Earth Science

Three Ancient Rivers, Long Buried by the Sahara, Created a Passage to the Mediterranean

One river system, called the Irharhar, appears to have been a particularly popular travel route, corroborated by both model simulations and artifacts

Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station, Baja, Mexico 2012

Aerial Views of Our Water World

In a new book, documentary and exhibition, photographer Edward Burtynsky looks at humans' dramatic relationship with water

Interactive map courtesy of Esri. Text by Josie Garthwaite.

Interactive: Mapping the Shale Gas Boom

Where in the United States is fracking unlocking natural gas from shale rock?

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An Underwater Volcano the Size of New Mexico Is the World’s Largest

The Tamu Massif is not only the world's largest volcano, but also one of the largest documented volcanoes in the solar system

Hydraena ateneo, a millimeter-long water beetle, was found living in the forested creeks of Ateneo de Manila University’s forested campus.

A New Beetle Species Was Just Discovered Right Outside the World’s Densest City

Hydraena ateneo, a previously unknown water beetle, was found living in the forested creeks of a university's campus near Manila, Philippines

In a rare collaboration, a team of Western scientists recently went to study North Korea’s Mount Paektu, an active volcano with a crater lake.

On Conducting Science Atop a Volcano in North Korea

A team of Western scientists recently helped local researchers set up monitoring instruments on North Korea's Mount Paektu, an active volcano

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Clouds Obscure Clear Climate Forecasts

Ride alongside NASA's Airborne Science Laboratory as scientists try to figure out the role of clouds in climate change

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A Reminder From Yosemite’s Massive 1988 Fire: Wildfire Is Largely a Human Problem

This isn't the first time fire has threatened a national park

Valley of the Reclining Woman

Carl Warner’s Mountains Are Made of Elbows and Knees

The British photographer creates convincing landscapes—deserts and rocky scenes—by piecing together photos of nude models

Could life on Earth have been born on Mars?

Did Life Come to Earth From Mars?

Mineralogical clues point to the idea that the early Earth, starved of oxygen and submerged by a vast ocean, needed molecules from Mars to kick start life

New research shows that abnormally cool waters in the Pacific, part of a natural cycle, have masked the warming we should have seen due to greenhouse gas emissions. When the waters go back to normal, global warming will likely accelerate.

Why Global Warming Has Paused—And Why It Will Soon Start Up Again

Abnormally cool waters in the Pacific, part of a natural cycle, have masked the underlying warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels

The Rim Fire

Wildfires Now Could Mean Floods Next Spring

By burning down trees, wildfires open the door for future flooding

The Bullialdhus Crater. It looks little, but it ain’t.

The Moon Had Water Since the Day It Was Born

The Moon was birthed from the Earth—a blob of molten rock sent spiraling off into space in the aftermath of a massive collision 4.5 billion years ago

The Yosemite fire as photographed by astronaut Karen Nyberg on Saturday

Yosemite Is Burning, And California Hasn’t Even Hit Peak Fire Season

The peak of California's fire season is usually in September and October

Five Unusual Ways Scientists Are Studying Climate Change

Fossilized urine, old naval logbooks and the recent speeds of satellites are among the unexpected records that track changing climate

Watch This Sinkhole Swallow a Chunk of Louisiana Bayou Whole

The hole has been name the Bayou Corne Sinkhole, and has already forced the evacuation of 300 nearby residents, lest they also be swallowed into the swamp

Sprites over Red Willow County, Nebraska, on August 12, 2013

Scientists Capture Rare Photographs of Red Lightning

Graduate student Jason Ahrns and colleagues hunt the skies for sprites—fleeting streaks and bursts of color that can appear above thunderstorms

McShea (in Posey Hollow): “Nobody has tried anything nearly as comprehensive.”

A Scientific Laboratory 170 Feet High in the Sky

Grand-scale ecology brings a Virginia forest under unprecedented scrutiny by Smithsonian researchers

It’s 95 Percent Certain That We’re the Main Cause of Climate Change

A leaked copy of an upcoming report reinforces the fact that we are the main cause of modern climate change

From 1700 to 2000, the evolution of American anthromes

Watch How America’s Lands Changed From Forests to Fields

"Arthromes" are like biomes, but they acknowledge humanity's influence

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