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Science / Our Planet

Dazzling Photographs of Earth From Above

Satellite images of mountains, glaciers, deserts and other landscapes become incredible works of art

Unofficially, the periodic table goes up to element 118.

Meet the New Elements

It’s official: Elements 114 and 116 do exist and belong on the periodic table

Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner rallied the community to stuff plastic bottles with trash. In all, the Guatemalan students turned 8,000 bottles into building materials.

How to Turn 8,000 Plastic Bottles Into a Building

Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner demonstrates how she turned trash into the building blocks for one community’s revival

Scientists use satellite images of the kelp canopy (here, as seen from underwater) to track this important ecosystem over time.

A New View Into California’s Kelp Forests

Satellite imagery is providing new insight into an important ecosystem just off the California coast

The Great Barrier Reef

Ocean Acidification and the Battle Between Coral and Seaweed

Ocean acidification creates plenty of potential problems for life in the oceans, but corals might have it the worst

A View From Above of Memphis Flooding

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Hydrothermal Vents Fertilize Oceans With Fool’s Gold

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A Satellite View of Tornado Scars

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15 Facts About Tornadoes

Decades of research have made these storms more predictable, giving people more time to find shelter, but we’re sadly still vulnerable

Clepsydra Geyser at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Gigantic Plume Beneath Yellowstone Now Even More Gigantic

The geysers of Yellowstone are a reminder of the potential danger that lies below

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Back Away From the Carnivorous Plant!

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A Flowering Plant, Set in Stone

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An Arctic Ozone Hole?

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Help Scientists Track Light Pollution By Looking At the Stars

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Orchid Mimics Carrion to Attract Flies

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What Is A Nuclear Meltdown?

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The Science Behind the Japanese Earthquake

An Octopus Vulgaris at the Palma Aquarium in Spain

Fourteen Fun Facts About Squid, Octopuses and Other Cephalopods

The cephalopod world is huger and more fascinating than the limited taste of the restaurant world

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge contains vital habitat for polar bears who rely on the border of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Fifty Years of Arctic National Wildlife Preservation

Biologist George Schaller on the debate over ANWR conservation and why the refuge must be saved

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Seven Factors That Contribute to the Destructiveness of an Earthquake

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