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Weather

An ice core extracted at El Malpais National Monument in New Mexico connects water collection to periods of droughts.

Cool Finds

Ancestral Puebloans Survived Droughts by Collecting Water From Icy Lava Tubes

In ancient New Mexico, cold air in cavernous spaces carved out by lava flows preserved blocks of ice

An American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) on a human finger.

New Research

Higher Temperatures Make Some Ticks Pick Humans Over Dogs

The study’s results suggest certain tick-borne diseases could become even more prevalent as climate change heats up the planet

A white cloud floats over the top of Mount Everest at dusk.

Into Thicker Air and Onto Thinner Ice: How Climate Change Is Affecting Mount Everest

Researchers have documented that the high-altitude air is gaining more oxygen and large glaciers are melting at rapid rates

Tropical Storm Theta may hit the Madeira Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal, this weekend.

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Officially Has the Most Named Storms on Record

This season’s 29th named storm, Theta, formed in the eastern Atlantic early on Tuesday

A stunned iguana lying on the ground during a cold snap in Florida on January 22, 2020. When temperatures dropped into the 30s and 40s, some of these cold blooded lizards lost their grip and fell from their nighttime perches up in the trees.

New Research

Lizards Fell From Palm Trees During a Florida Cold Snap, but Now They’ve Toughened Up

New research finds the lizards are now able to withstand temperatures up to 7.2 degrees colder than lizards tested in 2016

The Philippines is naturally exposed to natural disasters like typhoons and experiences around 20 typhoons each year.

The World’s Most Powerful Storm in Four Years Strikes the Philippines

The Philippines is naturally at risk for natural disasters, but storms like Goni are expected to strengthen and occur more frequently with climate change

Satellite imagery of Tropical Storm Zeta as it passes over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Zeta, 2020’s 27th Named Storm, Bears Down on Louisiana

Downgraded to a tropical storm after striking Mexico, Zeta is expected to regain strength and make landfall in the U.S. as a Category 1 hurricane

Buried farm machinery in Dallas, South Dakota during the Dust Bowl in 1936.

New Research

Are the Great Plains Headed for Another Dust Bowl?

Researchers say atmospheric dust in the region has doubled in the last 20 years, suggesting the increasingly dry region is losing more soil skyward

With air temperature at -17 degrees Celsius and water at 1 degree Celsius, Finns take a dip in an unfrozen hole of water after a sauna session in Vaasa, Finland.

Covid-19

What Americans Can Learn From Winter-Loving Cultures

With large indoor gatherings off-limits, the Covid-19 pandemic is giving everyone more reason to stay outside

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's U.S. Drought Outlook map for November 2020 through January 2021. Brown represents the areas where drought is expected to continue or worsen.

NOAA Predicts Droughts Gripping Nearly Half of Continental U.S. Will Intensify This Winter

The agency expects the South and Southwest will be warmer and drier than usual in the coming months, offering no relief to the already parched regions

The German Research Vessel Polarstern conducting research near to the North Pole.

Largest Arctic Expedition Ever Comes to a Close

The German Research Vessel Polarstern came back into port after more than a year floating amid the diminishing Arctic sea ice

Fires scorched the West in last month, the hottest September on record.

We Just Lived Through the Hottest September Ever Recorded

The heat has fueled fires, one of the most active Atlantic hurricane seasons and melting Arctic sea ice

The R.M.S. Titanic, seen departing Belfast on April 2, 1912

New Research

Did the Northern Lights Play a Role in the Titanic’s Demise?

New study suggests the solar storm that sparked the aurora borealis interfered with the ship’s navigational and radio equipment

Common wisdom tells us that lightning strikes the tallest thing in an open area—so are giraffes at a greater risk of lightning strikes than other animals?

Are Giraffes Doomed to Be Struck by Lightning Because of Their Height?

A recent pair of giraffe deaths sparked the question

Tropical Storm Beta reached the coast of Texas on Monday night.

Out of Names, National Hurricane Center Calls New Storms by Greek Letters

This season is the second time ever that the list of 21 storm names has been exhausted

A webcam view of Mount Wilson Observatory's trademark white domes, with fires raging in the background on September 19.

Historic Mount Wilson Observatory Threatened by Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles

Although the immediate danger seems to have passed, the fight to battle the flames threatening the historic observatory continues

An aerial view from September 17 shows people walking through a flooded street after Hurricane Sally passed through Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Why Did Hurricane Sally Move So Slowly? It Has to Do With Climate Change

Creeping along at just 2 to 3 miles per hour, Sally is the latest in a trend of slow-moving storms, scientists say

The sun sets behind the Manhattan Bridge and One World Trade Center in a haze created by smoke from the west coast wildfires reaching the east coast on September 15, 2020 in New York City, according to Getty Images.

West Coast Wildfire Smoke Reported as Far East as the Netherlands

Hazy skies covered the United States and parts of Europe this week as jet streams pushed fumes eastward

Autumn near Killington, Vermont

See Where Brilliant Fall Foliage Will Peak Across the Country in This Map

An interactive map predicts when the orange, red and yellow hues of autumn will brighten up the countryside

View of shore at Crissy Field in San Francisco, Alcatraz in the distance.

Photographs Capture Eerie Skies That Cloaked the Bay Area in an Orange Glow

Smoke from more than 20 major fires burning in the surrounding region shrouded the city through the morning hours

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