Earth
- Chemistry
Banana plant extract can slow how fast ice cream melts
Food scientists now show that adding these tiny plant particles to ice cream may delay the rate at which this treat melts into a soupy mess.
- Environment
Pacific garbage patch may be 16 times bigger than thought
The giant ‘garbage patch’ that floats between Hawaii and California weighs at least 79,000 tons, a new estimate suggests.
- Environment
Dirty air can harm your brain and stress the body
New research shows that polluted air can mess with the bodies — including the brains — of even healthy kids and teens.
- Environment
Plastic taints most bottled water, study finds
Tiny bits of plastic contaminated nearly every tested sample of bottled water from nine countries. Whether ingesting the plastic might pose some risk remains unknown.
- Animals
Can anything stop the big pig invasion?
Millions of wild pigs roam North America, causing billions of dollars in damage every year. Scientists are looking for new ways to stop the swine.
- Environment
Light at night lengthens how long birds can spread West Nile virus
Light at night prolongs the time it takes these birds to knock out a West Nile infection. Mosquitoes that bite them during this time can pick up and spread their virus to others — even people.
- Climate
Analyze This: Climate change could make food less healthy
Levels of important nutrients are lower in crops exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. How high? Try levels expected to be typical 30 years from now.
- Oceans
More than half the world’s ocean area is actively fished
Fleets harvest fish from 55 percent of the world’s total ocean area. Just a handful of countries play an outsized role fishing the open ocean, far from coasts.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Inclusion
As rocks form slowly, they can trap things in their timeless clutches. A material trapped inside a mineral is called an inclusion.
- Ecosystems
Exploring the mysteries of Cuba’s coral reefs
Researchers are studying the mysterious lives of creatures in and near Cuba’s coral reefs. What they learn could help protect ocean life globally.
- Ecosystems
Migrating crabs take their eggs to the sea
Cuba’s colorful land crabs connect swamp and sea with their yearly mass migrations. Protecting their routes can help other animals too.
- Genetics
Explainer: DNA hunters
Snippets of DNA can be left behind by a passing organism. Some researchers now act as wildlife detectives to identify the sources of such cast-off DNA.
