Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 31, 2014

Americans Will Vote for Climate-Loving Politicians, New Poll Suggests

Most Americans support government action to combat the effects of global warming and will likely vote for candidates who put forth a promising stance on environmental issues, a new poll has found. The telephone poll — conducted by The New York Times, Stanford University and the nonpartisan environmental research group...

Dec 31, 2014

Seattle vs. Boston: Who Wins the 'Energy Bowl'?

This article was updated at 11:05 a.m. ET on Feb. 2. The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will face each other on the gridiron for Super Bowl supremacy Sunday (Feb. 1). But sorry, Seattle — you've already been declared losers in the realm of energy efficiency. It was...

Nov 30, 2016

Unfrozen: Greenland Was Once Ice-Free for 280,000 Years

More than a million years ago, frosty Greenland was ice-free, its bare bedrock exposed for 280,000 years, researchers have found. During this exposed stint, the island's overall ice cover could have dropped by more than 90 percent, the scientists reported today (Dec. 7) in the journal Nature. Previous studies have...

Nov 30, 2016

Cold War-Era Satellites Spy on Himalayan Glaciers

SAN FRANCISCO — The Cold War may have ended decades ago, but spy satellites' data from that era are now being used for a new mission: tracking environmental change in the Himalayas. Using declassified spy satellite data, researchers have created 3D images of glaciers across the Himalayas, scientists said. These...

Nov 30, 2016

Biggest Natural Disasters of 2016: Year of the Earthquake

The Year's Biggest Natural Disasters The Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite captured this image of Hurricane Matthew at 11:13 p.m. ET on Oct. 6 (03:15 GMT on Oct. 7) as it approached Florida. The thermal infrared image shows the temperature at the top of the hurricane. (Image credit: ESA)This year was one...

Sep 30, 2016

Spooky Satellite Photo Shows Hurricane Matthew's 'Skull'

See more An overhead satellite image of Hurricane Matthew battering Haiti is disturbing people across the internet for an unusual reason: The image bears an uncanny resemblance to a skull or spooky goblin face. The sinister satellite image, which was posted on Twitter Tuesday (Oct. 4) by Stu Ostro, a...

Sep 30, 2016

Photos: Take a Tour of California's Kings Canyon National Park

Unspoiled Earth (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)High in the crest of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of central California, the Rio Los Santos Reyes cuts deeply through the ancient granite of this spectacular mountain range. Named in 1805 by Spanish army officer Gabriel Moraga, the flowing waters of...

Aug 31, 2016

Photos: Take a Tour of Maine's Spectacular Acadia National Park

Colorful view (Image credit: NPS)Acadia National Park is located in the farnortheastern corner of Maine. During certain months of the year, a few mountain peaks of Acadia receive the first rays of morning sun in the United States. The landscape found here is considered to be one of the most...

May 31, 2016

What Are Algae?

Algae are a diverse group of aquatic organisms that have the ability to conduct photosynthesis. Certain algae are familiar to most people; for instance, seaweeds (such as kelp or phytoplankton), pond scum or the algal blooms in lakes. However, there exists a vast and varied world of algae that are...

May 31, 2016

Why Rescues in Antarctica Are a Dangerous Business

Winter in Antarctica is lonely. Each year, only a handful of people stay on the continent to keep research stations running. They're mostly on their own — even if they're suddenly grappling with a medical issue. On occasion, though, a serious medical event requires a rescue attempt. The latest is...

Apr 30, 2016

Photos: A Cambrian Larva With a 'Daggerlike' Tail

Modeled in 3D (Image credit: Yu Liu et al.)A fossil of an arthropod larva estimated to be 520 million years old was found in Chengjiang, China. Preserved in three dimensions, it provided researchers with an unprecedented level of detail for describing the creature's body. In this image, 3D models rendered...

Mar 31, 2016

Why Do So Many Earthquakes Strike Japan?

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck southern Japan today, less than two days after a 6.2-magnitude temblor rocked the same region, triggering tsunami advisories in the area. The most recent earthquake struck the Kumamoto region on Japan's Kyushu Island early Saturday (April 16) at 1:25 a.m. local time (12:25 p.m. ET on...

Mar 31, 2016

Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell Funny?

Ah, the aromas of spring. The clean scent of freshly mown grass. The sweet fragrance of lilacs in bloom. But what's causing that sulfurous smell from your urine after eating one of the season's earliest vegetables? It's asparagus, of course. Just what is it that gives asparagus pee that pungent...

Mar 31, 2016

Earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador Aren't Related: Here's Why

They may have happened within days of one another, but the devastating earthquakes in Japan had nothing to do with the strong temblor that struck Ecuador over the weekend, experts say. Both Japan and Ecuador are located along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which spans the coasts lining the...

Mar 31, 2016

Google Celebrates National Park Week with Virtual Views

It's National Park Week, but for anyone who is stuck indoors and can't hit the road, Google is making it easy to virtually visit many of America's treasures. Google Street View and Google Cultural Institute have teamed up to showcase U.S. national parks and historic sites on one easy-to-navigate web...