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 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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NYC's air quality ranked worst of any major city on Wednesday. With climate change, will it happen again?
By Rebecca Sohn published
New York City's normally good air quality rating recently plummeted to the worst of any major city in the world, as wildfire smoke drifted over the city from Canada.

Scientists extract a kilometer of rock from Earth's mantle in record-breaking mission
By Ben Turner published
A record-breaking drilling attempt, which dug more than a kilometer into an underwater mountain in the Atlantic Ocean, has given scientists a treasure trove of rocks to study for clues to Earth's inner workings.

How many oceans are there?
By Kiley Price published
One, four or five? Not all experts agree on the number of oceans on our planet.

Primordial steroids solve long-standing mystery about how the 1st complex life-forms evolved
By Stephanie Pappas published
Compounds from 1.6 billion years ago reveal a microbial transition that set the stage for much of today's life on Earth.

Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' megaslump is revealing 650,000 year-old secrets from its permafrost
By Stephanie Pappas published
The permafrost inside the Batagay crater is the second-oldest ever found on Earth and scientists are using it to reconstruct the planet's ancient climate.

World's largest iceberg is no more after being ripped apart in 'iceberg graveyard'
By Harry Baker published
Satellite images show fragments from the enormous iceberg A-76A dispersing near South Georgia island, where the previous world's largest iceberg also met its doom in 2020.

Fungi seem to 'sweat' to stay cool and scientists don't know why
By Ethan Freedman published
This discovery reveals a mostly unstudied but apparently universal aspect of fungal life.

8 ancient 'zombie viruses' that scientists have pulled from the melting permafrost
By Sascha Pare published
Scientists are discovering and resurrecting ancient viruses trapped in permafrost and frozen remains. Here are 8 'zombie' viruses that scientists have pulled from the permafrost.
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