Planet Earth
Earth is one big spinning mystery in a constant state of change. With more than 4.5 billion years of history locked inside a ball of molten rock and iron, our planet is made up of a vast array of geological wonders, carved by the oceans, shaped by the shifting plates beneath our feet and sculpted by weather across the surface.
Our team of expert science writers and editors are here to reveal our planet’s secrets — from the deepest depths of the ocean, through the coldest places on Earth to the very edge of space — keeping you up to date with the latest discoveries with planet Earth news, articles and features.
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Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' is growing a staggering amount each year
By Sascha Pare published
The Batagay megaslump — a 3,250-foot-wide (990 meters) depression in the permafrost in the Russian Far East — is "actively growing" by a massive amount every year, scientists have found.
Earth from space: Mysterious wave ripples across 'galaxy' of icebergs in Arctic fjord
By Harry Baker published
A puzzling arc was spotted in the water of a Greenland fjord littered with iceberg fragments. There are a couple of possible explanations for this bizarre phenomenon but we will likely never know what caused it, experts say.
Antarctic ice hole the size of Switzerland keeps cracking open. Now scientists finally know why.
By Ben Turner published
The Maud Rise polynya has been sporadically opening up in Antarctica's ice since at least the 1970s. Now climatologists finally know why.
Cave of Crystals: The deadly cavern in Mexico dubbed 'the Sistine Chapel of crystals'
By Sascha Pare published
The Cave of Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico, is buried almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) beneath Earth's surface and contains giant gypsum crystal beams that are up to 37 feet (11 m) long.
'You certainly don't see this every day': Ultra-rare backward-spinning tornado formed over Oklahoma
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A pair of odd twisters spun out from a supercell thunderstorm in Oklahoma Tuesday (April 30).
2 plants randomly mated up to 1 million years ago to give rise to one of the world's most popular drinks
By Richard Pallardy published
Arabica coffee plant appears to have evolved between 600,000 and 1 million years ago after two other coffee species crossbred in the forests of what is now Ethiopia.
Deepest blue hole in the world discovered, with hidden caves and tunnels believed to be inside
By Sascha Pare published
Scientists have yet to reach the bottom of the Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay, which new measurements hint could be connected to a labyrinth of submarine caves and tunnels.
Earth from space: Lava bleeds down iguana-infested volcano as it spits out toxic gas
By Harry Baker published
A satellite image of the Galápagos Islands' La Cumbre volcano shows lava seeping from the iguana-covered mountain days into an ongoing, months-long eruption.
Eerie, orange skies loom over Athens as dust storm engulfs southern Greece
By Sascha Pare published
A Saharan dust storm that reached southern Greece on Tuesday (April 23) has turned the sky over Athens and other Greek cities an apocalyptic reddish-orange hue.
Hidden 'biosphere' of extreme microbes discovered 13 feet below Atacama Desert is deepest found there to date
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have found microbes thriving 13 feet beneath the scorched surface of Chile's Atacama Desert, marking the deepest discovery of microbial life in the region to date.
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