A Garbage Truck of Plastic Will Be Dumped Every Second by 2040 Unless We Act Now, Report Finds
An estimated 280 million metric tons of plastic waste will enter the air, water, soil, and human bodies every year by 2040, data shows
Daniel H. Wilson on Finding a Native Take on Traditional Alien Invasion Stories
Hole in the Sky, by Daniel H. Wilson, is one of Scientific American’s best fiction picks of 2025. In the novel, aliens talk through an AI headset and land in the Cherokee Nation, while the military scrambles to contain and control the unknown
Telecom Cables Measured an Earthquake in Incredible Detail
Fiber optics that connect the world can detect its earthquakes, too
China’s CO2 Emissions Might Have Finally Peaked
China has rapidly become the world leader in renewable energy, but continued coal use means it could take longer for its emissions to decline
How an Overlooked Eruption May Have Sparked the Black Death
The Black Death ravaged Europe, and scientists and historians are still working to understand how it became so deadly
Not-Quite-a-Bomb-Cyclone Brings Messy Winter Weather
A rapidly intensifying low-pressure system off the coast is keeping the worst of the snow away from Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C.
‘Living Fossil’ Sharks, Rays and Whale Sharks Get a Lifeline amid Extinction Threat
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on Friday updated its regulation and monitoring of several iconic shark and ray species
Magnitude 4.0 Earthquake Rattles Bay Area, with Aftershocks Likely to Follow
A minor earthquake struck California in the early hours of the morning on November 26
How Wild Turkeys Made a Comeback from Near Extinction
Wild turkeys once nearly disappeared, but today they’re thriving.
Volcano Erupts after Lying Dormant for 12,000 Years, Sending Scientists Scrambling
The Hayli Gubbi volcano, long thought to be dormant, sent ash nine miles into the sky in an eruption on Sunday
Tamer Raccoons, COP30 Recap, New Fluoride Research
Your Monday news roundup in audio form, including the cutest raccoons, COP30 takeaways and more on a new study on fluoride and cognitive decline.
5 Charts Show Climate Progress as Paris Agreement Turns 10
The 2015 Paris Agreement forged a path for the world to stave off the worst climate change scenarios. Here’s where we stand 10 years later