Earth
- 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.
- Earth
Pollution from new technologies threatens astronomy
Pollution from new technologies will make it harder to observe the night sky, astronomers say.
- Agriculture
Robots will control everything you eat
Robots are now being introduced into all phases of how food is grown and prepared. In the future, though, they will be common.
- Climate
A meteor explodes over Michigan
Here’s how scientists tracked down the source of a heavenly explosion over rural Michigan, last week.
- Physics
Explainer: Winds and where they come from
Temperature and pressure are critical factors affecting why the wind blows where it does. Understanding the nature of wind can teach us a lot about weather.
- Chemistry
Changing toothpastes? Change your toothbrush
Scientists have found that toothbrush bristles absorb triclosan, then release the potentially toxic chemical when users switch toothpastes.
- Climate
Scientists at last link some extreme weather to human activities
Scientists say that research shows several of 2016’s extreme weather events would never have happened without the help of human-caused climate change.
- Animals
Escaping narwhals can freeze and flee at the same time
Narwhals’ heart rates plummet while diving quickly to get away from people. The combination may stress the whales as human activity increases in the Arctic.
- Earth
Water waves can have literally seismic impacts
Certain types of seismic waves are generated by waves on large lakes. These ground waves could be used to map fault zones or to monitor ice cover in polar lakes.
- Earth
Explainer: Seismic waves come in different ‘flavors’
Earthquakes generate several different types of seismic waves, some more damaging than others
- Earth
Hot on the trail of Antarctic meteorites
For intrepid scientists, spotting meteorites against Antarctica’s dazzling whiteness is easy. Then what?
- Climate
Wacky winter dumps snow on every single U.S. state
Here’s a look at the meteorology behind the unusual winter weather that hit the United States in late 2017 and early 2018.
