Scientists Pluck Blind Shrimp and Other Strange Life Forms From World’s Deepest Hydrothermal Vent
More than three miles beneath the waves, the world's deepest hydrothermal vent is home to ghostly creatures
February 21, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Will the Next Lake-Effect Snowstorm be Severe? Ask Mountains Far Far Away
Scientists use computer simulations to test how geographic features help create intense snowstorms that blanket cities near lake shores with snow
February 20, 2013 |
By Mohi Kumar
Europe Is Warmer Than Canada Because of the Gulf Stream, Right? Not So Fast
A long-accepted explanation for a warm Europe is up for debate
February 18, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Parched Middle East Faces Severe Water Crisis
Drought and over-pumping has led to groundwater losses in the Middle East that equal almost the entire volume of the Dead Sea, a new study shows.
February 15, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
The Last Massive Exploding Meteor Hit Earth in 1908, Leveling 800 Square Miles of Forest
In 1908, a meteor exploding in mid-air released the energy equivalent to "185 Hiroshima bombs"
February 15, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Flushing Your Anti-Anxiety Pills Down the Toilet Could Affect the Behavior of Wild Fish
A study shows that wild perch are less fearful, eat faster and are more anti-social when exposed to a common pharmaceutical pollutant
February 14, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Is It Love? Why Some Ocean Animals (Sort Of) Mate For Life
A look at the mating systems of some monogamous ocean animals show that finding life partners helps species protect themselves and their young
February 13, 2013 |
By Emily Frost
