Earth's Surface

Maletsunyane Falls in the Lesotho Highlands shows how a river can erode deep valleys into uplifted lands.

SMART NEWS

Slow-Motion Ripples in Earth's Mantle Built Mysterious and Stunning Highland Landscapes, Study Finds

An illustration of the ERS-2 satellite.

SMART NEWS

A 5,000-Pound Satellite Is Falling Back to Earth This Week—and Will Likely Land in the Ocean

Alessandro Rotta Loria and a student in his lab walk through a train tunnel beneath the Chicago Loop.

SMART NEWS

Chicago May Be Slowly Sinking Because of 'Underground Climate Change'

An illustration of the Snowball Earth with some open water around the equator and a newly proposed patch of ocean at mid-latitudes

SMART NEWS

How Life Could Have Survived the Frozen ‘Snowball Earth’

Earth's Crust

Mount Everest seen at sunset, as the peak’s height continues to grow at a rate of about two millimeters per year.

SMART NEWS

Geologists Reveal a Surprising Reason Why Mount Everest Grows Taller Each Year

When earthquakes squeeze quartz crystals, the mineral generates electricity that attracts gold particles.

SMART NEWS

How Large Gold Nuggets Form in Quartz Crystals During Earthquakes

A track of dinosaur footprints preserved in floodplain deposits in Brazil. The tracks date to around 120 million years ago.

SMART NEWS

'Matching' Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in Africa and South America

Maletsunyane Falls in the Lesotho Highlands shows how a river can erode deep valleys into uplifted lands.

SMART NEWS

Slow-Motion Ripples in Earth's Mantle Built Mysterious and Stunning Highland Landscapes, Study Finds

Featured story

Nematodes (blue) wiggle inside a stalactite from a South African gold mine in this image taken with a microscope.

SCIENCE

Inner Earth Is Teeming With Exotic Forms of Life

More than a mile below the surface, our planet supports diverse creatures that could give us clues about life across the solar system

Earth's Mantle

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi holds up the newly discovered diamond, which weighs more than a pound.

SMART NEWS

Largest Diamond Since 1905 Unearthed by Miners in Botswana

Maletsunyane Falls in the Lesotho Highlands shows how a river can erode deep valleys into uplifted lands.

SMART NEWS

Slow-Motion Ripples in Earth's Mantle Built Mysterious and Stunning Highland Landscapes, Study Finds

A mantle rock sample viewed under a microscope.

SMART NEWS

Scientists Drill Deeper Into Earth's Mantle Than Ever Before, Probing for the Origin of Life on Earth

Lava erupts from the Sundhnúkur volcano on June 3, 2024, on the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik, Iceland. The volcano has erupted five times since December 2023, forcing evacuations of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

SMART NEWS

Hidden Underground Magma Pools Fueled Iceland's Volcanic Eruptions, Study Suggests

Earth's Core

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi holds up the newly discovered diamond, which weighs more than a pound.

SMART NEWS

Largest Diamond Since 1905 Unearthed by Miners in Botswana

A mantle rock sample viewed under a microscope.

SMART NEWS

Scientists Drill Deeper Into Earth's Mantle Than Ever Before, Probing for the Origin of Life on Earth

A new study adds evidence to the idea that Earth's inner core is slowing its spin, though still rotating in the same direction as the planet.

SMART NEWS

Earth's Inner Core May Be Slowing Its Spin, Another Study Suggests

An illustration of some of the underwater creatures that lived during the Ediacaran Period, roughly 635 million to 541 million years ago.

SMART NEWS

Earth's Magnetic Field Nearly Collapsed 600 Million Years Ago. Then, Weird and Complex Life Evolved