Earth and Human Activity

  1. Health & Medicine

    Your bloodstream may be littered with the plastic you’ve eaten

    For the first time, scientists have found plastic particles circulating in human blood. No one yet knows whether those polluting bits might pose a risk to health.

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  2. Chemistry

    Let’s learn about cellulose

    The world’s most abundant natural polymer is finding all kinds of new uses, in everything from ice cream to construction.

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  3. Tech

    This sun-powered system delivers energy as it pulls water from the air

    The device not only produces electricity but also harvests water for drinking or crops. It could be especially useful in remote and dry parts of the world.

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  4. Earth

    Scientists Say: Atmosphere

    An atmosphere is an envelope of gas around a planet, dwarf planet or moon.

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  5. Oceans

    Night lights make even the seas bright

    Light from coastal cities and offshore development may shine deep enough to disrupt tiny critters living dozens of meters (yards) below the surface.

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  6. Environment

    Ponds made to control floods can spew climate-warming gases, study finds

    Younger stormwater ponds can release more carbon in gases than they absorb, a study finds. That could aggravate global warming.

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  7. Environment

    Analyze This: Corals stash microplastics in their skeletons

    Scientists have wondered where the ocean’s microplastic pollution ends up. Corals may trap about 1 percent of particles in tropical waters each year.

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  8. Earth

    A bold plan to save the planet turns carbon dioxide into stone

    Scientists hope that capturing carbon dioxide this way will limit both further warming of our planet and an escalation of extreme weather events.

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  9. Climate

    UN report calls for two-pronged approach to slow climate impacts

    The latest IPCC climate change report underscores an urgent need for action to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.

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  10. Materials Science

    A disinfectant made from sawdust knocks out deadly microbes

    It’s made by pressure-cooking sawdust and water, is cheap and easy to make — and could lead to greener cleaning products than chemicals used today.

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  11. Environment

    Satellites find big climate threats — ultra-emitters of methane

    Eyes in the sky show many of the worst methane emitters are in countries that produce a lot of oil and gas, such as Russia and the United States.

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  12. Earth

    Let’s learn about Earth’s secret stash of underground water

    Groundwater provides drinking water to billions of people and is used to water crops worldwide.

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