Earth Science

Awesome Con provided an opportunity for science fiction and real-life science to play off of one another. The Robot from Netflix's Lost in Space reboot (center) illustrates the former, while the NASA jacket of the con attendee on the right nods to the latter.

The Real Science Behind Your Favorite Nerd Culture at Awesome Con

Astrophysicists, vehicle technicians and biologists joined the party to bring cutting-edge research to fictional worlds

Marvin, a trailblazer in more ways than one, surveys the Antarctic terrain on her meteorite-hunting expedition of 1978-79.

The Rockstar Geologist Who Mapped the Minerals of the Cosmos

A professor told Ursula Marvin she should learn to cook. Instead she chased down meteorites in Antarctica

Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Climate Change Can Also Transform Language

As our world warms, warps and melts, metaphors of the past take on new meaning

Rare 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Footage Found at Flea Market

The nine-minute Miles brothers film reel shows the devastation that the powerful quake wrought

A British Columbia rainforest, where Douglas firs soar more than 160 feet, supports 23 native tree species.

Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

A controversial German forester says yes, and his ideas are shaking up the scientific world

Seismic shockwaves after a meteorite’s collision could affect systems all over the planet.

The Meteorite That Killed the Dinosaurs May Have Also Triggered Underwater Volcanoes

In a new study, scientists peered into 100 million years of seafloor history to find something strange

Images created by NASA with satellite data helped the U.S. Department of Agriculture analyze outbreak patterns for southern pine beetles in Alabama, in spring 2016.

Can Scientists Forecast Algal Blooms and Pest Outbreaks Like We Do the Weather?

With big data, ecologists have the ability to predict short-term ecological phenomena over the span of days and seasons rather than decades

Researchers Find a Chunk of North America Stuck to Australia

When an ancient supercontinent broke apart the Queensland peninsula may have gotten left behind

The epicenter of last night's earthquake in Alaska

Why Did Alaska's Big Quake Lead to a Tiny Tsunami?

Geophysics, plate tectonics and the vast ocean all determine how severe a tsunami may be

Does the Moon's Phase Cause Earthquakes?

One researcher offers a succinct answer

2017 Was Another Really Hot Year (Even Without El Niño)

Last year joins list of top three hottest ever recorded, according to multiple new reports

The book was published so hastily the fuse bomb pictured on the cover was “ticking.”

The Book That Incited a Worldwide Fear of Overpopulation

'The Population Bomb' made dire predictions—and triggered a wave of repression around the world

The 2007 midwinter solstice illumination of the main altar tabernacle of Old Mission San Juan Bautista, California.

How the Sun Illuminates Spanish Missions On the Winter Solstice

Today, the rising sun shines on altars and other religious objects at many Spanish churches in the U.S. and Latin America

Shan Dou (from left), Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, and Nate Lindsey were on a Berkeley Lab team that, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford, used fiber optic cables for detecting earthquakes and other subsurface activity.

Could Fiber Optics Detect Earthquakes?

By monitoring every grumble, shiver and burp our planet makes, researchers hope to be more prepared to take action when things go awry

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai soon after its formation in 2015

How the Rapidly Changing Shape of This New Island Could Teach Us About Mars

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai has lasted longer than it should, and the processes that formed the island are of interest to NASA

Earth's Mysterious Hum Recorded in the Deep Sea for the First Time

The discovery could help unlock the planet's deepest secrets

Hurricane Maria, September 2017

Turning Hurricane Data Into Music

Can listening to storms help us understand them better? A meteorologist and a music technologist think so

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Self-Taught Rocket Scientist Will Launch From California This Weekend

Mike Hughes built his homemade rocket in an effort to "prove" the Earth is flat. He also plans to run for governor

Your Guide to Seeing the Northern Lights in Alaska

The Ozone Hole Is the Smallest It's Been in 30 Years—But We Can't Take Credit

Warming in the stratosphere has kept away ozone-killing chemicals, reducing annual thinning for the last two years

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