Plants
This Tiny Tube Is Why Grass Is Everywhere
New work shows how grass could have developed its distinctive sheath
Stories by Julia Rosen
Geology
Early Earth’s Slowing Rotation Helped Oxygen Build Up
The planet’s spin may have mediated critical atmospheric oxygen
Energy
Methane Power Could Come from Lakes and Reservoirs
The gas is making climate change worse. Can we harness it instead?
Climate Change
Undersea Earthquakes Reveal Sound Warming Info
Travel time differences for sound waves produced by undersea earthquakes in the same place at different times can provide details about ocean warming.
Natural Disasters
Dinosaur Asteroid Hit Worst-Case Place
The mass-extinction asteroid happened to strike an area where the rock contained a lot of organic matter and sent soot into the stratosphere, where it could block sunlight for years...
Climate Change
Ice Age Temperatures Help Predict Future Warming
Scientists determined that temperatures were 11 degrees cooler during the last ice age—and that finding has implications for modern-day warming. Julia Rosen reports.
Conservation
Alaska’s Salmon Are Shrinking
Every year, Alaska’s big salmon runs feature smaller salmon. Climate change and competition with hatchery-raised salmon may be to blame. Julia Rosen reports.
Evolution
The World’s Highest-Dwelling Mammal Lives atop a Volcano
Scientists spotted a mouse at the summit of Llullaillaco, a 22,000-foot-tall volcano on the border of Chile and Argentina. Julia Rosen reports.
Weather
How COVID-19 Decreases Weather Forecast Accuracy
Meteorologists take advantage of weather data collected by commercial jetliners at different altitudes and locations. Fewer flights mean less data.
Conservation
Animals Appreciate Recent Traffic Lull
Researchers saw a third fewer vehicle collisions with deer, elk, moose and other large mammals in the four weeks following COVID-19 shutdowns in three states they tracked.
Environment
Nature’s Goods and Services Get Priced
The gross ecosystem product, or GEP, tries to take into account the contribution of nature to the economy.
Conservation
Unicorns of the Sea Reveal Sound Activities
Narwhals, recognizable by their large single tusk, make distinct sounds that are now being analyzed in depth by researchers.
Cognition
How to Keep COVID-19 Conspiracies Contained
An expert on climate denial offers tips for inoculating people against coronavirus conspiracy notions.
Space & Physics
Searching the Heavens for Mountains
Exoplanet hunters are moving beyond simply finding new planets into trying to know what they look like and whether there's surface or subsurface activity.
Natural Disasters
Dark Fiber Networks Can Sense Seismicity
Scientists are exploring the use of fiber-optic cables—like the ones that form the backbone of the internet—to monitor earthquakes. Julia Rosen reports.
Climate Change
Nutrition Guidelines Healthy for the Planet, Too
Following dietary guidelines would mean eating less meat and dairy—and fewer calories overall—reducing greenhouse gases and other pollution. Julia Rosen reports.
Weather
Ships at Sea Stoke Lightning Strikes
Exhaust fumes from oceangoing vessels lead to an almost doubling of lightning activity over shipping lanes compared to adjacent areas of the sea.
Climate Change
Springtime Now Arrives Earlier for Birds
A trove of scientific notes from the early 1900s suggests a warming climate is driving birds to migrate earlier to New York’s Mohonk Preserve. Julia Rosen reports.
Natural Disasters
Old Records Help Resurrect Historic Quake
Century-old records found in Puerto Rico helped reconstruct the damage caused there by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake—and could help disaster experts plan for the next big one. Julia Rosen reports. ...
Natural Disasters
Large Impacts May Cause Volcanic Eruptions
Really big meteorite or asteroid strikes may cause melting and deep deformations that eventually lead to volcanic eruptions.
