Earth's Systems

  1. Earth

    Rock rising from below the Atlantic may drive continents apart

    Molten rock rising from the deep mantle at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge may drive plate tectonics there more than had been expected.

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  2. Environment

    What you can do to improve soils

    Soils are the life-sustaining structures under our feet. Here are some tips for keeping soils healthy. First rule of thumb: Give more than you take.

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  3. Agriculture

    Healthy soils are life-giving black gold

    Scientists explain why everyone needs to value the soils beneath our feet — and why we should not view them as dirt.

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  4. Chemistry

    Extreme pressure? Diamonds can take it

    Diamond retains its structure even at extreme pressures, which could reveal how carbon behaves in the cores of some exoplanets.

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  5. Earth

    Explainer: What are aerosols?

    We may not see them, but tiny particles and droplets cloud the air, affecting its properties. Some may be pollutants, others all-natural products.

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  6. Climate

    Can wildfires cool the climate?

    Severe wildfires are becoming more common. Science is showing that the tiny particles they release into the air can alter Earth’s temperature — sometimes cooling it.

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  7. Earth

    Let’s learn about snow

    Snow is more than just frozen water vapor. Scientists are studying everything from its shape to other planets where snowflakes fall.

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  8. Climate

    Analyze This: 2020 ties with 2016 for hottest year on record

    Last year capped the warmest decade on record. It coincided with a growing increase of warming greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere.

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  9. Earth

    Space station sensors saw how weird ‘blue jet’ lightning forms

    A mysterious type of lightning in the upper atmosphere has been traced to a brief, bright flash of light at the top of a storm cloud.

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  10. Agriculture

    Dew collector brings water to thirsty plants

    This invention grabs water from the air at night. All it needs is the sun’s warmth the next day to release that moisture to growing plants.

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  11. Earth

    Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer

    Earth’s five layers extend from the ground up and into outer space. Each has its own distinct features and serves as the site of different activities and phenomena.

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  12. Environment

    Surprising long-haul dust and tar are melting high glaciers

    Dust and tar blown onto high mountains, like the Himalayas, boost the melting of snow and ice far more than scientists had realized. Here’s why.

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