Repeated shifts between wet and dry conditions boost the growth of salt crystals that destabilize the rock canvas Ancient rock art on a cave wall in Leang Sakapao, Indonesia. Credit: Linda Siagian Some of the oldest art in human history is disintegrating, scientists say. And climate change may beContinue Reading
A lot of plastic is impossible to recycle. Chemists are trying to change that. It feels good to recycle. When you sort soda bottles and plastic bags from the rest of your garbage, it seems like you’re helping the planet. The more plastic you put in the blue bin, theContinue Reading
Researchers trace that uptick in temps to a drop in planet-cooling aerosol pollution. Since COVID-19 burst on the scene last year, the virus that causes it has killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide. It has sickened at least 122 million more. And, weird but true, the economic lockdowns triggeredContinue Reading
Rocks collected in Greenland may hold traces of an ancient magma ocean that bubbled over much of Earth’s surface soon after the planet’s birth, a new study finds. Scientists gathered the rocks from the Isua supracrustal belt, a region in southwest Greenland where the exposed rocks are between 3.7Continue Reading
Scientists have identified the 19th form of water ice. The exotic, four-sided crystals of this rare ice variety, now dubbed ice XIX, form at ultra-low temperatures and ultra-high pressures. It only exists in laboratory experiments, but researchers say it reveals more about other forms of ice, which can be foundContinue Reading
Earth might have more layers than scientists thought. New research finds that there may be a hidden layer inside the Earth’s solid inner core — an inner-inner core, if you will. The precise nature of this layer is mysterious, but it could have something to do with changes in theContinue Reading
This is the condition in the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Weather (noun, “WEH-ther”) Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere in a particular place and at a particular time. People might talk about the weather in terms of the temperature, air pressure, wind speed or howContinue Reading
One simple rule of thumb: Give more than you take. Soil didn’t always exist. It grew slowly over the millennia as rocks weathered into smaller particles and dust. As land-dwelling organisms died, their decaying bodies added nutrients that would help glue particles together and absorb moisture. Soil science can nowContinue Reading
Tiny airborne particles, like those spewed by forest fires, can alter Earth’s temperature Wildfires have captured headlines around the globe in recent years. In 2018, California wildfires caused record destruction and death. But the area they incinerated would be eclipsed by fires in 2020. Some of those fires roared outContinue Reading
The most recent six years were the warmest ever recorded The year 2020 capped off the warmest decade on record. And last year tied with 2016 for the hottest, according to new data. This record-warmth occurred even while 2020 saw decreased carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel use. “That’s not surprising atContinue Reading