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Sunrise over the Salma Plateau in Oman.
There's a 'ghost' plume lurking beneath the Middle East — and it might explain how India wound up where it is today Researchers have discovered an unusual plume of magma beneath Oman that may have changed the course of the Indian tectonic plate between 25 million and 40 million years ago.
A freezer compartment at the University of Zurich containing microbial samples.
'It is our obligation to future generations': Scientists want thousands of human poop samples for microbe 'doomsday vault' The founders of the Microbiota Vault, a project that aims to preserve microbial diversity, have announced that they are ready to grow their frozen microbe collection to 10,000 samples by 2029.
Aerial view of a dry river in Nevada, near Colorado River and Grand Canyon, USA.
Ancient groundwater records reveal worrying forecast for US Southwest Groundwater records from the last ice age indicate that aquifers in the U.S. Southwest are more sensitive to global warming than aquifers in the Pacific Northwest.

Latest about Planet Earth

A dark cloud of smoke flows from a lava flow on a volcano

Russian volcano grows 'devil horns' and spits out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke

By Harry Baker published

Earth from space A false-color satellite photo from 2023 shows a devilish pair of lava flows and an enormous plume of smoke spewing from Klyuchevskoy, the tallest volcano in Europe and Asia.

Earth from space

Grand Canyon Dragon wildfire burns down historic lodge and triggers toxic gas leak

By Patrick Pester published

Firefighters are battling a lightning-caused wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Dragon Bravo Fire has burned down the Grand Canyon Lodge and triggered a chlorine gas leak.

Wildfires

What's Earth's lowest point on land?

By Charles Q. Choi published

What's Earth's lowest spot on dry land — and how did it get to be that way?

Geology
Split image showing an illustration of the giant moa and Earth's magnetic field.

'Bringing back' giant ancient birds and a shift in Earth's poles

By Pandora Dewan published

Science news this week June 12, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Science news this week

In disasters like the Texas floods, warning people of danger isn't so simple

By Keri K. Stephens, Hamilton Bean published

OPINION As flash floods ravage areas like the Texas Hill Country, research shows that technology alone cannot save lives during flooding emergencies.

OPINION
Colorful pink evening sunlight on the floating ice in the waters around the Antarctic peninsula.

Antarctic sea ice collapse linked to a mysterious spike in ocean salt

By Ben Turner published

Satellite imagery has revealed a yet-to-be-explained rise in the Southern Ocean's salinity. It could be a key factor in the decline of the region's sea ice.

Antarctica
A rocky shore on the Barents Sea in Russia.

Collapse of key Atlantic currents may be held off by newly-discovered back-up system, study finds

By Sascha Pare published

Rising temperatures in the North Atlantic are slowing vital currents, but a new process in the Arctic could save the day, scientists say.

Rivers & Oceans
A satellite photograph of the Ingram Dam on July 8, after the flooding.

Texas flood devastation revealed in before-and-after satellite images

By Patrick Pester published

Satellites have captured before-and-after images of the devastating floods in Texas, highlighting a trail of devastation on the Guadalupe River.

Flooding
A photograph of the north sea taken on a shoreline.

Scientists discover that mysterious giant structures beneath the North Sea seemingly defy what we know about geology

By Skyler Ware published

Giant mounds of sand discovered beneath the North Sea off Norway may scramble what we know about a key geological process.

Planet Earth
Photo of a globe spinning

Earth just had a freakishly short day, but the fastest day of the year is yet to come

By Pandora Dewan published

July 9 was unusually short thanks to changes in how fast the Earth is spinning. But two other days this summer are expected to be even shorter.

Planet Earth
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