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Without Oceans, Earth-Like Life Probably Can’t Evolve on Other Planets
It’s not all about the planet’s distance from its star, as researchers previously thought
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What Makes A Volcano Dangerous? People
Millions of people worldwide live in the shadows of dangerous volcanoes
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The North Pole Could Soon Drift Over to Siberia
Earth’s magnetic field seems to be weakening and potentially migrating
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Why the City Is (Usually) Hotter than the Countryside
The smoothness of the landscape and the local climate—not the materials of the concrete jungle—govern the urban heat island effect, a new study finds
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Time to Start Paying Attention to Fracking’s Earthquakes
With wastewater injection sparking swarms of small quakes, some states are taking notice of the danger
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Arizona Could Be Out of Water in Six Years
Prolonged drought and a rapidly expanding population are pushing Arizona’s water system to its limit
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China Is Tearing Down Mountains to Build Cities
Land creation projects are proceeding apace without scientific research to back them up
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This Scientist Fell Down a 70-Foot Crevasse in the Himalayas But Managed to Claw His Way Out
Rescue teams finally reached him the following day
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Refresh Your El Niño Expertise: the Pacific Ocean Is Gearing Up for a Powerful One
A strong El Niño this year could mean we’re in for a real scorcher.
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What’s Worse Than One, Big Earthquake? A String of Slightly Smaller Ones
Historical earthquake activity shows that California may not just be set for one big earthquake, but a cluster of smaller shakers
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Get Up Close And Personal With a Terrifying Supercell
Stormchasers in Wyoming captured footage of a beautiful supercell storm
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How Do We Know the Earth Is 4.6 Billion Years Old?
We know the Earth is old. But how do we know its age?
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The Tropics are Moving, And They’re Bringing Their Cyclones With Them
Over the past 30 years hurricanes have been hitting their peak intensities nearer to the poles
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Coral Reefs Absorb 97 Percent of the Energy From Waves Headed Toward Shore
This finding applies to reefs around the world
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Pulling Water Out of the Ground May Lead to Quakes on the San Andreas Fault
Ground movements linked to water extraction may change stresses on the fault famously responsible for California earthquakes
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One More Way Cities Might Mess With Birds—By Throwing Radio Waves at Them
Radio waves disrupt birds’ migratory patterns, but birds may have a natural work-around
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Why Doesn’t Anyone Know How to Talk About Global Warming?
The gap between science and public understanding prevents action on climate change—but social scientists think they can fix that
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Antarctica Was Once As Warm As Sunny California
Nearby polar regions got up to Florida-level temperatures
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Ten Ancient Stories and the Geological Events That May Have Inspired Them
If you dig deep enough, say scientists, you can find some truth to legends and creation stories
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It Is Now Technically Possible to Stop an Earthquake
Scientists have devised a way to reflect seismic waves
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