Voyage to the centre of the 'Plastic Vortex'

A group of conservationists and scientists is due to set sail for an obscure corner of the Pacific Ocean in the coming months to explore a vast swirl of waste known as the "Plastic Vortex."

The moon controls the release of methane in Arctic Ocean

It may not be very well known, but the Arctic Ocean leaks enormous amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane. These leaks have been ongoing for thousands of years but could be intensified by a future warmer ocean. The ...

Unwanted visitor ruins spring break in Florida—toxic algae

With its brilliant sun, white sand and turquoise water, Lido Key Beach would make for a perfect postcard of Florida beaches if it weren't for the dozens of dead fish lying on the shore, killed by a toxic algae bloom known ...

Icequakes in Antarctica linked to ocean tides

When the ground rumbles in Antarctica, it may be an icequake—like an earthquake but caused by the movement of ice, not rock. A new study by Penn State researchers found that these seismic events are driven by ocean tides ...

New research sheds light on the possibility of past life on Venus

While today Venus is a very inhospitable place with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead, geological evidence, supported by computer model simulations, indicate it may have been much cooler billions of years ago and ...

Magnetic oceans and electric Earth

Oceans might not be thought of as magnetic, but they make a tiny contribution to our planet's protective magnetic shield. Remarkably, ESA's Swarm satellites have not only measured this extremely faint field, but have also ...

Out on the pull: Why the moon always shows its face

Technically, Pink Floyd had it wrong. The space-facing side of the moon isn't dark (except at full moon when the Earth is between the sun and the moon). Not that you'd know that, given we always see the same side of our nearest ...

Earth's days getting longer: study (Update)

Earth's days are getting longer but you're not likely to notice any time soon—it would take about 3.3 million years to gain just one minute, according to a study published on Wednesday.

When hungry, Gulf of Mexico algae go toxic

When Gulf of Mexico algae don't get enough nutrients, they focus their remaining energy on becoming more and more poisonous to ensure their survival, according to a new study by scientists from North Carolina State University ...

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