Earth

  1. Animals

    Pollen can become bee ‘junk food’ as CO2 rises

    Increasing levels of the greenhouse gas are changing diminishing the food value of pollen, bees’ only source of protein.

    By
  2. Microbes

    This microbe thinks plastic is dinner

    The bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis chows down on one type of polluting plastics. That means it could become helpful in cleaning up environmental waste.

    By
  3. Earth

    Cool Jobs: Mapping the unknown

    Scientists find different ways of exploring places humans will never visit — and drawing maps to help us better understand such mysterious places.

    By
  4. Earth

    Carbon dioxide could explain how geysers spout

    A new study overturns 150 years of thinking about Yellowstone’s geysers. Carbon dioxide, not just hot water, may be driving those spectacular eruptions.

    By
  5. Chemistry

    Particles in air help fatten clouds’ water droplets

    Making their own clouds has shown scientists how the fattest water droplets form. Understanding this could lead to better forecasts of climate change.

    By
  6. Earth

    Quake risk in some central states rivals California’s

    Risks of tremors in some central U.S. states are as high as those in quake-prone California. The reason: waste fluids from oil and gas drilling.

    By
  7. Chemistry

    Smash hit: Making ‘diamond’ that’s harder than diamonds

    Scientists had suspected extreme meteorite impacts might turn graphite into an unusual type of diamond. Now they’ve seen it happen — in under a nanosecond.

    By
  8. Environment

    Breathing very dirty air may boost obesity risk

    Breathing dirty Beijing air made rats heavier and less healthy than rats breathing clean air. Scientists now worry such polluted air may do the same thing to people.

    By
  9. Microbes

    Microbes mine treasure from waste

    Like miniature factories, bioreactors house microbes recruited to chew through wastes to clean dirty water, make chemicals or generate electricity.

    By
  10. Environment

    Not so sweet: Fake sugar found at sea

    Sucralose — sold in stores as Splenda — has begun turning up in seawater. This raises concern about the fake sweetener’s impacts on the environment.

    By
  11. Tech

    Eggshells help hatch a new idea for packaging

    Why just crack an egg? Make the shell into itty bitty bits and use them to build a more biodegradable plastic. New research shows how.

    By
  12. Environment

    Enormous natural-gas leak polluted L.A. air

    A massive methane release from a single leaky underground well spewed as much of the greenhouse gas into the air as a mid-sized European country does in an entire year.

    By
Use up and down arrow keys to explore.Use right arrow key to move into the list.Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.Use tab key to enter the current list item.Use escape to exit the menu.Use the Shift key with the Tab key to tab back to the search input.