Earth
- Environment
Bad for breathing
New study connects pollution to several common diseases that affect the lungs and airways.
- Ecosystems
Predators as climate helpers
In lakes and streams, fish and insects can help protect aquatic plants that gobble up greenhouse gas.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Ahead of the wave
Scientists are working to predict — and tame — the tsunamis that can threaten some coastal communities
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- Climate
Climate’s troublesome kids
The recurring climate events El Niño and La Niña trigger long-lived changes to weather around the world.
- Earth
Piercing a buried polar lake
Researchers in Antarctica drilled through a half-mile of ice to reach water that hasn’t had contact with the atmosphere for thousands of years.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Surprising hot springs
Scientists find shallow source of water for volcano’s hot springs.
By Sid Perkins - Earth
Less ice, more seawater
Shrinking ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, large-scale study confirms.
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- Chemistry
Explainer: Ocean acidification
Here’s why shellfish and other animals in the sea suffer when the ocean is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide.
- Climate
The high life
The sky is full of microscopic life, some of which might even trigger rain or snow.
By Douglas Fox