Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

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,...

Feb 29, 2008

Arctic Ice Returns, Thin and Tentative

Arctic ice has reformed rapidly this winter after a record summer low, but it still covers less of the Arctic Ocean than it did in previous decades, NASA scientists announced today in an update of the states of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. March is the month where Arctic sea...

Feb 29, 2008

Arctic Pollution Dates to 1800s

Today's Arctic explorers are well-acquainted with the ugly haze that hangs over the North Pole, created by air pollution that drifts up from cities in lower latitudes. But a new study suggests this veil of pollution has been present since the late 1800s. The first report of Arctic haze was...

Feb 29, 2008

Lights Out Globally Saturday Night for 'Earth Hour'

It may not sound like a classic Saturday night blow-out, but at 8 p.m. on March 29, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights to celebrate Earth Hour. This event, sponsored by the WWF, a global conservation organization, is intended to increase awareness of global warming...