The planet is dying faster than we thought By Brandon Specktor A triple-threat of climate change, biodiversity loss and overpopulation is bearing down on Earth, a new paper from 17 scientists warns.
First life could have evolved on ancient islands By Stephanie Pappas Earth could have hosted islands as long as 4 billion years ago, leaving open the possibility that the first life could have evolved on land rather than near hydrothermal vents.
Atmospheric CO2 will pass an alarming milestone in 2021 By Harry Baker In 2021, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration will be 50% higher than preindustrial levels, despite reduced emissions during the pandemic and a natural cooling event.
Gargantuan 'Tsar Icicle' collapses on tourists in Russia, killing one By Brandon Specktor The 130-foot-tall (40 meter) 'Tsar Icicle' waterfall collapsed on four tourists in Russia, killing one.
Towering ice arches in the Arctic are melting, putting 'Last Ice Area' at risk of vanishing By Harry Baker The ice arches, responsible for keeping the ecologically important 'Last Ice Area' intact, are in danger of collapsing due to increased melting.
Wandering polar vortex may cause a wild, snowy winter By Laura Geggel A polar vortex disruption may cause snowy, cold weather in about two weeks.
We've already blown past the warming targets set by the Paris climate agreement, study finds By Rafi Letzter A new study shows that due to pollution already released, Earth will eventually blow past Paris goals. But that doesn't mean all is lost.
Earth is whipping around quicker than it has in a half-century By Stephanie Pappas It could mean a "negative" leap second.
Hikers find ghostly 'hair ice' clinging to trees in an Irish forest By Brandon Specktor Hair ice has appeared on rotting trees all over the world, and fungus may be to blame.
Yellowstone's reawakened geyser won't spark a volcanic 'big one' By Laura Geggel Why a reawakened geyser isn't worrying geologists.
What if humans had photosynthetic skin? By Charles Q. Choi If humans had green skin, for instance, what if it granted us the ability to perform photosynthesis, which plants use to live off of sunlight?
What is renewable energy? By Sarah Wild Sustainable sources of energy are renewable and are generally less harmful to the environment than fossil fuels.
10 steamy signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up By Tia Ghose From record wildfires to a bumper crop of hurricanes to melting poles, here are some of the biggest signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up.
US rivers are changing from blue to yellow and green, satellite images show By Harry Baker Researchers believe color changes could be used as a proxy for the health of river ecosystems.
8 times nature was totally metal in 2020 By Brandon Specktor Remembering the cannibal dinosaurs, chest-bursting eels, and rampaging galaxies that made 2020 heavier than dark matter.
World's largest iceberg continues to break up off the coast of South Georgia By Harry Baker It is hoped that the icebergs will now miss the island, but their fate is still uncertain.
10 geological discoveries that absolutely rocked 2020 By Nicoletta Lanese Here are 10 of the most amazing geological discoveries of the year.
Humans are destroying our 'perfect planet,' Attenborough says By Yasemin Saplakoglu A new series explores the powerful natural forces that work together to sculpt and support life on our fragile pale blue dot.
13 ways the Earth showed its wrath in 2020 By Stephanie Pappas Eruptions, temblors and severe weather, oh my.
'Zombie' greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean By Nicoletta Lanese Experts say we need to improve our patchy knowledge of subsea permafrost.
