Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2007

When Men Bite Men: The Dirty Truth

Biting isn’t just for dogs and cats. In the adult arena (think pub brawls), men are 12 times more likely than women to sustain serious human-bite injuries, finds a recent study. “It’s fairly horrendous, but that’s what they do,” said study leader Patricia Eadie of St. James's Hospital in Dublin,...

May 31, 2007

Arizona Dust Causes Colorado Meltdown

Wind-blown dust from the drought-stricken Southwest can speed the melt of snow in Colorado’s mountains, yet another unpredictable effect of climate change, a new study shows. In 2006, snows in areas of Colorado's San Juan Mountains above and below the tree line (above which trees can no longer grow), unexpectedly...

Apr 30, 2007

Image Gallery: Deadly Earthquakes

A City Torn Apart (Image credit: USGS)The California earthquake of April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time. It measured a magnitude of 7.8. Shaking damage was equally severe in many other places along the fault rupture. The frequently quoted value of 700 deaths...

Apr 30, 2007

Extreme Summer Forecast: 10 Degrees Hotter by 2080

Global warming could turn the heat way up during the summer in the eastern United States, raising the average by nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2080s, a new NASA study finds. “There is the potential for extremely hot summertime temperatures in the future, especially during summers with less-than-average frequent...

Apr 30, 2007

Asphalt-Munching Bacteria Discovered

Vehicles may crowd the asphalt of downtown Los Angeles freeways above ground, but below ground hundreds of newly discovered bacteria thrive by munching on heavy oil and natural asphalt. Trapped in the Rancho La Brea tar pits 28,000 years ago, the bacteria are equipped with special enzymes that can break...

Apr 30, 2007

Greenpeace Building Replica of Noah's Ark

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Environmental activists are building a replica of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat — where the biblical vessel is said to have landed after the great flood — in an appeal for action on global warming, Greenpeace said Wednesday. Turkish and German volunteer carpenters are making the wooden...

Apr 30, 2007

Letters Reveal Young Darwin Had Stinky Feet

Before Charles Darwin's squeamish stomach forced him to quit medical school, before sailing aboard the HMS Beagle and before penning his masterwork “The Origin of Species,” the future father of evolutionary theory was a child who had bad spelling and stinky feet. I only wash my fett [sic] once a...

Apr 30, 2007

Surprise Increase in Global Carbon Dioxide Output

Carbon dioxide emissions have accelerated globally at a greater rate than expected in recent years, scientists announced today. The average growth rate of the emissions increased from 1.1 percent a year in the 1990s to 3 percent increase per year since 2000, according to a study published this week in...

Apr 30, 2007

The Primal Roots of Red Hair Revealed

Primatologists know humans, apes and monkeys can see red, but have quarreled over what initially locked the adaptation into place. Did it first help primates find meals, or was the ability to see a red-headed, red-skinned mate from a mile away the first benefit of full-color vision? A new study...

Apr 30, 2007

Cyclones Could Save Oceanic Conveyor Belt From Global Warming

The ferocious winds of tropical cyclones churn up ocean water as they spin over the surface, significantly affecting the transport of heat in the ocean, a new study finds. And as global warming heats up the ocean surface, this process could be intensified, preventing the potential shutdown of the oceanic...

Mar 31, 2007

Image Gallery: Curious Clouds

Lenticular Clouds (Image credit: Richard H. Hahn) This spectacular, multi-hued formation of so-called lenticular clouds was observed over Rocky Mountain National Park, near Estes Park, Colo. Professional photographer Richard H. Hahn snapped the magnificent view soon after sunset at 5:02 p.m. MST (7:02 EST) on Jan. 5. Lenticular clouds form...

Mar 31, 2007

NASA: Arctic Meltdown Threatens Ice Cap's Stability

Perennial sea ice in the Arctic is melting faster each summer than it can be replaced during winter, a new study confirms. A study released last year found that perennial sea ice—which is at least 10 feet thick and remains throught the seasons and through the years—dropped 14 percent from...

Mar 31, 2007

Earth's Protective Magnetic Field Older Than Thought

Earth's magnetic field was at least half as strong 3.2 billion years ago as it is today, researchers report. That means the planet was pretty well protected way back then from solar output that could otherwise have stripped away the atmosphere and doused early living organisms with lethal radiation. The...

Mar 31, 2007

The Coulter Hoax: How Ann Coulter Exposed the Intelligent Design Movement

In the summer of 2006, I heard that a new book called Godless presented an insightful and devastating criticism of the theory of evolution. Although I learned that its author, Ann Coulter, is not a scientist but a lawyer turned author and TV pundit, she nevertheless appeared to be an...

Mar 31, 2007

Gambling on Global Warming Goes Mainstream

An MIT meteorologist said three years ago that he would bet money that global average temperatures would cool back down in 20 years. The quote triggered a flurry of Internet dialogues and prompted scientists to challenge each other to make bets on climate-change issues. One scientist took the wagering meteorologist,...