Earth

Science & Society

Half a degree can make a world of difference

Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius versus 2 has big benefits, says a new report from the IPCC.

Climate

Explainer: The furious eye(wall) of a hurricane or typhoon

The eyewall is the most intense part of a hurricane. Here’s what drives its fury.

Climate

Hurricane Michael slams into Florida, then speeds north

The 2018 hurricane season just brought Michael, another rapidly strengthening hurricane, to the U.S. coast. This one hit land with surprising power.

Environment

Don’t flush your contact lenses

One in five people who wear contact lenses flush their used eyewear down the sink or toilet. That plastic pollutes the environment and can harm wildlife.

Environment

Enormous floating barrier will corral ocean trash

A floating giant barrier has been designed to trap plastic trash in the ocean. But no one’s sure how well it will collect much of the most worrisome type.

Microbes

Bacteria are all around us — and that’s okay

Scientists may have identified less than one percent of all bacteria on Earth. But there’s a reason to keep up the hunt. These microbes could help us understand and protect our planet.

Animals

This penguin prey knows how to fight back

Scientists attached cameras to gentoo penguins off the Falkland Islands. The video revealed that their tiny prey can sometimes win in a fight.

Climate

Wilder wildfires? Computing helps predict their path and fury

Math probes how wildfires feed on the air around them to erupt into devastating conflagrations.

Climate

Is Hurricane Florence one sign of new climate trend?

Despite making landfall as a mere Category 1 tempest, Hurricane Florence proved a beast. And there were warnings it would be as it rapidly strengthened at sea.

Materials Science

Adhesive from trees could make tape more eco-friendly

The stuff that makes your tape sticky comes from fossil fuels. Now scientists have used tree wastes to engineer a “greener” tape adhesive — one kinder to the environment.

Science & Society

Climate change sets people on the move

As their homelands experience uncomfortable changes to weather, many people have begun migrating to places with a better climate.

Earth

Scientists find an easier way to trap carbon dioxide in rock

Scientists have found a much faster and easier way to trap CO2 in minerals. If they can scale it up, it might one day help to slow climate change.