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, through the coldest places on Earth 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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Earth from space: Lava bleeds down iguana-infested volcano as it spits out toxic gas
By Harry Baker published
A satellite image of the Galápagos Islands' La Cumbre volcano shows lava seeping from the iguana-covered mountain days into an ongoing, months-long eruption.
Eerie, orange skies loom over Athens as dust storm engulfs southern Greece
By Sascha Pare published
A Saharan dust storm that reached southern Greece on Tuesday (April 23) has turned the sky over Athens and other Greek cities an apocalyptic reddish-orange hue.
Hidden 'biosphere' of extreme microbes discovered 13 feet below Atacama Desert is deepest found there to date
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have found microbes thriving 13 feet beneath the scorched surface of Chile's Atacama Desert, marking the deepest discovery of microbial life in the region to date.
Yellowstone Lake's weird resistance to climate change could be about to crack
By Ben Turner published
Yellowstone's lake's ice cover has remained unaffected by increasing temperatures due to increased snowfall. But this could make it vulnerable to a sudden shift.
Earth's magnetic field formed before the planet's core, study suggests
By Stephanie Pappas published
The oldest firm age yet for Earth's magnetic field suggests that it developed before a solid planetary core, 3.7 billion years ago.
Massive heat wave and a supercell thunderstorm caused deadly, baseball-size hailstones to rain down on Spain
By Patrick Pester published
A giant-hail event that hit Girona in northwest Spain in 2022 was fueled by climate change, with a marine heatwave helping to intensify the storm that killed a small child.
Scientists discover once-in-a-billion-year event — 2 lifeforms merging to create a new cell part
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers think a microbe that was engulfed by an algal cell 100 million years ago has since evolved into an integral part of the cell's machinery.
'We were in disbelief': Antarctica is behaving in a way we've never seen before. Can it recover?
By Ben Turner published
Antarctic sea ice has been disappearing over the last several summers. Now, climate scientists are wondering whether it will ever come back.
Hundreds of emperor penguin chicks spotted plunging off a 50-foot cliff in 1st-of-its-kind footage
By Ben Turner published
The fledglings are typically reared on floating platforms of sea ice, but an unprecedented decline in the ice extent has driven young onto cliffs.
'Unprecedented,' 'Gobsmacked', 'Unbelievable': Changes in Antarctica's sea ice could have dramatic impacts, says climate scientist Edward Doddridge
By Ben Turner published
In 1898, the crew of the first scientific expedition to Antarctica became trapped inside sea ice around the southernmost continent. Much of that once thick ice is dwindling, says polar researcher Edward Doddridge.
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