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Earth Science

Plants and animals living in the tropics will be pushed out of their natural temperature range the fastest.

What Does “Unprecedented Climate” Mean?

Starting in just 30 years, the coldest year will still be hotter than any year in the past 150 years

A new study predicts the year in which major world cities will experience a persistently abnormal climate for the first time.

A New Study Calculates the Year Climate Change Will Hit Your City

Persistently abnormal weather will arrive at different areas at different times, hitting the tropics soonest

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People Have Already Managed to Litter on Pakistan’s New Earthquake-Formed Island

A massive earthquake last week created a new island off the coast of Pakistan

New testing of treated wastewater from fracking shows that it contains high levels of radioactive radium, along with chloride and bromide.

Radioactive Wastewater From Fracking Is Found in a Pennsylvania Stream

New testing shows that high levels of radium are being released into the watershed that supplies Pittsburgh’s drinking water

Melting Greenland glaciers will have an effect on the global climate by affecting the strength of ocean circulation patterns. Exactly how much of an effect they’ll have is stlll up in the air.

We Know Humans Are Causing Global Warming; Here Are Some Things We’re Less Sure About

Here, gleaned from the IPCC’s briefing, are some of the things we still don’t know much about

A map showing the sea floor off the coast of Pakistan*

A Massive Earthquake in Pakistan Just Forced an Island to Climb Out of the Sea

In the wake of a massive earthquake in Pakistan this morning, a new island has emerged from the Arabian Sea

Risk analysis groups have detected an increased frequency of Atlantic hurricanes due to climate change, forcing insurance companies to rethink their models.

How the Insurance Industry Is Dealing With Climate Change

The rising chance of extreme weather is forcing insurance companies to adjust their models as they take on more risk

Hurricane Usagi as of 8 am eastern time, 8 pm local time

The Strongest Hurricane of the Year Is About to Hit Taiwan

The strongest hurricane of the year, Super Typhoon Usagi, is set to hit China over the weekend

Rivers across the U.S. are getting less acidic, including the Mississippi River.

Acid Rain Is Making Rivers… Less Acidic?

Acid rain is “dissolving the surface of the Earth,” making streams more alkaline in the process

Oceanographer Gareth Lawson, who studies pteropods, was able to identify Kavanagh’s sculptures to species, such as this Limacina helicina.

The Gorgeous Shapes of Sea Butterflies

Cornelia Kavanagh’s sculptures magnify tiny sea butterflies—ocean acidification’s unlikely mascots—hundreds of times

Three Ancient Rivers, Long Buried by the Sahara, Created a Passage to the Mediterranean

One river system, called the Irharhar, appears to have been a particularly popular travel route, corroborated by both model simulations and artifacts

Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station, Baja, Mexico 2012

Aerial Views of Our Water World

In a new book, documentary and exhibition, photographer Edward Burtynsky looks at humans’ dramatic relationship with water

Interactive map courtesy of Esri. Text by Josie Garthwaite.

Energy Innovation

Interactive: Mapping the Shale Gas Boom

Where in the United States is fracking unlocking natural gas from shale rock?

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An Underwater Volcano the Size of New Mexico Is the World’s Largest

The Tamu Massif is not only the world’s largest volcano, but also one of the largest documented volcanoes in the solar system

Hydraena ateneo, a millimeter-long water beetle, was found living in the forested creeks of Ateneo de Manila University’s forested campus.

A New Beetle Species Was Just Discovered Right Outside the World’s Densest City

Hydraena ateneo, a previously unknown water beetle, was found living in the forested creeks of a university’s campus near Manila, Philippines

In a rare collaboration, a team of Western scientists recently went to study North Korea’s Mount Paektu, an active volcano with a crater lake.

On Conducting Science Atop a Volcano in North Korea

A team of Western scientists recently helped local researchers set up monitoring instruments on North Korea’s Mount Paektu, an active volcano

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Clouds Obscure Clear Climate Forecasts

Ride alongside NASA’s Airborne Science Laboratory as scientists try to figure out the role of clouds in climate change

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A Reminder From Yosemite’s Massive 1988 Fire: Wildfire Is Largely a Human Problem

This isn’t the first time fire has threatened a national park

Valley of the Reclining Woman

Carl Warner’s Mountains Are Made of Elbows and Knees

The British photographer creates convincing landscapes—deserts and rocky scenes—by piecing together photos of nude models

Could life on Earth have been born on Mars?

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Did Life Come to Earth From Mars?

Mineralogical clues point to the idea that the early Earth, starved of oxygen and submerged by a vast ocean, needed molecules from Mars to kick start life

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