Earth & Environment
Why the Los Angeles fires were so destructive
Twelve months after devastating wildfires tore through parts of Los Angeles, researchers are still uncovering lessons from one of the most destructive urban fire...
Your receipt could soon be made from trees, not toxic chemicals
Every day, most of us touch thermal paper without giving it a second thought.
It shows up as shopping receipts, delivery labels, movie tickets, and...
Walking on two legs began earlier than we thought
Scientists may have just pushed back the timeline for when our ancestors first started walking upright.
A new study suggests that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a species...
The sticky problem of lunar dust gets a mathematical solution
Apollo astronauts discovered an unexpected enemy on the Moon. Fine dust, kicked up by their movements and attracted by static electricity, coated everything.
It found...
How air pollution may raise depression risk in older people
Air pollution is often talked about as a threat to our lungs and hearts, but scientists are now finding that it can also affect...
How a 4,000-year-old sheep solved a long-standing plague mystery
The Black Death is one of the most infamous pandemics in human history, killing roughly a third of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages.
That...
Tattoos, toxins and the immune system – what you need to know before you...
From minimalist wrist designs to full sleeves, body art has become so common that it barely raises an eyebrow.
But while the personal meaning of...
When humans disappeared, these birds evolved different beaks
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the UCLA campus, students weren’t the only ones affected.
A small brown bird called the dark-eyed junco also felt...
When disasters strike, home batteries could be a lifeline
Extreme weather is placing greater strain on Australia's power grids.
In 2022, the record-breaking Northern Rivers floods blacked out almost 70,000 households.
A powerful storm in...
Biodegradable electronics may create microplastics, scientists warn
Electronics designed to disappear after use sound like a perfect solution to the world’s growing e-waste problem.
Known as transient or biodegradable electronics, these devices...
Your laundry is polluting the ocean—Scientists say this new filter can help
Every time we wash our clothes, tiny plastic fibers are released into the water.
These fibers come mainly from synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon...
Engineers find a way to watch desalination membranes clog in real time
As freshwater shortages worsen around the world, desalination—turning seawater into drinkable water—is becoming increasingly important.
But the technology that powers most desalination plants has a...
FEATURED
The sticky problem of lunar dust gets a mathematical solution
Apollo astronauts discovered an unexpected enemy on the Moon. Fine dust, kicked up by their movements and attracted by static electricity, coated everything.
It found...
The US saw 1.1 million gun deaths in the past 30 years
In a study from Emory University, scientists found in the past 30 years, the US saw 1.1 million gun deaths.
This is the first analysis...
Martian landforms look just like Earth’s—And that’s a big deal
Mars may be dry, dusty, and far from hospitable today, but new research suggests it once shared more in common with Earth than we...
A journey of a woolly mammoth through time: Elma’s tale
Once upon a time, about 14,000 years ago, a woolly mammoth named Elma wandered through the lands that we now call Alaska and northwestern...
Is there a quick fix for ocean acidification?
The ocean is getting more and more acidic.
Can we solve it by emptying a giant bottle of antacid into the ocean?
Acidification is threatening the...
Scientists discover five different dog types from 11,000 years ago
Scientists have studied the lineage of dogs and found that there were at least five different types of dogs as far back as 11,000...
The world’s ‘chemical diversity’ tripled in just 20 years
There are 350,000 chemicals available on the market and in circulation worldwide, according to a new estimate.
The last time researchers compiled a list, it...
Pacific rock samples reveal active earth 2.5 billion years ago
Rita Parai, an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, along with her graduate student, Judy Zhang, have unlocked ancient Earth secrets through...