2015 worst US wildfire year on record

Wildfires burned more than 10 million acres of land in the United States in 2015, a year marked by intense drought across much of the west.

What to expect from El Niño

The third-recorded super El Niño is underway. Top climate expert Kevin Trenberth reports.

Gorgeous timelapse of California skies

Southern California night skies ... looking from inside massive sea caves and across miles of inland desert. Wonder Endlessly timelapse by Jack Fusco.

Four new elements added to periodic table

The new elements - elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 - complete the periodic table's seventh row and make science textbooks around the world instantly out-of-date.

New glimpse of geology under Antarctic ice

Using technology built to withstand the harsh winters, scientists have managed to map the volcanos, rifts, and basins hidden under West Antarctica's ice sheet.

What is the Anthropocene?

Soon, scientists will decide whether the word Anthropocene should be formally added to the Geologic Time Scale. It indicates a world shaped by human beings.

Earth ABCs from space

HNY - Happy New Year! All 26 letters of the alphabet, spelled out in Earth's features as seen from orbit.

Why does the new year begin on January 1?

New Year's Day is a civil event. Its date isn't precisely fixed by any natural seasonal marker.

Giant squid surfaces in Japanese harbor

Rare encounter with a giant squid. First one caught on camera was in 2012.

Climate change rapidly warming world’s lakes

Lakes around the world are warming rapidly, threatening ecosystems and water supplies, says a new study that looked at more than half of Earth's freshwater supply.

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