Earth

Earth

Scientists probe how an eclipse affects Earth’s atmosphere

Parts of the electrically charged layer of Earth’s atmosphere lose that charge in an eclipse. Scientists are studying how it might affect everything from GPS accuracy to earthquake prediction.

Environment

Can concrete conquer air pollution?

Powdered concrete could remove the sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that are spewed into the air when electric-power plants burn fossil fuels, a lab study suggests.

Animals

Giant Antarctic sea spiders breathe really strangely

Sea spiders have many bizarre body systems. Scientists have now discovered that they breathe and circulate oxygen in a way never seen before.

Planets

Early Earth may have been a hot doughnut

Synestia is the name some scientists are giving to the smooshed shape Earth might have developed after undergoing a violent cosmic smashup early in its infancy.

Oceans

Cool Jobs: Science deep beneath the waves

These scientists probe the sea’s depths, its strange inhabitants, the movement of water and how life evolves in extremes.

Animals

Humpbacks flap their flippers like underwater birds

Surprising new video shows humpback whales flapping their front flippers to move their massive bodies toward their prey.

Earth

Scientists Say: Ozone

Ozone is a molecule made of three oxygen atoms. In a layer above the Earth, it protects us from harmful radiation, but too close to home, it can harm our health.

Earth

Scientists Say: Speleology

This is the scientific study of caves, which can include what they’re made of, how they form and what lives in them.

Environment

Night lights have a dark side

Artificial light at night not only affects our view of the night sky, but also has the ability to impair animal behaviors — and probably our health.

Climate

Hotter air may lead planes to carry fewer passengers

Global warming could force airplanes to carry a lighter load on each flight. This could mean fewer passengers can fly on each plane.

Agriculture

Scientists Say: Domestication

Domestication is the process of deliberately taking a wild organism — a plant or animal for instance — and making it a part of our daily lives.

Oceans

How the Arctic Ocean became salty

The Arctic Ocean was once a huge freshwater lake, separated from the Atlantic by a ridge of land. Scientists explore how salt water overtook it.