Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 17, 2022

Historic sea-level rise predicted by NASA and government task force

As climate change continues to progress, so will its effects. In a new collaborative report, NASA and other U.S. government agencies have found that sea levels will rise up to a foot by 2050. The report, which comes from a sea level rise task force that includes a number of...

Mar 2, 2022

Stunning satellite image shows immense power of monster 7-story waves in Portugal

NASA has released a stunning image of Portugal’s coastline showing the immense power of massive, seven-story-high waves as they crashed toward the shore. The image, taken in 2020, was captured on the same day that an 18-year-old surfer reportedly rode a record-breaking 101.4-foot-high (30.9 meters) wave in the area. The...

Apr 5, 2022

Amazon: Earth's mightiest river

The Amazon River is a massive, intricate water system weaving through one of the most vital and complex ecosystems in the world — the Amazon rainforest in South America. It is by far the mightiest river on Earth in terms of volume and width — reaching a span of nearly...

Apr 10, 2022

Thousands of new viruses discovered in the ocean

More than 5,000 new virus species have been identified in the world's oceans, according to a new study. The study researchers analyzed tens of thousands of water samples from around the globe, hunting for RNA viruses, or viruses that use RNA as their genetic material. The novel coronavirus, for instance,...

May 31, 2022

The world's biggest clone is a 77-square-mile 'immortal' meadow of seagrass

Scientists have discovered the world's biggest clone in Australia: A massive network of seagrass meadows that covers more than 77 square miles (200 square kilometers). The network of meadows is actually one single plant that has been continually cloning itself for almost 4,500 years. Researchers found the enormous clone while...

Jun 9, 2022

Scientists discover viruses that secretly rule the world's oceans

Thousands of mysterious viruses that were recently discovered lurking in the world's oceans may exert huge influence over the ecosystems, in part by reprogramming the hosts they infect, scientists reported. The new research, published Thursday (June 9) in the journal Science, focuses on viruses that contain RNA, a molecular cousin...

Jul 19, 2022

'Unlucky' creatures that enter rare Red Sea brine pools are immediately stunned to death

Rare deep-sea brine pools discovered in the Red Sea may hold clues to environmental upheavals in the region that span millennia, and could even shed light on the origins of life on Earth, a new study finds. Deep-sea brine pools are extraordinarily salty or hypersaline lakes that form on the...

Jul 22, 2022

Why do seashells sound like the ocean?

If you ever took a trip to the beach as a child, it's possible you will have been encouraged to hold a shell to your ear so you can hear the ocean. But why is it possible to hear sounds resembling the sea inside a shell? Are we somehow listening...

Jul 22, 2022

Why can't we drink saltwater?

Water is essential for our survival, and yet more than 96% of the planet's liquid water is ocean water — and it contains so much salt that it's undrinkable by humans. Salty sea water won't quench your thirst, and drinking too much can even lead to death by dehydration. But...

Jul 22, 2022

Is the Red Sea really red?

Satellite images taken from space show the Red Sea as a blue line running roughly from north to south along the northeastern edge of the African continent. The intense blueness of the water, which stands in stark contrast to the drab brown of the surrounding landscape, belies the sea's famous...

Jul 29, 2022

Strange 'alien' holes discovered on the ocean floor

Explorers have discovered a series of mysterious, perfectly aligned holes punched into the seafloor roughly 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) beneath the ocean surface, and they have no idea who or what made them. The strange holes were spotted by the crew of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Okeanos...

Aug 9, 2022

Why are there no bridges over the Amazon River?

The Amazon River is the world's second-longest river and one of the planet's most significant waterways. It contains more fresh water by volume than any other river, is home to the world's largest species of river dolphin, and hosts 100 species of electric fish and up to 60 species of...

Aug 11, 2022

Massive expanse of towering hydrothermal vents discovered deep in the Pacific

Scientists sent underwater robots into the depths of the Pacific, about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) beneath the surface, and discovered something unexpected: a football field-size expanse of towering hydrothermal vents that cropped up in an area these underwater chimneys haven't typically been seen. The vents, shaped like candelabras, stand roughly...

Aug 13, 2022

What's the largest ocean that ever existed on Earth?

Earth's current largest ocean, the Pacific, blankets more than 30% of the planet's surface, stretching 12,000 miles (19,000 kilometers) at its widest point, between Colombia and the Malay Peninsula, according to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC UNESCO). But that titanic sea represents only the remnants of the largest...

Aug 21, 2022

Is drinking rainwater safe?

If you stick out your tongue on a rainy day, you might think the drops you've tasted are the same as the water that comes out of your tap. But rainwater actually contains many microscopic ingredients that get filtered out before it is pumped into your home. So is it...