Earth
- Animals
Endangered or just rare? Statistics give meaning to the head counts
Whether studying tiny birds or massive whales, researchers collect a lot of data. The field of statistics helps them make sense of those data.
- Earth
Greece’s Santorini volcano erupts more when the sea level drops
Data showing this association go back at least 360,000 years.
- Earth
Stores and malls buy into ponds and rain gardens for flood control
An extra bonus: These rainy-day ponds clean up that dirty water running off parking lots.
- Environment
Warming cities may see more rain — and frequent flooding
Scientists are seeking to understand why and how to mop up excess precipitation.
- Environment
Explainer: Urban heat islands and how to cool them
Cities transform landscapes covered in plants to ones covered in heat-absorbing asphalt and concrete. But ways exist to cool these urban heat islands.
- Environment
Let’s learn about plastic pollution
The world is cluttered with plastic waste. All that junk kills animals far and wide.
- Earth
New beetle species found in fossil poop of this dino relative
Whole beetles preserved in fossilized reptilian poop suggest that ancient droppings may deserve a closer look.
- Climate
New UN climate report finds no time for denial or delay
It links extreme weather around the globe to Earth’s changing climate.
- Earth
Let’s learn about Antarctica
This continent is dry, windy and very cold — and home to penguins, ice and a lot of scientific research.
- Environment
‘Zombie’ wildfires can reemerge after wintering underground
Climate change may make these not-quite-dead blazes more common. Scientists are learning to predict where a zombie might emerge.
- Fossils
Sudden shark die-off 19 million years ago eliminated most species
New fossil evidence shows 90 percent of sharks died in the mysterious event.
- Climate
U.S. records reveal the last 30 years were the hottest on record
New ‘climate normals’ show that average temperatures increased notably just since 1990.
