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![A bowl of vanilla ice cream.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5EdGKC5zbqk8ospaGojKkL-320-80.jpg)
10 surprising things that are made from petroleum
By Anna Mattson published
From chocolate to toothpaste, many surprising household products and everyday items are made from petroleum.
![This giant karst sinkhole, also called a tiankeng, has plants growing at the bottom in Luoquanyan Village of Xuan'en County, central China's Hubei Province. This is not the sinkhole discovered in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rTTE4HqHKjtPGTuJSaKELT-320-80.jpg)
China's 'heavenly pits': The giant sinkholes that have ancient forests growing within
By Sascha Pare published
China's southwestern karst landscape is pockmarked with dozens of enormous sinkholes that look like they were made with a cookie cutter — and scientists keep finding new ones.
![A photo of a hurricane in the North Atlantic taken from space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5juM68cGsMR6N8zeodSjJP-320-80.jpg)
This year's hurricane season could see 25 named storms, NOAA says in record-breaking forecast
By Ben Turner published
Unusually high temperatures combined with the abatement of the El Niño could lead to more major hurricanes this year.
![A milky orange river viewed from directly above](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/t6v68RXHQWsaGSsVGyEDdA-320-80.jpg)
Alaska's rivers are turning bright orange and as acidic as vinegar as toxic metal escapes from melting permafrost
By Harry Baker published
Alaska's melting permafrost is dumping toxic metals into the state's rivers, turning them bright orange and making the water highly acidic. The contaminated rivers are so vibrant they can be seen from space, and the problem is likely to get much worse in the future.
![Water flows from Rock Run in the Loyalsock State Forest. The park's borders lie above the Marcellus Shale formation, which is being hydrofracked to extract gas.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yHB6t93Fb9RtQe7m6FhTWa-320-80.jpg)
Scientists just discovered an enormous lithium reservoir under Pennsylvania
By Ben Turner published
The new source of lithium, which could meet up to 40% of U.S. demand, was discovered in fracking wastewater.
![A 3D image showing the tidal flow beneath Thwaites Glacier.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ztPVwEfPSEr5sLixEviPcW-320-80.png)
Warm ocean water is rushing beneath Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier,' making its collapse more likely
By Ben Turner published
Warm seawater flowing into the glacier's underside could significantly accelerate the process of its collapse.
![A massive jellyfish cloud over a dark land mass](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/souu7jjmAYqosi8FLvagqA-320-80.jpg)
Earth from space: Rare phenomenon transforms African thunderstorm into giant ethereal 'jellyfish'
By Harry Baker published
In 2018, a weather satellite captured a massive thunderstorm cloud in the shape of a jellyfish. The bizarre cloud was the result of a meteorological phenomenon gone wrong.
![A photograph of a sunset over the ocean with a green flash around the sun.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YmLU4pBWRQxRRX29SnwUsn-320-80.jpg)
Why is there sometimes a green flash at sunset and sunrise?
By Alice Sun published
On a clear day, sometimes a green flash appears with the sun on the horizon just after sunset or before sunrise. But why does this happen?
![A field of red flowers glows in the summer sunlight](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mx2cdqaY7PHD48WfX2FNVj-320-80.jpg)
Summer solstice 2024: When is the solstice, why does it happen, and how do cultures celebrate?
By Jamie Carter last updated
What is the summer solstice, and when does it happen? The longest day of the year falls on either June 20 or 21 every year in the Northern Hemisphere. Here's everything you need to know about the science, and timing, of the summer solstice.
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