Earth

Animals

Utah mink is first known case of the coronavirus in a wild animal

A wild mink appears to have picked up the novel coronavirus from farmed animals. Such spread in the wild does not appear common.

Animals

Let’s learn about sharks

This ancient group of fish can use scent and even electricity to detect their prey. And they fill an important niche in the ocean.

Environment

Why today’s ‘fast fashions’ can be bad for the planet

The constant buy-wear-toss cycle of fast fashion isn’t sustainable. It hurts the environment and takes a toll on our wallets, too.

Environment

Old clothes soon may be recycled, not trashed

One day, clothes may be recycled almost as much as plastics and glass are now. See how chemists are moving us in that direction.

Plants

How to grow your own science experiment

Does fertilizer help plants grow better? You might expect it to, but how can you know? This experiment will help you test it yourself.

Chemistry

Here’s how to make flip-flops biodegradable

Innovative flip-flops made from an algae-based plastic decompose in soil or compost. The comfy shoes also avoid use of fossil fuels.

Oceans

Analyze This: Shipwrecks provide a home for bottom-dwelling fish

Fish have found a habitat in a submarine and freighter that sunk to the seafloor during World War II.

Earth

Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer

Earth’s five layers extend from the ground up and into outer space. Each has its own distinct features and serves as the site of different activities and phenomena.

Environment

Surprising long-haul dust and tar are melting high glaciers

Dust and tar blown onto high mountains, like the Himalayas, boost the melting of snow and ice far more than scientists had realized. Here’s why.

Environment

Jumping ‘snake worms’ are invading U.S. forests

These bad-news invaders are spreading across the United States. As they turn forest debris into bare ground, soils and ecosystems are changing.

Environment

Polluting microplastics harm both animals and ecosystems

Researchers are beginning to uncover the real-world impacts of polluting microplastic bits on animals and the ecosystems they inhabit.

Earth

Scientists Say: Earthquake

An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes violent shaking of the ground.