Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Earth Science

400 Years Worth of Water Discovered in Sub-Saharan Namibia

Death Valley

At 107°F, Death Valley Sets Record for Hottest Daily Low

Death Valley, California set an unusual new record last week matching the hottest low temperature ever recorded on Earth

None

Ocean Acidity Rivals Climate Change As Environmental Threat

Rising ocean acidity is now considered to be just as much of a formidable threat to the health of Earth’s environment as the atmospheric climate changes

Volcanic ash from the Ejyafjallajokull eruption floats in the stratosphere.

Harvard Geoengineers Want To Fake a Volcanic Eruption

None

North Carolina Rep Pushes Wrong Button and Approves Fracking in the State

Fracking can go ahead in North Carolina, all because one tired legislator pushed the wrong button

The blue marble

Beautiful New Earth-From-Space Footage from NASA

Every recorded earthquake of magnitude 4 of higher since 1898

100 Years of Earthquakes On One Gorgeous Map

None

Sea Level Rising Three Times Faster Than Average on Northeast US Coast

One day, the sun will set for good on Lanai, Hawaii.

Does Larry Ellison Know His $600 Million Island Is Sinking?

Stunning View of Arctic Could Be Last of its Kind

Steven Amstrup has studied polar bears in the arctic for decades and seen the impacts of climate change firsthand.

Interview With Indianapolis Prize Winner and Polar Bear Researcher Steven Amstrup

Recognized for his role in animal conservation, Amstrup explains what climate change is doing to the arctic and what he’s doing to stop it

Computer models indicate that wildfires will become more frequent in temperate regions as the climate changes over the coming decades

Climate Change Means More Wildfires in the West

A new study indicates that temperate regions will experience more fires, while equatorial areas will see fewer

The cover to Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports

Music for Airports Soothes the Savage Passenger

Brian Eno’s Music for Airports is a sound environment created specifically to complement the experience of waiting in an airport terminal

None

Today Is Your Last Chance This Lifetime to See Venus Pass in Front of the Sun

Venus’ next transit of the sun isn’t until 2117—so read about what to watch for and make sure to look to the skies

Alfred Wegener, in Greenland, c. 1930, was ridiculed as having “wandering pole plague.”

When Continental Drift Was Considered Pseudoscience

More than 100 years ago, a German scientist was ridiculed for advancing the shocking idea that the continents were adrift

The 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption, one of the largest in recent history, is dwarfed by the scale of supervolcano eruptions

Can Supervolcanoes Erupt More Suddenly Than We Think?

Enormous magma reserves may sit quietly for just thousands or even hundreds of years

Drylands design students walking a ditch in the Embudo Valley

Designing Democracy Around a Ditch

How a ditch irrigation system in the arid Southwest became the backbone of local democracy

A stepwell in India

Rebuilding Rainwater Collection in India

From one conservationist’s perspective, harvesting rainwater doesn’t mean high-tech strategies—traditional techniques have been around for centuries

A public drinking fountain in Rome

Making Water Use Visible

Could the design of a Brita filter help us with controlling how much water we waste?

The supermoon of March 2011, rising behind the Lincoln Memorial In Washington, DC

The Biggest Supermoon in Years is Coming Saturday Night

The moon’s closest approach to earth will coincide with a perfectly full moon

Page 35 of 44