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Volcanoes

Before the eruption, scientists saw a wide variety of ocean life around the Tica hydrothermal vent.

Scientists Stumbled Upon an Active Volcanic Eruption in a Mid-Ocean Ridge for the First Time Ever

From a research submersible, scientists saw hardened lava, dead tube worms and orange flashes from an eruption in the East Pacific Rise

A fragment of the glass found within the skull of a college custodian in the Roman town of Herculaneum.

Vesuvius Turned a Roman Man’s Brain Into Glass. Now, Scientists Reveal How the Extremely Rare Preservation Happened

The remains of a young man, found in his bed in the destroyed town of Herculaneum, included glassy fragments that had mystified archaeologists

Part of an ice core taken from a borehole drilled in the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream

Tiny Quakes Discovered Deep Within Greenland’s Ice Sheet Could Change Sea-Level Rise Predictions, Study Suggests

While scientists once thought Greenland’s ice streams flowed slowly and uniformly, new research reveals a quake-driven “stick-slip” motion that’s linked to volcanic activity thousands of years ago

Crater Peak (photographed here on February 7, 2025) is the most likely site of a future Mount Spurr eruption.

‘Volcanic Unrest’ at Alaska’s Mount Spurr Suggests 50-50 Chance an Eruption Could Be Coming

Volcanologists are closely monitoring the 11,070-foot-tall stratovolcano, located roughly 75 miles from Anchorage, after a recent uptick in earthquakes

A skin diver swims with a sperm whale in the Caribbean off of Dominica.

Eight Natural Phenomena Worth Traveling for in 2025

You won’t regret experiencing bioluminescence, swimming with sperm whales or witnessing the rush of a horizontal waterfall

Researchers discovered 614 stone plaques and fragments at Vasagård West, an archaeological site on the Danish island of Bornholm.

New Research

Neolithic Farmers May Have Buried These Mysterious Stones to Bring Back the Sun After a Volcanic Eruption

Using ice core samples, researchers linked a natural disaster with a trove of nearly 5,000-year-old artifacts discovered at an archaeological site in Denmark

Dinosaurs only started to live large after a mass extinction altered the planet in their favor.

How a Mass Extinction Driven by Ancient Volcanoes Led to the Age of the Dinosaurs

Roughly 201 million years ago, drastic changes extinguished many forms of life and led to conditions that allowed the terrible lizards to thrive

The exhibition includes a re-creation of Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E.

What Was Life Like in Pompeii Before Mount Vesuvius Erupted Nearly 2,000 Years Ago?

An immersive new exhibition in Australia uses artifacts, sounds and projections to recreate the ancient Roman city

A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog calls for a mate, puffing out its cheeks.

See 25 Incredible Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29

A map of bathymetry—or underwater topography—of Axial Seamount, an active volcano some 300 miles off the coast of Oregon.

An Undersea Volcano Near Oregon May Erupt in 2025, Scientists Predict. It Could Help Improve Eruption Forecasts

Axial Seamount doesn’t pose a threat to humans, but observing what happens before and after its potential eruption could help scientists learn about submerged volcanoes and strengthen predictions

The eruption at Zavaritskii volcano created a nearly two-mile-wide caldera with layers of red, black and white from previous eruptive deposits.

Scientists Find the Mysterious Source of the Massive 1831 Volcanic Eruption That Cooled Earth and Made the Sun Appear Blue

The climate-altering eruption came from the Zavaritskii volcano on an uninhabited island in the Pacific that once hosted a Soviet submarine base, according to a new study

Imperial Geyser is one of the many hydrothermal features that draw visitors to Yellowstone National Park.

Will Yellowstone Erupt Soon? Scientists Are Using New Techniques to Find Out

Using magnetotellurics, researchers produced a detailed picture of the magma beneath Yellowstone, offering insights into a distant future of possible volcanic activity

Stories in a wide variety of scientific disciplines made our list this year.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2024

From a total solar eclipse that captivated our continent to record temperatures that scorched the planet, these were the biggest moments of the year

 Mount Fuji from Lake Shōji

On This Day in History

It’s Been More Than 300 Years Since Japan’s Breathtaking Mount Fuji Last Erupted

Mount Fuji’s last eruption, which happened on this day in 1707, was also its largest, spewing ash and debris over cities and farms, causing famines, respiratory problems and untold death

Hawaiian crows, or ʻalalā, are intelligent birds that play an important role in Hawaiian culture. (This is not one of the five individuals taking part in the pilot release on Maui.)

Scientists Release Five Hawaiian Crows on Maui, Giving the Imperiled Birds a Second Chance—on a New Island

Only about 110 individuals of the species, called ʻalalā, are left in the world, making them the most endangered crows on Earth

Computer simulated global view of Venus' northern hemisphere. 

Did Venus Have Oceans? This Surprising New Study Suggests Not, a Theory That Could Upend the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

The astronomers behind the research looked to the output from the nearby planet’s toxic volcanoes for clues

An artist's depiction of two sauropodomorphs in a wet Early Jurassic environment, eating the newly evolved plants.

The Secret to the Rise of Dinosaurs Could Be Hidden in an Unlikely Place: Their Poop

In a new study, scientists examined bromalites, including fossilized feces and vomit, to reveal prehistoric diets and reconstruct the timeline of how dinosaurs established dominion over the world

The near side of the moon has been studied more extensively than the far side.

The Far Side of the Moon Was Volcanically Active, New Studies Confirm

Scientists analyzed the first and only rock samples from the region, which were brought back to Earth as part of a recent Chinese mission

Pocket gophers are a type of burrowing rodent known for their extensive tunnels.

New Research

How a Team of Gophers Restored Mount St. Helens After Its Catastrophic Eruption With Less Than a Day of Digging

After the volcanic eruption of 1980, scientists released the burrowing rodents for only a brief time, but their activities left a remarkably enduring impact, according to a new study

A view of a snow-covered Mount Fuji from Fujiyoshida in Japan.

Japan’s Mount Fuji Has Now Remained Snowless for the Longest Time in Its 130-Year Record

After a summer that tied for the country’s hottest, meteorologists say an unusually warm autumn is delaying snowfall

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