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. 

—50 interesting facts about Earth

—The deadliest natural disasters in history

—25 weirdest things on Google Earth

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. 

Explore Planet Earth

Editor's Picks

The International Space Station orbits about 259 miles (417 kilometers) above Trinidad and Tobago as Hurricane Sam churns in the Atlantic Ocean in the fall of 2021.
Hurricane season 2023: How long it lasts and what to expect Expect an above-average hurricane season, forecasters say.
a tropical rainforest with tall trees and a gap in the canopy where the sun is coming through
'Once again, innovation and proliferation ended with catastrophe': The environmental disaster of plants taking over the world "By colonizing the continents and moving to the source of the elements whose availability constrained their ocean-dwelling ancestors, land plants set themselves up to become the second great world-changers."
a goat standing on a mountain looking at the camera with blue sky in the background
15 unexpected effects of climate change From shrinking goats to a dimmer Earth, here are some of the lesser-known impacts of rising global temperatures.

Latest about Planet Earth

Nuclear pasta; Pink diamonds

Science news this week: Pink diamonds and nuclear 'pasta'

By Alexander McNamara published

Sept. 24, 2023: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Planet Earth
Dragon blood trees in rocky landscape, Homhil Protected Area, Socotra, Yemen.

15 places on Earth that look like alien planets

By Annie Corinne Shaink published

These stunning locations feel out of this world, but are actually right here on Earth.

Planet Earth
Animation of ongoing progress of the 2023 El Niño event.

What is El Niño?

By Aimee Gabay published

El Niño is a climate cycle in which waters off the tropical eastern Pacific are warmer than usual, which in turn affects global weather patterns.

Weather
A diagram showing the seasons: Autumnal and Vernal Equinoxes, Winter and Summer Solstices as the Earth orbits the sun.

Equinox: Definition, facts & what happens during one

By Sarah Wild last updated

REFERENCE Equinoxes occur twice a year when the sun is directly above the equator, and herald the beginning of spring and autumn.

REFERENCE
A submersible approaches the wall of a seamount inside the Mariana Trench.

Scientists in China find mysterious virus at the bottom of the Mariana Trench

By Ben Turner published

Researchers have found a new virus, identified as a bacteriophage, at a depth of 29,199 feet (8,900 meters).

Planet Earth
Selected faceted, ‘fancy’ colored diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine.

Earth's biggest cache of pink diamonds formed in the breakup of the 1st supercontinent 'Nuna'

By Stephanie Pappas published

The Argyle formation in Australia, which hosts 90% of the world's pink diamonds, formed when the first supercontinent broke up.

Planet Earth
A close-up of the stinkhorn fungus fruiting body, which is shaped like a penis.

Watch slime-covered penis mushroom that smells like rotting flesh grow and decay in mesmerizing time-lapse

By Sascha Pare published

A video of a stinkhorn fungus — a 10-inch penis-shaped mushroom — bursting from the ground, growing and decaying has been captured in a forest in Germany.

Planet Earth
fossilized flowers on red sandstone from morocco

Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs allowed flowers to thrive in a post-apocalyptic world

By Patrick Pester published

Scientists have discovered flowering plants were largely unscathed by the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event 66 million years ago, allowing them to take advantage of the new, dinosaur-free planet.

Plants
Toward the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, the International Space Station orbits about 259 miles (417 kilometers) above Trinidad and Tobago as Hurricane Sam churns in the Atlantic Ocean in the fall of 2021.

Hurricane season 2023: How long it lasts and what to expect

By Tia Ghose last updated

This guide to the Atlantic hurricane season of 2023, includes predictions, tropical storm science, naming conventions and storm safety tips.

Hurricanes
close up of a wollemi pine tree, a species that has survived since the cretaceous period

Mystery of 'living fossil' tree frozen in time for 66 million years finally solved

By Richard Pallardy published

The Wollemi pine was thought to have gone extinct 2 million years ago until it was rediscovered by a group of hikers in 1994. Now, scientists have decoded its genome to understand how it's survived — almost unchanged — since the time of the dinosaurs.

Plants
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