Earth's Systems
- Climate
Scientists Say: El Niño and La Niña
El Niño and La Niña are part of a climate cycle that results in major weather changes every few years.
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- Earth
What can ‘silent earthquakes’ teach us about the next Big One?
Earthquakes usually last seconds. But sometimes, they can last days, or even years. Here’s what scientists are learning about these “slow-slip events.”
- Space
Let’s learn about auroras
A gust of charged particles from the sun called the solar wind lights up auroras on Earth — and on other planets.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Convection
Convection is a process that transfers heat through the movement of liquid or gas.
- Earth
Here’s how ice needles can sculpt natural rock art
Striking stone patterns adorn remote cold landscapes the world over. The recipe for these adornments: Freeze, thaw, repeat.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Magma and lava
The word magma refers to molten rock deep inside Earth. That rock is called lava when it reaches Earth’s surface.
- Physics
Research on climate and more brings trio the 2021 physics Nobel Prize
Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann pioneered work on simulations of Earth’s climate. Giorgio Parisi probed complex materials.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Anthropocene
Humans are changing the world in profound ways. Some scientists think those changes have launched a new epoch in Earth’s history: the Anthropocene.
- Tech
Synthetic trees could tap underground water in arid areas
They also could also help coastal residents mine fresh water from salty sources.
- Animals
Tiny animals survive 24,000 years in suspended animation
Tiny bdelloid rotifers awake from a 24,000-year slumber when freed from the Arctic permafrost.
- Environment
Wildfire smoke seeds the air with potentially dangerous microbes
Studies now show that most wildfires don’t kill microbes. That’s fueling worries about what risks these smoke hitchhikers might pose to people.
