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Earth news
Microplastics discovered in caddisfly casings from the 1970s suggest long-term contamination
A team of biologists working at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, a research museum in the Netherlands, has found evidence of caddisfly larvae using microplastics to build their casings as far back as the 1970s.
Native American names extend the earthquake history of northeastern North America
In 1638, an earthquake in what is now New Hampshire and Plymouth, Massachusetts, left colonists stumbling from the strong shaking and water sloshing out of the pots used by Native Americans to cook a midday meal along the ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 18, 2025
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How wide are faults? Earthquake study reveals fault zones are sprawling networks, not single strands
At the Seismological Society of America's Annual Meeting, researchers posed a seemingly simple question: how wide are faults?
Earth Sciences
Apr 18, 2025
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Lake deposits reveal directional shaking during devastating 1976 Guatemala earthquake
Sediment cores drawn from four lakes in Guatemala record the distinct direction that ground shaking traveled during a 1976 magnitude 7.5 earthquake that devastated the country, according to researchers at the Seismological ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 18, 2025
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Heavy metals contaminate up to 17% of world's arable land: Study
Up to 17% of cropland worldwide is contaminated with at least one type of toxic heavy metal, posing health risks to up to 1.4 billion people, scientists warned Thursday.
Environment
Apr 18, 2025
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Looking to the Pacific, scientists improve forecasts of atmospheric rivers
As atmospheric rivers pounded the U.S. West Coast last winter, scientists deployed increasingly advanced observing tools over the Pacific Ocean to improve forecasts of the powerful storms.
Earth Sciences
Apr 18, 2025
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Indigenous Peoples feel the brunt of rising temperatures, climate policy
In the subarctic and arctic reaches of the Northwest Territories (NWT), the climate is warming faster than most other places on the planet. Decades before scientists and governments were grasping the threats of rising temperatures ...
Environment
Apr 18, 2025
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Why Katy Perry's celebrity spaceflight blazed a trail for climate breakdown
What's not to like about an all-female celebrity crew riding a rocket into space? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Environment
Apr 17, 2025
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Coastal management model plays the long game against the rising tides
To protect against rising sea levels in a warming world, coastal cities typically follow a standard playbook with various protective infrastructure options. For example, a seawall could be designed based on the latest climate ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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High-resolution dataset tracks land productivity changes to combat degradation
An international research team has developed the world's first 30-meter resolution dataset to track changes in land productivity, a crucial tool for fighting global land degradation. Published in Scientific Data, this innovation ...
Environment
Apr 17, 2025
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Scientists map fastest pathways for replenishing Central Valley groundwater
Depleted groundwater threatens communities, agriculture, and ecosystems in California's Central Valley, which produces much of the nation's fruit, vegetables, and nuts. But the same acres where farmers have long cultivated ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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Isotopes unearth history of earthquakes in the Apennines
Identifying long-term seismic activity patterns is crucial for understanding how fault systems evolve, as well as for estimating the probability of future earthquakes. But seismic records date back only hundreds of years—1,000 ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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Study finds dust speeds up spring snowmelt in Colorado River basin
The Colorado River system is the lifeblood of the southwest, delivering water to 40 million people across the United States and Mexico. Drought and overuse have left the river in crisis—the need for water far exceeds what's ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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Calculating a sustainable future: Mathematician identifies unsustainable development patterns and climate vulnerability
Earth Day often calls to mind the environmentalists and activists leading the charge for a sustainable planet. But researchers like Leonardo Schultz and José Maria Cardoso da Silva at the University of Miami College of Arts ...
Environment
Apr 17, 2025
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Strong shaking at fault stepover has rocks—briefly—defying gravity
When Julian Lozos visited the site of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes two days after the event, he noticed something strange. Pebble- to boulder-sized rocks had clearly been moved by the earthquakes—but there were no signs ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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Study clarifies potential drivers of toxic elements along elevational gradients in terrestrial ecosystems
The accumulation of toxic elements poses a significant threat to terrestrial ecosystems, with the patterns and influencing factors of this accumulation being complex. However, elevational patterns of toxic elements in montane ...
Environment
Apr 17, 2025
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Scientists crack ocean's code for predicting China's persistent summer rains
Extreme rainfall events can cause devastating floods, landslides, and widespread damage, yet predicting them remains a major challenge. While scientists often study how often and how intensely it rains, the duration of rainfall ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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Mechanisms for early spring peak of extratropical cyclone activity in East Asia explained
Extratropical cyclones (or low-pressure systems) traveling along the Kuroshio in East Asia most frequently occur in spring, bringing heavy rain and snowfall in the region. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba unveiled ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2025
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Food waste is a major contributor to climate change. What are the solutions?
Emissions don't just come from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. Food waste sent to landfills contributes up to 10% of all emissions, equivalent to more emissions than that of the entire aviation sector, ...
Environment
Apr 17, 2025
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Record-high share of Americans now consider global warming to be a major concern, poll reveals
In the latest Gallup survey, 48% of respondents said global warming will pose a "serious threat" to them or their way of life during their lifetime—the highest share recorded since 1997, when the question was first asked.
Environment
Apr 17, 2025
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More news
Potential threat to water safety from wildfires
Heavy spring snow storm wreaks havoc in the Alps
Using vibrations to see into Yellowstone's magma reservoir
Desert reservoirs found to trap organic carbon in sediment
Other news
Red, pink or white, all roses were once yellow says genomic analysis
Scientists probe the mystery of Titan's missing deltas
New mechanism uses photonic crystal for concentrating light on a chip
Regulators of DNA folding could be targets for treating cancer
Mini-hairpin peptide structure found to stall protein synthesis in E. coli
Precision-shaped Cu₂O crystals unlock new potential for clean energy catalysts
'Magic carpet' guides cells to self-organize in 3D
New quantum 'game' showcases the promise of quantum computers
