Earth
- Earth
Giant volcanoes lurk beneath Antarctic ice
One of the largest volcanic areas on Earth was recently discovered hiding beneath West Antarctic’s ice sheet. What does it spell for the future of that ice?
- Ecosystems
Here’s why scientists have been fertilizing the Arctic
For more than 30 years, scientists have been fertilizing small parcels of Arctic tundra. Here’s what happens when you push an ecosystem to the brink.
- Plants
Explainer: The fertilizing power of N and P
Two elements — nitrogen and phosphorus — help plants grow. When the soil doesn’t have them, farmers might add them in the form of fertilizer.
- Climate
Revisit 2017’s most important stories
The year was full of major scientific events and discoveries, from the finding of a new continent to a solar eclipse witnessed by millions.
- Ecosystems
Scientists Say: Bog
Bogs are a type of wetland in which partially decayed plants sink down and form peat.
- Environment
Tropics may now emit more carbon dioxide than they absorb
Analyses of satellite images suggest that degraded forests now release more carbon than they store.
- 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.
