Astronomers Solve the Mystery of Purple Lights in the Upper Atmosphere
Notanee Bourassa knew that what he was seeing in the night sky was not normal. Bourassa, an IT technician in Regina, Canada, trekked outside of…
Earth News
Cretaceous Volcanic Ash Linked with Shale Gas and Oil Fields
Nutrient-rich ash from an enormous flare-up of volcanic eruptions toward the end of the dinosaurs’ reign kicked off a chain of events that led to…
Study Shows Modern Humans Thrived Through Ancient Toba Supervolcano Eruption
Imagine a year in Africa that summer never arrives. The sky takes on a gray hue during the day and glows red at night. Flowers…
Groundbreaking Research Reveals Evidence of Water Deep in Earth’s Mantle
A UNLV scientist has discovered the first direct evidence that fluid water pockets may exist as far as 500 miles deep into the Earth’s mantle….
New Experiment Recreates Prehistoric Ocean Conditions
A new experiment by Elizabeth Swanner evaluating the reduction of iron in prehistoric oceans may reinterpret the conditions under which iron-rich sedimentary rock is formed….
Photosynthesis Began a Billion Years Earlier Than Originally Believed
Ancient microbes may have been producing oxygen through photosynthesis a billion years earlier than we thought, which means oxygen was available for living organisms very…
Thawing of the Far Northern Permafrost Has Scientists Worried
Permafrost in the coldest northern Arctic — formerly thought to be at least temporarily shielded from global warming by its extreme environment — will thaw…
Thawing Permafrost is Changing Arctic and Subarctic Lakes and Ponds
As ice the melts, the organic carbon found in permafrost is being released once again after ages of confinement in the soil. It is making…
Geologists Reveal How Magma from Earth’s Mantle Provide Natural Treasures
South Africa’s history and economy has been built on its rich natural treasures of a number of precious metals, stones and minerals. The country’s mineral…
Lab Experiments Provide New Details Into How Magma Feeds Volcanic Eruptions
A novel research study by scientists at the University of Liverpool has provided new insights into how molten rock (magma) moves through the Earth’s crust…
New NASA Study Brings Antarctic Ice Loss Into Sharper Focus
A NASA study based on an innovative technique for crunching torrents of satellite data provides the clearest picture yet of changes in Antarctic ice flow…
New Discovery Changes Perceptions of the Evolution of Earth’s Biosphere
For the first four billion years of Earth’s history, our planet’s continents would have been devoid of all life except microbes. All of this changed…
Image of an Icy Heart for Valentine’s Day
The year 2017 was a record-breaking one for Operation IceBridge, NASA’s aerial survey of the state of polar ice. For the first time in the…
25 Years of Satellite Data Confirms That Sea Levels Are Rising
Twenty-five years of satellite data prove climate models are correct in predicting that sea levels will rise at an increasing rate. In a study published…
Geophysicists Reveal Megathrust Fault Off Costa Rica
Geophysicists have obtained detailed three-dimensional images of a dangerous megathrust fault west of Costa Rica where two plates of the Earth’s crust collide. The images…
Yale Study Shows Geoengineering the Climate Could Have Dangerous Consequences
One of the scientific tools being considered to reduce the impacts of climate change is solar geoengineering, or the injection of aerosols into the atmosphere…
What Really Controls the Pace of Spring Snowmelt
A new study has found that dust, not spring warmth, controls the pace of spring snowmelt that feeds the headwaters of the Colorado River. Contrary…
Tidal Cycles Could Provide Advanced Warning of Volcanic Eruptions
Just before a surprise eruption of New Zealand’s Ruapehu volcano in 2007, seismic tremor near its crater became tightly correlated with twice-monthly changes in the…