Environment
Sandstone Arches Form under Their Own Stress
Downward pressure and erosion combine to create the celebrated rock formations
Stories by Richard A. Lovett
Sustainability
Could Heat Waves Be Forecast 3 Weeks Out?
A large-scale atmosphere circulation system has been found to signal a greater chance of an extreme heat later
Sustainability
Study Revises Estimate of Methane Leaks from U.S. Fracking Fields
Leaks are minimal during removal of fracking fluids but increase once gas is flowing
Sustainability
Climate Change Has Shifted the Locations of Earth's North and South Poles
Increased melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and other ice losses worldwide have helped to move the North Pole several centimeters east each year since 2005
Sustainability
Hurricane Irene Might Have Triggered Virginia Earthquake Aftershocks
The rate of aftershocks following the August 23, 2011, quake increased sharply as Irene passed by, suggesting that ground disturbances from large storms might be strong enough to prompt tremors...
Sustainability
Earthquakes Make Gold Veins in an Instant
Pressure changes cause the precious metal to deposit each time the crust moves, a new study finds. The insight suggests that remote sensing could be used to find new deposits in rocks where fault jogs are common...
Sustainability
Elephant Seals Help Find Missing Piece in Global Climate Puzzle
The tagged animals traveled to and took measurements from a fourth known source of bottom water, a crucial oceanic heat sink
Health
Our Drugs Make Fish Flounder
Contraceptives and antidepressants can reduce fish reaction times and reproductive rates
Health
Clean Water Act at 40: Rivers No Longer Burn but Climate Threats and Runoff Now Rush In
The landmark environmental law has spurred significant progress but the nation's waterways now are threatened by sea-level rise and ocean acidification—unknown in 1972
Sustainability
Blood-Thinning Rat Poison Is Killing Birds, Too
Canada and the U.S. are starting to restrict the use of blood-thinning rat poison to avoid its accumulation in birds of prey and other animals
The Sciences
Supernova Could Have Caused Mysterious "Red Crucifix" in the Sky in A.D. 774
An ancient text suggests that an eighth-century jump in carbon 14 levels in trees could be explained by a previously unrecognized supernova explosion
