Earth
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EnvironmentFossil fuels appear to release far more methane than we thought
Ice cores reveal less methane than expected. This suggests today’s fossil fuel industry is responsible for nearly all of the methane emissions from natural sources today.
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Science & SocietyCO2 emissions have nosedived as COVID-19 keeps people home
The COVID-19 pandemic restricted travel that can pollute the air. By April, travel-related daily emissions of greenhouse gases was back to 2006 levels.
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EnvironmentPesticides can have long-term impact on bumblebee learning
Pesticide-laced nectar and pollen can permanently harm the brains of baby bumblebees.
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EarthDid rain put the Kilauea volcano’s lava-making into overdrive?
Scientists share strongly conflicting opinions about why Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano spewed an overabundance of lava in 2018.
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EarthLet’s learn about earthquakes
Dozens of quakes happen every day, but most aren’t big enough for people to notice.
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EarthA rainforest once grew near the South Pole
A forest flourished within 1,000 kilometers of the South Pole. That was a while ago, as in millions of years ago.
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Materials ScienceThis ‘living’ concrete slurps up a greenhouse gas
Microbes help harden a mix of sand and gelatin into a living concrete that could interact with people and the environment in great new ways.
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EarthScientists Say: Jurassic
During this time from about 200 million to 145 million years ago, dinosaurs reigned and many animals evolved, including birds and some early mammals.
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PhysicsExplainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins
Light shining through a water droplet can make more than just a rainbow. A range of other colorful arcs also can develop.
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Health & MedicineHow to find the next pandemic virus before it finds us
Wild animals carry viruses that can sicken people. Monitoring those viral hosts that pose the greatest risk might help prevent a new pandemic.
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ClimateClimate change drove Australian wildfires to extremes
Australia’s devastating 2019–2020 wildfires were at least 30 percent more likely because of human-caused climate change.
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ClimateHow to curb the climate heating by contrails
Contrails are narrow clouds left behind in the sky by jets. They add to climate change. But a new study suggests a way to curb their contribution.