Scientists Track the Effects of Climate Change on kelp Forests
Kelp forests grow along coastlines worldwide, largely hidden from view. Like rainforests, they’re among the planet’s most important ecosystems: beautiful but fragile habitats for a…
Earth Science News
Researchers Date the Origins of Photosynthesis to 1.25 Billion Years Ago
The world’s oldest algae fossils are a billion years old, according to a new analysis by earth scientists at McGill University. Based on this finding,…
Operation IceBridge Spots the Bluest of Ice
Acquired on November 29 by Operation IceBridge during a flight to Victoria Land, this image shows an iceberg floating in Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound. The part…
Lack of Freshwater Places Colorado River Delta Fish at Risk of Extinction
A new study from UCLA shows that Colorado River delta fish risk extinction due to a lack of freshwater. The study is a warning for…
Permian Ecosystems Tell Us A Lot About Modern Earth
A whopping two hundred and fifty-two million years ago, Earth was crawling with bizarre animals, including dinosaur cousins resembling Komodo dragons and bulky early mammal-relatives,…
NASA Scientists Will Survey an Unexplored Stretch of Antarctic Ice
In temperatures that can drop below -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Celsius), along a route occasionally blocked by wind-driven ice dunes, a hundred miles from…
Benefits Outweigh Costs of ‘Hidden’ Emissions from Wind and Solar Power
A new study co-authored by Yale’s Edgar Hertwich finds that complete de-carbonization of the global power sector using wind and solar technologies would induce only…
Scientists Monitor Positive Signs of Recovery of the Earth’s Stratospheric Ozone Layer
Each year, ozone-depleting compounds in the upper atmosphere destroy the protective ozone layer, and in particular above Antarctica. The ozone layer acts as Earth’s sunscreen…
California’s Sierra Nevada Mountain Range Grew Taller During Drought
A new NASA study shows that a loss of water from the rocks of California’s Sierra Nevada caused the mountain range to rise nearly an…
NASA Science from the Moon’s Shadow
On December 11, 2017, six researchers discussed initial findings based on observations of the Sun and on Earth gathered during the solar eclipse that stretched…
Astrobiologists Show How a ‘Methane Blanket’ Can Keep an Exoplanet Warm
Somewhere in our galaxy, an exoplanet is probably orbiting a star that’s colder than our sun, but instead of freezing solid, the planet might be…
New Discovery May Solve “Ocean Methane Paradox”
MIT scientists have determined the structure of an enzyme that is found in ocean microbes and can produce a precursor to methane. Industrial and agricultural…
Unusual Melting May Affect Key Processes Deep Within the Earth
New research from Yale University suggests that the unusual melting behavior of the second most abundant mineral in the Earth may affect key processes deep…
The Surprising Role of Dust in Mountain Ecosystems
A new study led by University of Wyoming scientists reveals that trees growing atop granite in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains rely on nutrients from…
Rare Nitrogen Molecule Discovery Offers Clues to Life-Supporting Planets
A team of scientists using a state-of-the-art UCLA instrument reports the discovery of a planetary-scale “tug-of-war” of life, deep Earth, and the upper atmosphere that…
Researchers Provide New Insights about Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet
A UCLA-led team was the first to measure Greenland’s melting glaciers from the top of the ice sheet. Their discoveries could help scientists better predict…
Impact Simulations Show How Massive Collisions Delivered Metal to Early Earth
Planetary collisions are at the core of our solar system’s formation. Scientists have long believed that after the Moon’s formation, the early Earth experienced a…
Halogen Levels in Earth-Forming Meteorites Lower Than Previously Thought
Researchers have found the halogen levels in the meteorites that formed the Earth billions of years ago are much lower than previously thought. The research…