Radioactive Glass Beads May Tell the Terrible Tale of How the Fukushima Meltdown Unfolded
The microscopic particles unleashed by the plant’s explosions are also a potential environmental and health concern
Stories by Andrea Thompson
Here's How Much Ice Antarctica Is Losing—It's a Lot
The world’s southernmost continent is jettisoning six times more ice now than it was four decades ago
Another Casualty of the Government Shutdown: Hurricane Preparedness
Weather models are not being updated and training sessions might be canceled during the budget standoff
Western Drought Ranks among the Worst of the Last Millennium
As temperatures warm, it becomes more likely the drought will match past “megadroughts” for length as well
Here’s How Much Climate Change Could Cost the U.S.
Warming could exact a major economic toll, but reducing emissions and adapting to changes can alleviate those costs
From Pine Cones to Hobbit Holes, Mimicking Nature Can Help Humans Adapt to Wildfires
Looking to fire-adapted trees and animals could reduce the impacts of California’s deadly blazes
This Scientist Chases Wildfires to Better Predict Fire Behavior
To know what a wildfire might do next, researchers need to know how an inferno interacts with the atmosphere
Solving Microplastic Pollution Means Reducing, Recycling—and Fundamental Rethinking
New practices, and new chemistries, are needed to end the scourge
Microplastics Have Been Found in People's Poop—What Does It Mean?
Suspicions humans are consuming tiny plastic particles have been confirmed, spurring future work into the possible health impacts
What’s in a Half a Degree? 2 Very Different Future Climates
A new IPCC report shows the impacts in the near future that can be avoided by limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of 2 degrees C
Why Did Hurricane Michael Rev Up to Category 4 So Quickly?
Scientists have made major strides in recent years in understanding why storms rapidly intensify
Indonesian Tsunami Was Powered by a Deadly Combo of Tectonics and Geography
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that touched off the tsunami occurred amid a complex puzzle of tectonic plates
Mosquitoes Could Carry Plastic Particles into the Food Chain
Microplastics stay in the insects’ bodies from larva to adulthood
Extreme Flooding from Florence Likely, Due to a Convergence of Threats
Compound flooding can exacerbate the impacts from storm surge and rain
From Fish to Humans, A Microplastic Invasion May Be Taking a Toll
Tiny bits of plastic have seeped into soil, fish and air, posing a threat to animal and human health
Plants Dominate the Planet's Biomass
About 80 percent of Earth's biomass is plant life, with humans about equal to krill way down the heft chart.
Earth Has a Hidden Plastic Problem—Scientists Are Hunting It Down
Trillions of tiny particles generated by our plastic-reliant society are polluting environments worldwide
Plants Are the World's Dominant Life-Form
Flora make up the majority of Earth’s biomass, followed by bacteria
L.A.’s Not Just Sizzling, It’s Sultry: Why California’s July Heat Wave Is So Weird
An unusually early—and humid—heat wave has set all-time records
Antarctic Quest Seeks to Predict the Fate of a Linchpin Glacier
Adventurer scientists swarm the melting Thwaites Glacier for clues to how fast sea level will rise
