Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2008

The Strange Science of Summer

With 8 inches of hail falling in parts of Nebraska this week and Arizona reaching triple digit temperatures last week, it may seem rather arbitrary to call June 20 the first day of the summer this year, aka the summer solstice. But scientists really do have a reason. It's all...

May 31, 2008

History Repeats: The Great Flood of 1993

This month's flooding in the Midwest is reminiscent of the Great Flood of 1993, weather officials now say. But while a repeat of 1993 can't be ruled out, they say, this year is unlikely to match that colossal disaster. Several of the 1993 records have already been broken this year...

May 31, 2008

North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer

Arctic sea ice could break apart completely at the North Pole this year, allowing ships to sail over the normally frozen top of the world. The potential landmark thaw — the first time in human history the pole would be ice-free — is a stark sign of global warming, according...

May 31, 2008

Volcanoes Erupt Beneath Arctic Ice

New evidence deep beneath the Arctic ice suggests a series of underwater volcanoes have erupted in violent explosions in the past decade. Hidden 2.5 miles (4,000 meters) beneath the Arctic surface, the volcanoes are up to a mile (2,000 meters) in diameter and a few hundred yards tall. They formed...

Apr 30, 2008

Tropical Trouble: Species to Struggle in Heat

Polar bears may be the poster children for the havoc that climate change could wreak on sensitive species, but animals and plants in the tropics could actually be in the greatest peril from global warming, a new study suggests. While temperature changes in the tropics are expected to be much...

Apr 30, 2008

World's Dirt Deteriorates

WASHINGTON (AP) — Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and old-fashioned crossbreeding. Now the problem is the dirt they're planted in. As seeds get better, much of the world's soil is getting worse and people are going hungry. Scientists say if they can get...

Apr 30, 2008

2nd Strong Aftershock Hits China Sunday Morning

Updated 4:27 p.m. ET Another strong aftershock struck the Sichuan region of China early Sunday morning. The preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey put the aftershock at magnitude 5.7. It struck Sunday at 1:08 a.m. local time near the Sichuan-Gansu border region, according to a USGS statement. The temblor...

Apr 30, 2008

Green Plants Boost Job Satisfaction

If employers want to increase job satisfaction, a little shrubbery apparently goes a long way. Workers are happier when offices have plants and windows, a new study found. American office workers spend an average of 52 hours a week at their desks, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Some might...

Apr 30, 2008

Big Quakes Trigger Global Shaking

The giant earthquake that unleashed the Indian Ocean tsunamis in 2004 — killing more than 225,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in history — might also have triggered other quakes around the world, new findings reveal. The earthquake that ravaged China last week may also have set...

Apr 30, 2008

Runaway Global Warming 635 Million Years Ago

A sudden and extreme case of runaway global warming 635 million years ago was caused by an abrupt release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, scientists said today. The methane seeped from ice sheets that covered much of the planet toward the end of a frigid era called Snowball Earth....

Apr 30, 2008

Nanowire 'Paper Towel' Designed to Clean Up Oil Spills

A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, scientists announced today. MIT researchers and colleagues say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil,...

Mar 31, 2008

Why Humans Bother With Emotions

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions for me. I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm happy, I'm anxious. At the end of the day, I'm physically and mentally exhausted from the whirling dervish that seems to have taken over my head. Why do we have emotions? Wouldn't...

Mar 31, 2008

Top 10 Craziest Environmental Ideas

Top 10 Craziest Environmental Ideas Many people have proposed wild ways to solve the myriad problems facing Earth, including water pollution, smog, mounds of trash and global warming. Ideas range from the rational (if not always easily implemented) to the downright zany. We've compiled a list of some of the...

Mar 31, 2008

Common Weedkiller Deforms Tadpoles

Spraying your lawn to get rid of pesky weeds may be killing off more than just the plants. A new study found that the common herbicide atrazine disrupts organ development in tadpoles, resulting in deformed hearts as well as malfunctioning kidneys and intestinal tracts. When tadpoles were exposed to high...

Feb 29, 2008

Study: Ocean 'Deserts' Expanding

The ocean's deserts, where it is difficult for marine organisms to survive, are expanding faster than predicted and have been linked to warming ocean waters, a new study shows. These barren areas are found in roughly 20 percent of the world's oceans and are within what are called subtropical gyres,...