Earth
- Climate
Thawing mosses tell a climate change tale
Plants long entombed beneath Canadian ice are now emerging. They’re telling a story of warming unprecedented in the history of human civilization.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a region of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The molecules there absorb ultraviolet light and reflect radio waves.
- Earth
Cool Jobs: Unearthing the secrets of soil
In ordinary soil, scientists can find clues to past civilizations, evidence to catch criminals and bacteria that might help fight global warming.
- Earth
Explainer: What makes dirt different from soil
Although most people use the terms dirt and soil interchangeably, scientists argue that they shouldn’t. Soil has provenance — meaning history. Dirt doesn’t.
- Earth
‘Watermelon’ snow is helping melt glaciers
Microbes that paint snow pink are accelerating the melting of ice fields in Alaska.
- Chemistry
Science works to save a salty world treasure
Poland’s 700-year old salt mine, just outside Kraków, not only is a cultural art treasure, but also an active research site for geologists, chemists and more.
- Environment
Analyze This: Not all races saw equal improvements in this air pollutant
Levels of one U.S. air pollutant, NO2, have dropped over time. But neighborhoods with predominantly non-white residents saw smaller improvements than did those that were mostly white.
- Earth
Middle-school scientists take home big prizes
Top finalists in the 2017 Broadcom MASTERS competition shared awards worth $100,000.
- Tech
Is weather control a dream or nightmare?
Weather control is largely fiction for now, although people are unintentionally changing their weather. And that might not be a good thing.
- Science & Society
Explainer: Weather and weather prediction
The sun and Earth combine to create the planet’s weather systems. And science is getting good at predicting what they’ll do.
- Environment
Air pollution takes a toll on solar energy
Air pollution can rob the light needed for solar panels to make electricity. In India and China, the percent solar energy losses can reach double digits.
- Climate
Did Maria set another U.S. rainfall record?
Weather scientists are investigating whether Maria set another U.S. record for flooding rainfalls.
