Earth Science

A map of tornado activity in the U.S., 1950 to 2011

How to Understand the Scale of the Oklahoma Tornado

In terms of size, speed and staying power the Oklahoma tornado was a force of nature

Lola Fatoyinbo-Agueh — NASA Earth Scientist

"Future Is Here" Featured Speaker

For the first time in human history the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has reached 400 parts per million.

A Friendly Reminder From Pretty Much Every Climate Scientist in the World: Climate Change Is Real

Yes, climate change is real. Yes, we are causing it.

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Water Cut Off From the World for Billions of Years Is Bubbling From the Bottom of a Mine

1.5 miles down at the base of a Canadian mine life may have thrived

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Scientists Are Finding Clues to the Next Mega-Earthquake in One That Hit the West Coast in 1700

Researchers now know details of how the infamous earthquake of 1700 struck the West Coast

Climate Change Is Making the Whole Planet Tip

Climate change isn't just making the North Pole warmer, it's actually changing where the North Pole is located

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Watch Out: This Year’s Fire Season Will Be Another Bad One for the West

A warm, dry winter has set the stage for another bad year of forest fires in the western U.S.

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The World According to Twitter, in Maps

A new geographic analysis of millions of tweets provides a remarkably broad view of humanity, by language, location and other factors

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The Water On the Moon Probably Came From Earth

New isotopic analysis of hydrogen in Apollo-era Moon rocks shows that the water locked inside them hails from our planet

Could Lightning Come From Space?

Cosmic rays may cause a "runaway breakdown" of electrons when they collide with highly charged particles in thunderclouds

Over the past few decades Lake Urmia in Iran has steadily dried up.

28-Year Satellite Time-Lapse Shows Exactly What We’re Doing to Our Planet

28 years in just a few seconds, as seen from space

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The Deep Seafloor Turns Out to Be a Treasure Trove for Ancient DNA

DNA preserved in the the ocean floor could provide a unique view of ancient animals that aren't represented in the fossil record

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Feel What It’s Like to Live on an Antarctic Icebreaker for Two Months

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One Upside to Drought: the Fewest Tornadoes in the U.S. in At Least 60 Years

No water in the air means less fuel for tornadoes

VOTO, a new device that converts the heat from a fire into readily usable electricity.

Five Innovative Technologies that Bring Energy to the Developing World

From soccer balls to cookstoves, engineers are working on a range of devices that provide cheap, clean energy

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The Center of the Earth Is as Hot as the Sun

1,800 degrees warmer than we previously thought, the Earth's core is super hot

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Russia’s Cold War Plan to Reverse the Ocean and Melt the Arctic

A giant dam across the Pacific could re-route ocean currents and melt the Arctic, and the Soviets wanted to try

A difference of nearly four decades: at top, a ski area in Aspen, Colorado last year, captured by Ron Hoffman; at bottom, the same location in 1974, shot by Dustin Wesley.

Before and After: America’s Environmental History

Repair crews inspect for damage after the 2011 Virginia earthquake.

Hurricanes May Cause Earthquakes

In August 2011, the Virginia earthquake shook the east coast. Days later, Hurricane Irene may have caused more earthquakes

ZnO Fall Flowers. Image by Audrey Forticaux, a graduate student in the Chemistry Department

Intriguing Science Art From the University of Wisconsin

From a fish's dyed nerves to vapor strewn across the planet, images submitted to a contest at the university offer new perspectives of the natural world

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