Environment

Scholars Investigated 13th-Century Texts for Clues to India’s Environmental Past—What They Found Was Unexpected

Ryan Whalen·December 1, 2025

India’s tales from long ago are helping scholars piece together the flora and foliage that once covered the country’s present-day savannas.

“Tectonics, Climate, and Life Co-Evolved Through Deep Time”: How a Supercontinent Breakup Produced All Complex Life on Earth

Ryan Whalen·November 12, 2025

All complex life on Earth may be the result of plate tectonics tearing apart the ancient supercontinent Nuna 1.5 billion years ago.

Extraterrestrial Dust Trapped in Arctic Ice Challenges Our Understanding of Climate Change

MJ Banias·November 9, 2025

A new study has opened a window into the Arctic’s distant past by using cosmic dust to reconstruct nearly 30,000 years of sea ice history.

Controversial Geoengineering Strategy Can’t Save Coffee, Chocolate, or Wine from Climate Change, New Study Finds

Tim McMillan·November 4, 2025

New study finds Geoengineering like stratospheric aerosol injection may fail to protect coffee, wine, and chocolate crops.

“The Silent Strain We See Today Could Lead to Tomorrow’s Disasters”: India’s Sinking Cities Put Millions of Lives at Risk

Ryan Whalen·October 29, 2025

India’s largest cities are sinking, which may lead to a future catastrophe with millions of lives and thousands of buildings at risk.

New Study Warns Planet-Cooling Stratospheric Aerosol Injections are Unpredictable, Risky, Could End in Disaster

Tim McMillan·October 24, 2025

New study reveals stratospheric aerosol injections may be far riskier than expected, with major technical and governance limits.

As the Arctic Melts, a Hidden Process Beneath the Ice Could Help Fight Climate Change

Ryan Whalen·October 21, 2025

While the loss of Arctic Sea ice remains an impending climate disaster, the melting may give an unexpected boost to carbon-eating algae.

Study Reveals Lead Exposure May Have Shaped Ancient Human Brains, Driving the Struggle Between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals

Ryan Whalen·October 16, 2025

Research reveals that ancient Homo sapiens and Neanderthals encountered unexpected levels of lead exposure, shaping how our brains evolved.

From Sunken ‘Ghost Fleets’ to Baltic Bombs, Remnants of Human Conflict Are Playing a Surprising Role in Forming New Ocean Habitats

Ryan Whalen·September 26, 2025

Discarded World War munitions and shipwrecks are unexpectedly contributing to new undersea ecosystems, a pair of new studies reveal.

Scientists Reveal Odd “Flexoelectric Effect” in Ice Could Explain Lightning’s Mysterious Origins

Austin Burgess·September 24, 2025

A new study in Nature Physics reveals that ordinary ice can generate electricity when it is bent or deformed.

Canadian Breakthrough Unveils Cost-Effective Method of Turning CO2 Pollution Into Useful Products

Chrissy Newton·September 24, 2025

Scientists have created a catalyst that matches the performance of precious metals in turning carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide.

Discovering Australia’s Mysterious ‘Lost’ Asteroid Impact: Ancient Glass Reveals Evidence of a Long-Hidden Event

Ryan Whalen·September 20, 2025

An ancient asteroid impact in Australia is revealed in shards of glass created when the giant space rock collided with the Earth.

Something Deep Within the Earth is Altering Our Planet’s Gravity—and Satellite Data May Hold Clues to the Mystery

Ryan Whalen·September 18, 2025

Orbital data reveals that rocks transforming deep inside the Earth may be responsible for changes to our planet’s gravitational field.

Insect Apocalypse: These Ants Are Vanishing at an Alarming Rate

Ryan Whalen·September 12, 2025

Scientists concerned with a recently identified “Insect Apocalypse” have discovered an alarming rate of decline in Fijian ant populations.

These 5 Geoengineering Ideas Won’t Save Humanity, and Will Probably Do More Harm Than Good

Ryan Whalen·September 11, 2025

Top climate experts say that some geoengineering-based climate solutions may be cures worse than the disease.

This New Material Can Use Plastic Waste To Solve the Climate Crisis by Capturing Carbon Dioxide

Austin Burgess·September 10, 2025

Plastics are a major source of pollution and rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ continue to drive climate change. A new material could help address both problems.

Scientists Have Traced Mysterious Earthquakes Rocking Southern Europe to an “Anomaly” Deep Beneath the Seafloor

Micah Hanks·September 2, 2025

New evidence is helping scientists track the origins of mysterious earthquakes that have been rattling Southwest Iberia in recent months.

Europe to Face Increased Onslaught of Costly and Dangerous “Supercell Thunderstorms” in the Coming Years

Ryan Whalen·August 30, 2025

Supercell thunderstorms, one of the most significant extreme weather events affecting Europe today, may soon be occurring more frequently.

Antarctica is Undergoing ‘Abrupt Changes’ That Scientists Can’t Easily Explain—And They Might Fuel Future Catastrophes

Micah Hanks·August 22, 2025

A concerning new study warns that Antarctica is entering an era of abrupt environmental change, which scientists warn may be irreversible.

A Giant Rockfall at Yosemite Decades Ago Caused a Supersonic Airblast—Here’s What Made the One-of-a-Kind Event So Deadly

Micah Hanks·August 19, 2025

In 1996, an large rockfall in the Yosemite Valley resulted in a devastating event that generated a sonic boom and a huge granite dust cloud.

Scientists Say This “Strange Physics Mechanism” Could Enable Objects to Levitate on Sunlight

Ryan Whalen·August 17, 2025

Scientists say a breakthrough nanofabricated device is capable of sunlight-driven propulsion in one of the most difficult-to-reach parts of Earth's atmosphere.

New Clues to the Mysterious Fall of the Mayan Civilization Have Been Unearthed Deep Within a Yucatán Cave

Ryan Whalen·August 14, 2025

New insights into factors believed to have contributed to the collapse of the Mayan civilization have been unearthed in a Mexican cave.

Scientists Use Lasers to Reveal Mysterious Hidden Phenomena Occurring Over Ocean Waves

Micah Hanks·August 11, 2025

Scientists using lasers have discovered a previously hidden environment that exists in the transitional zone between the air and the sea.

Scientists Uncover New Evidence Supporting Controversial Theory That a Comet Impacted Earth 12,800 Years Ago

Christopher Plain·August 7, 2025

Core samples collected near Greenland support the controversial theory a comet impact 12,800 years ago caused global temperatures to drop.

Medical Emergency Prompts Evacuation of U.S. Antarctic Base in Daring Midwinter Rescue Operation

Micah Hanks·August 7, 2025

An emergency medical situation prompted a demanding mid-winter evacuation from the United States' McMurdo Station in Antarctica this week.

A Damaging Aquatic Invader Was Discovered in the Colorado River—Officials Have Finally Solved the Mystery of Its Origins

Micah Hanks·August 5, 2025

Officials were baffled by the surprise discovery of a destructive invasive species in the Colorado River earlier this year.

“Rare Snapshot of a Vanished Arctic World”: 75,000-Year-Old Cave Reveals Complex Ice Age Community

Christopher Plain·August 5, 2025

An international team of explorers have revealed unexpected findings discovered in a 75,000-year-old ice age European Arctic cave.

The Deepest Ecosystem Ever Found Has Been Discovered in the Ocean’s Mysterious Hadal Trenches

Ryan Whalen·August 2, 2025

Chinese ocean explorers have discovered the deepest life on record, existing at extreme depths on the sea floor.

“We Call it Megaflash Lightning”: Scientists Use Satellites to Find New Record-Breaking Weather Extremes

Ryan Whalen·August 1, 2025

Scientists have now observed the largest megaflash lightning strike ever documented across 515 miles of the Great Plains.

Fossilized Space Dust is Helping Scientists Unlock the Secrets of Earth’s Ancient Atmosphere

Ryan Whalen·July 31, 2025

International researchers have devised a new technique for studying a sort of fossilized atmosphere left behind by micrometeorites.

Scientists Propose Origin Story for “Puzzling” Hot Zone Beneath America They’re Calling the North Atlantic Anomaly

Christopher Plain·July 31, 2025

Scientists studying a puzzling hot zone beneath America, called the North Atlantic Anomaly, have proposed a mantle wave origin hypothesis.

Eruption of Meltwater from Beneath Greenland Ice Sheet Reveals First Look at an Unexpected New Climate Concern

Ryan Whalen·July 30, 2025

A meltwater flood beneath the Greenland ice sheet created such pressure that it cracked the glacier, defying previous climate models.

Tsunami Waves Strike Pacific Nations After 8.8-Magnitude Russian Earthquake—Here’s What You Should Know

Micah Hanks·July 30, 2025

Several countries remain on tsunami alerts after a colossal magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula late on Tuesday.

13,000 Years Ago, a Catastrophic Flood Scoured Oregon’s Ancient Landscape—New Satellite Images Reveal the Lasting Impact

Micah Hanks·July 28, 2025

Evidence of an ancient catastrophic flood that occurred 13,000 years ago has been revealed in new images obtained by the Landsat 8 satellite.

Scientists Decode “Perplexing Mystery” of How X-rays, Electric Fields, and Electron Avalanches Create Powerful Lightning Strikes

Christopher Plain·July 28, 2025

Penn State University scientists have demonstrated the complex series of events occurring inside thunderclouds that create lightning strikes.

Baltic Sea Turns an Eerie Green as Ancient Organisms Invade Its Waters, New Satellite Images Reveal

Micah Hanks·July 28, 2025

Brilliant swirls of green are adding color to the waters of the Baltic Sea, as its summer waters are being overrun with microorganisms.

Scientists Reveal Most Detailed Map of Antarctica’s Seafloor Canyons Ever Made

Christopher Plain·July 23, 2025

Scientists have just published the most detailed map of Antartica's seafloor revealing ultra-deep canyons reaching up to 4,000 meters.

Seismologists Identify Rare Supershear Event During Devastating Myanmar Quake

Christopher Plain·July 22, 2025

Seismologists reveal that the March 28, 2025, Myanmar earthquake likely moved at 'supershear' velocity, which is analogous to supersonic.

Satellite Images Reveal Strange Circles, Smiley Faces, and Other Seasonal Curiosities on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Micah Hanks·July 20, 2025

With the arrival of summer, the Greenland Ice Sheet has adopted its ‘summer look,’ revealing a few odd shapes and other curiosities.

30,000-Acre ‘Gothic Fire’ Scorches Military Training Range Near Nevada’s Secretive Area 51

Micah Hanks·July 17, 2025

A massive wildfire raging near Area 51 continues to burn its way across the Nevada Test and Training Range, according to federal officials.

American Southwest Faces ‘New Reality’ as Scientists Warn Severe Megadrought May Endure for Centuries

Chrissy Newton·July 17, 2025

The worst megadrought in 1200 years is affecting the American southwest, and there's likely no relief coming anytime soon.

A Lake Vanished Without a Trace in Remote Quebec—Can Satellite Data Solve the Mystery?

Micah Hanks·July 14, 2025

In early May 2025, an entire lake vanished without a trace in remote Quebec. Now satellite imagery may offer clues to what happened.

Scientists Link Cataclysmic Volcanic Eruptions to Mysterious Continent-Sized ‘BLOBS’ Deep Within the Earth

Micah Hanks·July 14, 2025

New research traces the origins of Earth’s most powerful volcanic eruptions to mysterious continent-sized structures deep within our planet.

Scientists Discover Mysterious 80-Million-Year-Old Landscape Hidden Beneath Antarctica

Christopher Plain·July 12, 2025

An international team of scientists have discovered a mysterious, ancient landscape hidden beneath the ice sheet of Eastern Antarctica.

Into The Abyss: Scientists Capture First-Ever Images of Ultra-Deep Waters Near the Mariana Trench

Christopher Plain·July 10, 2025

Scientists used an autonomous underwater vehicle to image previously unexplored, ultra-deep waters near the abyss of the Mariana Trench.

Scientists Are Tracking an Undersea Phenomenon Off Japan’s Tsunami-Prone Coast Linked to “Silent” Earthquakes

Micah Hanks·July 7, 2025

In a scientific first, researchers have tracked the elusive motion of a rare variety of earthquake during a seismic event along a major fault zone on the ocean floor.

“There is a Warning Here”: Permian-Triassic Extinction Reveals the Devastation of a Climate Tipping Point

Ryan Whalen·July 3, 2025

An ancient climate tipping point is revealed in new fossils dating back to Earth’s most severe extinction event, called the “Great Dying.”

A Mysterious Eruption Caused an Extreme Climate Event in 1831. Now Scientists Have Traced It to a Former Secret Soviet Island Base

Ryan Whalen·July 1, 2025

In 1831, a mystery eruption occurred, causing a 1°C drop in global temperatures only recently identified in a paper by scientists.

4.16-Billion-Year-Old Rocks Offer Scientists a Rare Glimpse of Earth’s Earliest Years

Ryan Whalen·June 28, 2025

Rocks dating back to the Earth’s Hadean Eon have finally had their antiquity confirmed as stretching back at least 4.16 billion years. 

Certain Plants in the Galápagos May Be Devolving, New Research Reveals

MJ Banias·June 27, 2025

Wild tomatoes on the Galápagos Islands may be providing scientists with an unprecedented look at “devolution” according to a new study.