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Earth Science

Redoubt, Alaska

Listen to a Volcano ‘Scream’

It turns out that there are some volcanoes that actually do ‘scream,’ emitting a tea-kettle-like screech prior to eruption.

Seismicity of the United States

Large, Distant Earthquakes May Cause Smaller Quakes at U.S. Drilling Sites

In a paper in Science, researchers think they may have found a reason for the uptick—water being injected deep into the earth.

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Weird Blips Randomly Change the Length of Earth’s Days for Months on End

Three times in the past decade the length of the day has jumped

A community of glass sponges under Antarctica’s ice.

Glass Sponges Move In As Antarctic Ice Shelves Melt

Typically slow-growing glass sponge communities are popping up quickly now that disappearing shelf ice has changed ocean conditions around Antarctica

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Powering the 21st Century

Tour the Country’s Energy Infrastructure Through A New Interactive Map

Examining the network of power plants, transmission wires, and pipelines gives new insights into the inner workings of the electrical grid

Harnessing the swift tides of the Pentland Firth, a waterway along Scotland’s Northern coast, could generate enough electricity to meet half of the country’s needs.

Energy Innovation

Is Scotland the “Saudi Arabia” of Tidal Power?

The Pentland Firth, a seaway along Scotland’s Northern coast, could generate enough electricity to meet half of the country’s needs, new research finds

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You’re Not Supposed to Mine the Grand Canyon, So Why Are These Miners Digging Up Uranium?

There are four mines still turning out ore near the Grand Canyon

Popocatépetl eruption on July 8, 2013

Keep an Eye on Popocatépetl, the Volcano Erupting Just Outside Mexico City

Less conspicuous than the rugged Rocky, Cascade and Coast Mountain Ranges in this photograph are the markings of agriculture, in the bottom center.

It’s a Green, Green, Green, Green World

NASA and NOAA release satellite images of Earth and all its vegetation

Dual Jet Streams

It’s Dueling Dual Jet Streams That Are Causing All This Weird Weather

Live Closer to a Gas Well, And There’s Likely More Gas in Your Water

The team found low levels of methane in 115 of 141 Marcellus Formation shale gas wells they sampled

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Song of Fire and Ice: Watch What Happens When Lava Meets Ice

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Visit the Bottom of the Ocean with this Deep-Sea Submarine’s Live Stream

A live stream video from the Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents will be a glimpse into a world of strange creatures and volcanic activity

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Watch the Powerful Shockwave from this Explosion at Mexico’s Popocatépetl Volcano

A violent explosion at Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano produced a shock wave that shook the clouds

The Larsen Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula has seen vast reaches of ice crumble into the ocean. New research suggests that this and other dramatic episodes of ice shelf collapse might be caused by the ocean below eating away at the ice above.

Antarctica’s Ice Shelves Dissolve Thanks to Warm Water Below

The ocean bathing the underside of massive sheets of floating ice is slowly melting ice shelves, making them vulnerable to collapse

Languages that evolve at high elevations are more likely to include a sound that’s easier to make when the air is thinner, new research shows.

Do Geography and Altitude Shape the Sounds of a Language?

Languages that evolve at high elevations are more likely to include a sound that’s easier to make when the air is thinner, new research shows

The fire near Colorado Spring as of yesterday afternoon.

Colorado Wildfire Forces Evacuations, Threatens World’s Highest Suspension Bridge

A series of three wildfires are currently tearing through Colorado

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Where in the World Will the Fracking Boom Visit Next?

Fracking has reshaped American drilling, and shale gas stores are popping up all over the world

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How Do Death Valley’s ‘Sailing Stones’ Move Themselves Across the Desert?

These mysterious rocks have puzzled scientists for decades—until one geologist found the answer on his kitchen table

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Oklahoma Has Way Too Many Storm Chasers, And Most of Them Aren’t Doing Much Good

During a huge tornado hundreds of storm chasers will clog the roads trying to catch a view

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