Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

Mar 31, 2016

Massive Coral Reef Discovered in the Amazon River

Scientists have discovered a huge coral reef system lurking beneath the muddy waters of the Amazon. The network of coral reefs, which is about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) long and is home to a hidden ecosystem of colorful and bizarre creatures, was found at the mouth of the Amazon River,...

Mar 31, 2016

Earth Gets Greener as Globe Gets Hotter

The excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has created a greener planet, a new NASA study shows. Around the world, areas that were once icebound, barren or sandy are now covered in green foliage. All told, carbon emissions have fueled greening in an area about twice the size of the...

Feb 29, 2016

Surfers Invent Floating Trash Bin to Clean Up World's Oceans

Two Australian surfers are trying to tackle the planet's water pollution problem head-on, by developing a device that functions as an automated floating trash bin for the world's oceans. The device, called the Seabin, can be placed in the water, attached to a floating dock in a marina, and is...

Feb 29, 2016

Arctic Sea Ice Is at Near Record Lows, NASA Says

The ice covering the Arctic is at near record lows this year, and this icy deficit may impact weather around the world, NASA reports. Every March, the Arctic's sea ice reaches its maximum cover, both in area and thickness, before it recedes to its yearly minimum in September. Live Science...

Jan 31, 2016

What Scalia's Death Means For Climate Change

Just days after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling clouded the future of a new United Nations climate pact, the passing of one of its justices has boosted the pact's chances of succeeding. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia died at a resort in Texas on Saturday. Scalia, 79, was the court's...

Jan 31, 2016

Bluish Hued Supermoon Dazzles Over Italy (Photo)

A turquoise light tints the blood moon in this stunning skywatcher shot from Pisa, Italy. Astrophotographer Giuseppe Petricca took this image about two minutes prior to the start of the full totality phase of the supermoon total lunar eclipse on Sept. 27, 2015. The total lunar eclipse of Sept. 27,...

Jan 31, 2016

Vermilion Cliffs: Awe-Inspiring Photos of Canyons of the American West

Untouched by humans (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)The Vermilion Cliffs of southern Utah and northern Arizona are one of the more isolated and undisturbed regions of the Colorado Plateau. These cliffs make up the second step of the so-called Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau — a geological...

Dec 31, 2015

El Morro: Stunning Photos of New Mexico's Sandstone Bluff

In the northwestern part of New Mexico, a natural outcropping of sandstone has produced a spectacular landmark in this cold, high desert region. History in the desert Known as El Morro (which means the heartland or the bluff in Spanish), this massive promontory has been a beacon for travelers and...

Dec 31, 2015

Herbivores: Facts About Plant Eaters

An herbivore is an animal or insect that only eats vegetation, such as grasses, fruits, leaves, vegetables, roots and bulbs. Herbivores only eat things that need photosynthesis to live. This excludes insects, spiders, fish and other animals. Some parasitic plants that feed off of other plants are also considered herbivores....

Dec 31, 2015

As the World Tackles Climate Change, is Meat Off the Table? (Op-Ed)

Alexandra Clark is a sustainable-food campaigner at Humane Society International. She recently presented HSI's meat reduction work at the COP21 in Paris. Prior to joining HSI, Clark worked for the vice president of the European Parliament and was responsible for a number of high-profile parliamentary initiatives on sustainable food systems....

Nov 30, 2017

10 Times Earth Revealed Its Weirdness in 2017

Astonishing Earth (Image credit: NASA)For thousands of years, people have been studying planet Earth, and yet it continues to astonish us. Apart from being our home, Earth is the only world that we know of that supports any form of life. Its atmosphere and geology are dynamic and ever-changing. It...

Oct 31, 2017

2017 Is Slated to Be in Top 3 Hottest Years of All Time

The year isn't over yet, but 2017 is already expected to be the second- or third-hottest year on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced today (Nov. 6) at the United Nations climate change conference in Bonn, Germany. From January to September 2017, the average global temperature was 1.98 degrees...