Earth

  1. An overhead photo of the many different and brightly colored homes all clustered together on a small island while surround by a green sea.
    Climate

    How an Indigenous community in Panama is escaping rising seas

    The Indigenous Guna peoples' relocation from Panama could offer lessons for other communities threatened by climate change.

    By Melba Newsome
  2. A photo of Aaron Judge swinging at a baseball with spectators out of focus in the background.
    Climate

    Baseball’s home run boom is due, in part, to climate change

    Higher air temperatures led to an average of 58 more home runs each MLB season from 2010 to 2019, a study shows.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  3. An underwater photo of two researchers diving beside a female whale shark.
    Oceans

    ‘Jet packs’ and ultrasounds could reveal secrets of pregnant whale sharks

    Only one pregnant whale shark has ever been studied. New underwater techniques using ultrasound and blood tests could change that.

    By Brianna Randall
  4. A photo of the salt flats in Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California in the foreground with mountains and sky in the background.
    Math

    Here’s why the geometric patterns in salt flats worldwide look so similar

    New research suggests the shared geometry of salt flats from Death Valley to Iran comes from fluid flows underground.

    By Matthew R. Francis
  5. A photo of a city street with over large bits of microplastics overlaying the image.
    Health & Medicine

    Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks

    Researchers are racing to try to understand how much humans are exposed and what levels are toxic.

    By Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
  6. A flooded street with stormy skies overhead
    Climate

    By flying over atmospheric rivers, scientists aim to improve forecasts

    Drenching atmospheric rivers are slamming the U.S. West Coast, bringing needed water but dangerous flooding. Here’s how scientists study these storms.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  7. A close-up of rice plants
    Agriculture

    Martian soil may have all the nutrients rice needs

    Experiments hint that in the future, we might be able to grow the staple food in the soils of the Red Planet.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  8. A photo of a remotely operated vehicle exploring the Mariana Trench. It appears as a cube hovering over a lighter blue patch surrounded by darkness.
    Oceans

    50 years ago, researchers discovered a leak in Earth’s oceans

    An analysis of oceanic rocks hinted that ocean water drains into Earth’s mantle. How much makes it back into the ocean remains unclear.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  9. An illustration of Earth's center with lines running through it from on overlay map of North America.
    Earth

    Earth’s inner core may be more complex than researchers thought

    Seismic waves suggest that Earth has a hidden heart, a distinct region within the solid part of the planet’s core.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  10. An illustration of a planet crashing into Earth, setitng off a huge explosion and launching chunks of rock into space
    Earth

    A moon-forming cataclysm could have also triggered Earth’s plate tectonics

    Deeply buried remnants of a hypothetical planet that slammed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago might have set subduction into motion.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  11. An overhead image of tomatoes in four crates.
    Agriculture

    Dry farming could help agriculture in the western U.S. amid climate change

    Some farmers in the western United States are forgoing irrigation, which can save on water and produce more flavorful fruits and vegetables.

    By Katherine Kornei
  12. a huge column of smoke reaching into the stratosphere over Australia
    Climate

    How wildfires deplete the Earth’s ozone layer

    Scientists detail the chain of chemical reactions that occur when wildfire smoke enters the stratosphere.

    By Carolyn Gramling