Earth

  1. 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.

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  2. 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.

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  3. Physics

    Explainer: What is thundersnow?

    Wacky weather produced lots of thundersnow during New England’s recent winter storms. Some scientists now suspect Mother Nature got some human help.

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  4. Environment

    Household products can really pollute the air

    Auto exhaust isn’t the only major sources of air pollution, indoors and out. A new study finds a laundry list of household products can — when used by millions — match the contributions of traffic.

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  5. Environment

    Fish get pooped living in polluted water

    Living in polluted water can tire fish out, a new study finds. This can make it harder for them to find food and avoid being eaten, themselves, by predators.

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  6. Climate

    Super-tiny pollutants may help fire up fierce storms

    Tiny pollutant particles floating in air may help create clouds and wind, strengthening storms.

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  7. Agriculture

    New ‘tattoo’ could lead to drought-tolerant crops

    Scientists create stick-on 'plant tattoo.' It measures how efficiently crops use water, a key to better identifying breeding stock for more drought-resistant crops.

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  8. Animals

    Rising carbon dioxide could leave tiny lake dwellers defenseless

    Rising carbon dioxide in freshwater lakes may change how predators and prey interact.

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  9. Chemistry

    Chemists look to mine silver from laundry wastewater

    Recovering silver from wastewater could prevent the metal from ending up in lakes, rivers and the ocean, where it could poison wildlife.

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  10. Climate

    Climate change threatens future Winter Olympics

    Higher temperatures, less snow mean many former Winter Olympics sites soon will no longer qualify to host future games, concludes a new analysis.

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  11. Agriculture

    How to grow a cacao tree in a hurry

    Chocolate is made from the pods of the cacao tree. To reproduce this plant quickly for research, scientists use clones.

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  12. Earth

    Pollution from new technologies threatens astronomy

    Pollution from new technologies will make it harder to observe the night sky, astronomers say.

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