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Record microplastic found in Arctic sea ice

By in Earth | Human World | 1 hour ago

New research shows that even the Arctic Ocean isn’t immune to an influx of plastic.

Giant ichthyosaur one of largest animals ever

By in Earth | 1 day ago

The new discovery of a jaw bone suggests that this prehistoric aquatic reptile would have been about the size of a blue whale.

How do flocking birds move in unison?

By in Earth | 1 day ago

How do some species of birds in flocks perform their wonderful, graceful, synchronized movements? Hint: they don’t just follow a leader or their neighbors.

Watch the mating dance of a new bird species

By and in Earth | 1 day ago

Be a birder for a few minutes, and enjoy the distinctive song, dance and courtship display of a newly recognized Bird-of-Paradise, in new videos from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

These sea turtles use magnetic fields like GPS

By and in Earth | 2 days ago

“They might not always make it back to the exact beach where they were born, and instead might opt for beaches with similar magnetic properties, as if their internal GPS has just slightly mixed up addresses.”

Why observe Earth Day on April 22?

By in Earth | Human World | 4 days ago

April 22 is the date of Earth Day in part because of Arbor Day, an earlier observance. The focus of Earth Day 2018 is plastic pollution.

This Pacific island is the most plastic-polluted place on Earth

By in Earth | Human World | 4 days ago

On this Earth Day, explore remote, uninhabited Henderson Island in the South Pacific. It may look idyllic from above, but is littered with millions of tons of plastic.

Our home world from afar

By in Earth | Human World | Space | Today's Image | 4 days ago

Celebrate Earth Day with these 10 images of Earth from space.

Latest snow on record for thousands of US locations

By in Earth | 6 days ago

What’s the latest date that measurable snow has fallen in different parts of the United States? Check this interactive map from NOAA to find your record latest snow.

Was another civilization on Earth before humans?

By in Earth | Human World | 1 week ago

How do we know earlier industrial civilizations on Earth didn’t rise and fall long before humans appeared? That’s the question posed in a new scientific thought experiment.

March 2018 in top 6 warmest on record

By in Earth | 1 week ago

Last month wasn’t as hot as March 2016 or March 2017, but it’s in the warmest 6 since modern record-keeping began in 1880.

Underwater noise pollution stresses aquatic animals

By in Earth | Human World | 1 week ago

The roar of motors, ping of military sonar, bangs and blasts from offshore development are distracting, confusing, and even killing, aquatic animals.

Why rainbows are curved

By in Earth | 2 weeks ago

A rainbow isn’t a flat 2-dimensional image on the dome of sky. It’s more like a mosaic, composed of many separate bits … in 3 dimensions.

Top 10 things about brown recluse spiders

By in Earth | Human World | 3 weeks ago

It’s their active season. Here are some things you might not know.

Earth’s magnetosphere envelops and protects us

By in Earth | Space | 3 weeks ago

A giant bubble of magnetism protects us from the sun’s fury. Take 3 minutes to learn about it, in this new NASA ScienceCast video.

Sahara Desert is expanding

By in Earth | 3 weeks ago

A new study finds that the world’s largest desert has grown by 10 percent since 1920.

Does space weather threaten high-tech life?

By in Earth | Human World | Space | 3 weeks ago

The wired Earth of the 21st century is at the mercy of the volatile nature of the sun, says a scientist who studies solar storms.

Antarctic ice grounding lines are shifting

By in Earth | Today's Image | 3 weeks ago

Europe’s CryoSat satellite was used – over 7 years – to track 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of Antarctic coastline. It can be seen warm ocean water is eating away at Antarctica’s floating margins.

Blackbirds in the city: Bad health, longer life

By in Earth | Human World | 3 weeks ago

Blackbirds live longer in cities than in forests. But a new genetic analysis suggest that city birds have much poorer health than their rural cousins.

Watch a robot fish swim in the ocean

By in Earth | Human World | 3 weeks ago

MIT computer scientists have developed SoFi – a soft, robot fish made of silicone rubber – that can swim alongside real fish in the ocean.