Life on Earth May Have Started with a Cosmic Splash By Matt Smith published 3 October 17 Could the building blocks for life on Earth have been delivered by meteorites crashing into ponds of water 4 billion years ago?
Watch Swarms of Earthquakes Sweep Across Oklahoma By Matt Smith published 30 July 17 A new animated map illustrates the rapid increase in seismic activity in Oklahoma, which scientists attribute to the growth of the fracking industry.
Will Melting Permafrost Release Global 'Methane Bomb'? By Matt Smith published 20 July 17 Rising global temperatures are melting areas of permafrost that hold enormous stores of planet warming gases — but the risk of a doomsday methane bomb remains low.
The Gulf of Mexico's 'Dead Zone' Could Nearly Double in Size This Year By Matt Smith published 23 June 17 Agricultural runoff and biological waste from the Mississippi River fuel algae blooms each year in the Gulf of Mexico, depleting marine oxygen and sometimes triggering massive die-offs.
Global Coal Production Takes a Dive By Matt Smith published 16 June 17 President Trump has promised to reverse the coal sector's decline, but coal production plunged by the largest percentage on record in 2016.
High-Profile 'Clean Coal' Project Staggers, as Trump Seeks to Slash R&D Funds By Matt Smith published 12 June 17 President Trump has promised to revive the nation's coal industry, but proposed last month to slash funding to programs that might provide it a lifeline.
Trump's Proposed Science Cuts Go Far Beyond Climate Programs By Matt Smith published 31 May 17 The president's $4.1 trillion budget package for 2018 would ax a variety of medical, energy, and basic research programs, while boosting funding for defense and homeland security.
Early Collapse of Arctic Sea Ice Is Another Ominous Sign of Rapid Warming By Matt Smith published 28 May 17 The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the lower latitudes, and scientists report sea ice across the Nares Strait just collapsed two months earlier than normal.
Biodegradable Circuitry Could Shrink the World's Growing Piles of E-Waste By Matt Smith published 5 May 17 Researchers in California report they have produced a lightweight and flexible semiconductor built on a base of cellulose, the main ingredient in plant fibers.
The Arctic Ocean May Soon Have Its Very Own 'Garbage Patch' By Matt Smith published 20 April 17 An Arctic Ocean expedition found plastic "was abundant and widespread" in the waters east of Greenland in the Barents Sea, off the coasts of northern Russia and Scandinavia.
