Stories by Andrea Thompson

The EPA has scrapped a rule stating that climate change harms human health. Here’s what that could mean

The rocks used in the Olympic sport of curling come from one island in Scotland and one quarry in Wales. What makes them so special?

While it’s been a frigid winter in the eastern U.S., the western region of the country has seen record warmth

As temperatures plunged across the eastern U.S., a breathtaking cloud pattern took shape off the coasts of Florida

A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, and that’s why last weekend’s winter storm dumped more snow, sleet and freezing rain than similar weather systems might have in the past

Freezing rain can cause ice to accumulate on tree branches and power lines and thus poses a greater risk than snow

A major winter storm will bring frigid cold and to tens of millions this weekend, but why is it so hard to pin down who will get snow, ice or rain?

Why the EPA’s air pollution rule change could make the air dirtier, how cancer survival hit a record-high, and what we know about the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station

The Clean Air Act has saved millions of lives, but the EPA will stop calculating those benefits for at least some proposed regulations

Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

An area of high pressure is bringing record-high heat to some parts of the U.S., with an added boost from climate change

Antarctica’s New Year’s celebration is unlike any other: every January 1 scientists physically move the South Pole. This is why

From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depths

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? The odds of snow on the big day comes down to a mix of climate and weather, scientists explain

A look back at 2025’s biggest science stories—from federal upheaval and public health setbacks to climate policy reversals and groundbreaking discoveries in space.

The U.S. government is dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research, jettisoning key climate science projects in the process

The Arctic has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, a new report shows, as temperatures skyrocket and ice rapidly melts

This week’s science roundup covers 2025’s near-record heat, a new mpox strain and fresh clues about why hobbits vanished 50,000 years ago.

Europe’s climate agency said 2025 is likely to be the second or third hottest on record

Hawaii’s Kilauea, one of Earth’s most active volcanoes, sent lava fountains spewing into the air, obliterating a U.S. Geological Survey camera

Japanese officials said to expect a tsunami of up to 3 meters in some areas after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the east coast of Japan

An estimated 280 million metric tons of plastic waste will enter the air, water, soil, and human bodies every year by 2040, data shows

It was thought that complex cells couldn’t survive above a certain temperature, but a tiny amoeba has proven that assumption wrong

China has rapidly become the world leader in renewable energy, but continued coal use means it could take longer for its emissions to decline