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An amoeba under a microscope

What is an amoeba?

By Aparna Vidyasagar, Scott Dutfield published

Reference The term “amoeba” refers to simple eukaryotic organisms that move in a characteristic crawling fashion.

Reference
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, shown here after the explosion on April 26, 1986, is at risk from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What would happen if Russia bombed Chernobyl?

By Ashley Hamer published

Russian troops have captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which still contains nuclear waste that could pose a threat to the surrounding area.

Ukrainian servicemen ride on tanks towards the front line to engage with Russian forces in the Lugansk region of Ukraine, on Feb. 25.

Ukrainian scientists leave international climate report committee, amid safety fears

By Mindy Weisberger published

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led top Ukrainian scientists to withdraw from final approvals of a landmark climate report.

An aerial view of damage to Sukuiso, Japan, a week after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area in March, 2011. Also this isn't likely to happen on the East Coast, it's not inconceivable.

Japan earthquake & tsunami of 2011: Facts and information

By Becky Oskin published

Facts and information about the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.

The Sahara is the world's largest hot desert.

The Sahara: Earth's largest hot desert

By Rachel Ross published

Reference The Sahara desert is the largest hot desert in the world, covering nearly all of northern Africa.

Reference
The new study by a group of astrophysicists suggests that planets can become intelligent if they reach certain criteria.

Scientists say planetary intelligence is real, but Earth doesn't qualify yet

By Harry Baker published

A new study exploring planetary intelligence has revealed the key steps planets, including Earth, must take to become fully intelligent.

video clip shows the height of the volcanic plume generated by an underwater volcano called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai

Tonga underwater volcano eruption shattered two records

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The eruption triggered nearly 590,000 lightning strikes.

Mysterious new substance possibly discovered inside Earth's core

By Ben Turner published

Scientists recreated core behavior using powerful computer simulations.

Storm waves smashed against the breakwater and lighthouse in Newhaven, England as Storm Eunice made landfall.

Record-breaking winds blast Europe in the worst storm in decades

By Ben Turner published

Although the storm is severe, scientists caution against linking it with climate change.

mount etna

Mount Etna is erupting and astronauts are watching it from space

By Elizabeth Howell published

The Sicilian volcano is 'smoking' and 'spitting lava,' one astronaut reports.

A recent slowdown in the melting of Iceland’s glaciers is likely caused by a patch of unusually cold water in the North Atlantic Ocean, known as the "Blue Blob," "according to a new study.

Unusually cold 'Blue Blob' is slowing the rapid melting of Iceland's glaciers, but not for long

By Harry Baker published

A new study into a cold patch of the Arctic, known as the "Blue Blob," has shown that it is slowing the rate Iceland's glaciers are melting, but only for a few more decades.

UCLA's Laurence Smith deployed this autonomous drifter in a meltwater river on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet in July 2015 as part of an effort to understand the causes of sea level rise around the globe.

Historic sea-level rise predicted by NASA and government task force

By Chelsea Gohd published

In a new collaborative report, NASA and other U.S. government agencies have found that sea levels will rise up to a foot by 2050.

Gases are a state of matter with no fixed shape or volume.

Properties of Matter: Gases

By Mary Bagley published

Reference Gases are a state of matter with no fixed shape or volume. They have a lower density than solids and liquids.

Reference
Offshore oil rig in the twilight_think4photop via Getty Images

What is crude oil?

By Joe Phelan published

Here's the science behind how crude oil forms and how experts locate and extract it.

A simulation of the rogue wave based off movement from a monitoring buoy.

4-story rogue wave that randomly appeared in the Pacific Ocean is the 'most extreme' ever detected

By Harry Baker published

Scientists have confirmed that a 58-foot rogue wave detected by a monitoring buoy off the coast of Canada in 2020 is the 'most extreme' ever recorded.

Protists are one of the six kingdoms of life. This illustration depicts vorticella protozoa attached to an algae substrate.

What are protists?

By Aparna Vidyasagar published

Reference Protists are one of the six kingdoms of life. They are simple eukaryotic microorganisms that do not fall into the plant, animal, bacteria or fungus groups.

Reference
A multi-panel comic explains the Great Lego Spill of 1997.

5 million shipwrecked Legos still washing up 25 years after falling overboard

By Mindy Weisberger published

A once-in-a-century wave that struck a cargo ship 25 years ago caused the worst toy-related environmental disaster of all time, known as the Great Lego Spill.

The gold foil experiments gave physicists their first view of the structure of the atomic nucleus and the physics underlying the everyday world.

What is the 'Gold Foil Experiment'? The Geiger-Marsden experiments explained

By Robert Lea published

The Geiger-Marsden experiment, also called the gold foil experiment, gave physicists their first view of the structure of the atomic nucleus.

Seasons are periods of the year with distinct weather conditions and day lengths.

The four seasons: spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter

By Nola Taylor Redd published

Reference Seasons are periods of the year with distinct weather conditions and day lengths. Earth's four seasons are spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter.

Reference
From its origin point in the South Atlantic, the 2021 tsunami sent ripples all over the world.

'Invisible' earthquake caused mysterious 2021 tsunami, scientists find

By Ben Turner published

Scientists argue that we need to build better monitoring systems to spot earthquakes of this type.