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Atlantic's hurricane alley is so hot from El Niño it could send 2024's storm season into overdrive
By Ben Turner published
Unusually high temperatures combined with the abatement of the El Niño southern oscillation could aid the formation of extreme hurricanes this year.
Thawing Arctic permafrost could release radioactive, cancer-causing radon
By Stephanie Pappas published
As permafrost melts as a result of climate change, it may release more radon, a colorless, odorless gas linked with lung cancer.
27 weirdest things on Google Earth
By Ben Biggs last updated
Reference Google Earth and satellite imagery has revealed some strange things, from secret military bunkers in China to phantom islands to a mysterious pentagram in Kazakhstan.
'This is weird': Experts 'shocked' by record-breaking longevity of Death Valley's phantom lake
By Harry Baker published
A temporary lake at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park has persisted for more than six months, which is far longer than it has lasted before. And experts say that it could stick around for quite a while yet.
'More unzipping of the landscape': Arctic permafrost could crumble into rivers, unleashing devastating feedback loop
By Elyse Hauser published
Permafrost thaw could result in new rivers forming across the Arctic, potentially unleashing 35 million car journeys' worth of carbon every year.
Why don't humans have gills?
By Marlowe Starling published
Our distant fish ancestors had gills, so why don't humans?
Giant, synchronized swarms of locusts may become more common with climate change
By Emma Bryce published
Locust swarms can arise from several locations at once. Research has linked these dramatic events to bouts of heavy rain and wind — and that's not good news under climate change.
Seattle's massive fault may result from oceanic crust 'unzipping itself' 55 million years ago
By Sascha Pare published
Magnetic data suggest Seattle's fault line formed 55 million years ago, when the southern half of a subducting chain of volcanic islands piled onto the continent and tore apart from the northern half.
Scientists may have accidentally found mystery magma reservoir in volcanoless region of Alaska
By Kiley Price published
While tracking seismic activity on Denali, scientists stumbled upon an anomaly that could indicate the presence of magma.
California-size Antarctic ice sheet once thought stable may actually be at tipping point for collapse
By Ben Turner published
Researchers have discovered the base of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, which holds enough ice to raise sea levels by as much as 10 feet, may already be partially thawed.
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