Planet Earth
Earth is one big spinning mystery in a constant state of change. With more than 4.5 billion years of history locked inside a ball of molten rock and iron, our planet is made up of a vast array of geological wonders, carved by the oceans, shaped by the shifting plates beneath our feet and sculpted by weather across the surface.
Our team of expert science writers and editors are here to reveal our planet’s secrets — from the deepest depths of the ocean, through the coldest places on Earth to the very edge of space — keeping you up to date with the latest discoveries with planet Earth news, articles and features.
Latest about Planet Earth
-
-
A meteorite 100 times bigger than the dinosaur-killing space rock may have nourished early microbial life
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Huge lithium deposits are in Nevada. Here's why.
By Evan Howell Published
-
Hang Son Doong: The world's biggest cave, so 'outrageous in size' it fits 2 jungles and the 'Great Wall of Vietnam'
By Sascha Pare Published
-
What is DANA, the strange weather phenomenon that has caused deadly flooding in Spain?
By María de los Ángeles Orfila Published
-
Earth is racing toward climate conditions that collapsed key Atlantic currents before the last ice age, study finds
By Sascha Pare Published
-
'We are teetering on a planetary tightrope': Cut emissions in half right now to prevent climate catastrophe, UN warns
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Earth from space
Massive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come
By Harry Baker Published
-
Explore Planet Earth
Antarctica
-
-
When was the last time Antarctica was ice-free?
By Victoria Atkinson Published
-
'Doomsday glacier' won't collapse the way we thought, new study suggests
By Mathieu Morlighem Published
-
Earth from space
High winds paint puzzling ice streaks across the sea in Antarctica
By Harry Baker Published
-
1st map of Antarctica's green space unveiled. Here's what it shows.
By Claudia Colesie Published
-
Never-before-seen shapes up to 1,300 feet long discovered beneath Antarctic ice
By Ben Turner Published
-
Giant river system that existed 40 million years ago discovered deep below Antarctic ice
By Kristel Tjandra Published
-
Blood Falls: Antarctica's crimson waterfall forged from an ancient hidden heart
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Antarctic ice hole the size of Switzerland keeps cracking open. Now scientists finally know why.
By Ben Turner Published
-
'We were in disbelief': Antarctica is behaving in a way we've never seen before. Can it recover?
By Ben Turner Published
-
Arctic
-
-
Earth from space
Massive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come
By Harry Baker Published
-
Earth from space
4 near-identical glaciers spark new life in Arctic island's 'polar desert'
By Harry Baker Published
-
Earth from space
Iconic 'Star Trek' symbol shines brightly in sea of muddy Arctic sea ice
By Harry Baker Published
-
Earth from space
Ghostly figure emerges in Greenland ice after underground lake collapses
By Harry Baker Published
-
Gateway to the underworld: The enormous permafrost 'megaslump' in Siberia that keeps getting bigger
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Earth from space
Trio of ringed ice caps look otherworldly on Russian Arctic islands
By Harry Baker Published
-
Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' is growing a staggering amount each year
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Earth from space
Mysterious wave ripples across 'galaxy' of icebergs in Arctic fjord
By Harry Baker Published
-
Northern lights photographer of the year winners
By Annie Corinne Shaink Published
-
Climate Change
-
-
'We are teetering on a planetary tightrope': Cut emissions in half right now to prevent climate catastrophe, UN warns
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Fool's Gold is driving a new accelerating climate feedback loop in Canada
By Ben Turner Published
-
30 years of polar climate data converted into menacing, 6-minute song
By Sascha Pare Published
-
'Precipitation, the source of all fresh water, can no longer be relied upon': Global water cycle pushed out of balance 'for 1st time in human history'
By Ben Turner Published
-
Ancient piece of driftwood hidden for thousands of years could hold secrets for combating climate change
By Richard Pallardy Published
-
32 weird ways to fight climate change that just might work
By Carys Matthews Published
-
Drinking wastewater, building an island from scratch and creating an urban forest: 3 bold ways cities are already adapting to climate change
By Meg Duff Published
-
Simple trick could lower city temperatures 3.6 F, London study suggests
By Hannah Osborne Published
-
Record-breaking fires engulf South America, bringing black rain, green rivers and toxic air to the continent
By María de los Ángeles Orfila Published
-
Earthquakes
-
-
'Upwelling' deep in the mantle triggered magnitude 6.8 Morocco earthquake
By Rebecca Owen Published
-
LA may be spared 'horrifying' fate of the 'Big One' from San Andreas, simulation suggests
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Will we have more earthquakes because of climate change?
By Katherine Irving Published
-
Huge earthquake 2,500 years ago rerouted the Ganges River, study suggests
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Why do earthquakes happen far away from plate boundaries?
By Alice Sun Published
-
Odd earthquake swarm in Central Europe hints at magma bubbling below the surface
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Part of the San Andreas fault may be gearing up for an earthquake
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Rare magnitude 4.8 and 3.8 earthquakes rock Northeast, including Greater New York area
By Laura Geggel Last updated
-
Taiwan earthquake: 9 dead and dozens trapped after strongest quake in 25 years
By Ben Turner Published
-
Energy
-
-
Physicists solve nuclear fusion mystery with mayonnaise
By Tia Ghose Published
-
Nuclear fusion reactor in UK sets new world record for energy output
By Joanna Thompson Published
-
Massive hydrogen reservoir discovered beneath an Albanian mine could be an untapped source of clean energy
By Sascha Pare Published
-
What is fission?
By Nola Taylor Redd Last updated
-
Wind and solar power overtakes coal for the first time ever in the US
By Ben Turner Published
-
Chernobyl: The world's worst nuclear disaster
By Marc Lallanilla Published
-
How do you decontaminate objects exposed to radioactivity?
By Joanna Thompson Published
-
Scientists discover enzyme that can turn air into energy, unlocking potential new energy source
By Ben Turner Published
-
What is nuclear fusion?
By Nola Taylor Redd Published
-
Evolution
-
-
Raindrops may have helped kick-start life on the planet
By Aman Agrawal Published
-
Which animals are evolving fastest?
By Marlowe Starling Published
-
'I have never written of a stranger organ': The rise of the placenta and how it helped make us human
By Jules Howard Published
-
Ancient relative of 'living fossil' fish reveals that geological activity supercharges evolution
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
How fast does evolution happen?
By Marlowe Starling Published
-
Defense system common to all life came from 'Asgard'
By Tia Ghose Published
-
Evolution: Facts about the processes that shape the diversity of life on Earth
By Tiffany Taylor Published
-
What is the 'tree of life'?
By Emma Bryce Published
-
Continental collision 2.1 billion years ago may have sparked '1st attempt' at complex life on Earth
By Patrick Pester Published
-
Geology
-
-
Huge lithium deposits are in Nevada. Here's why.
By Evan Howell Published
-
Hang Son Doong: The world's biggest cave, so 'outrageous in size' it fits 2 jungles and the 'Great Wall of Vietnam'
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Will Mount Everest always be the world's tallest mountain?
By Katherine Irving Published
-
Earth's mantle is split into two halves thanks to supercontinent Pangaea
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Listen to haunting sounds of Earth's magnetic field flipping 41,000 years ago in eerie new animation
By Harry Baker Published
-
Which are rarer: diamonds or emeralds?
By Hannah Loss Published
-
Carlsbad Caverns: New Mexico's otherworldly caves with gypsum flowers and 'soda straws' dangling from the ceiling
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Earth's crust may be building mountains by dripping into the mantle
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Mystery iron-rich magma entombed in dead volcanoes could be rich source of rare earth elements
By Kimberly M. S. Cartier Published
-
Microbiology
-
-
Mouse brains, cannabis plants and spider eyes: 20 jaw-dropping images of the microscopic world around us
By Hannah Osborne Published
-
'Loch ness monster' microbe stretches its neck to 30 times its body length in seconds
By Lars Fischer Published
-
'The most critically harmful fungi to humans': How the rise of C. auris was inevitable
By Arturo Casadevall Published
-
Hidden 'biosphere' of extreme microbes discovered 13 feet below Atacama Desert is deepest found there to date
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Scientists discover once-in-a-billion-year event — 2 lifeforms merging to create a new cell part
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Lost world of lagoons filled with mounds of microbes discovered in Atacama desert
By Sascha Pare Published
-
After you die, your microbiome cooperates with soil microbes to 'recycle' your body
By Jennifer DeBruyn Published
-
Bizarre giant viruses with tubular tentacles and star-like shells discovered in New England forest
By Kiley Price Published
-
Primordial steroids solve long-standing mystery about how the 1st complex life-forms evolved
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Plants
-
-
Deep below the Arctic Ocean, some plants have adapted to photosynthesize in almost near darkness
By Sven Batke Published
-
Lost Biblical tree resurrected from 1,000-year-old mystery seed found in the Judean Desert
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Fossils from lush 53 million-year-old South Pole rainforest discovered in Tasmania
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Rainbow swamp: The flooded forest in Virginia that puts on a magical light show every winter
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Fossils from Greenland's icy heart reveal it was a green tundra covered in flowers less than 1 million years ago
By James Bonthron Published
-
3 remarkable trees: A living fossil, a deadly canopy, and the world's biggest seeds that were once mounted in gold by royals
By Christina Harrison Published
-
Even trees 'hold their breath' to avoid harmful wildfire smoke, research finds
By Delphine Farmer Published
-
Massive sinkholes in China hold 'heavenly' forests with plants adapted for harsh life underground
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Why do strawberries have seeds on the outside?
By Laura Geggel Published
-
Pollution
-
-
What are the most polluted cities in the world?
By Meg Duff Published
-
Pollution facts and types of pollution
By Alina Bradford Last updated
-
Even brief exposure to diesel fumes alters activity in key brain network, study finds
By Rebecca Sohn Published
-
Monet and Turner's atmospheric landscapes actually depicted air pollution, new study finds
By Jennifer Nalewicki Published
-
How Much Trash Is on Mount Everest?
By Kimberly Hickok Last updated
-
Hole in the ozone layer has grown for a 3rd year in a row — but scientists aren’t concerned
By JoAnna Wendel Published
-
No More Free-Pass for Carbon Pollution (Op-Ed)
By Laurie Johnson Last updated
-
Kids' Mental Health Risks Rise with Poor Air Quality
By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe Last updated
-
Reference
Light pollution: Environmental impact, health risks and facts
By Scott Dutfield Published
-
Rivers & Oceans
-
-
Earth is racing toward climate conditions that collapsed key Atlantic currents before the last ice age, study finds
By Sascha Pare Published
-
What's the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave?
By Richard Pallardy Published
-
Rain helps the ocean trap more carbon
By Veronika Meduna Published
-
'We don't really consider it low probability anymore': Collapse of key Atlantic current could have catastrophic impacts, says oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf
By Ben Turner Published
-
Diamond Beach: Iceland's spellbinding black sand beach covered in sparkling ice jewels
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Key Atlantic current could collapse soon, 'impacting the entire world for centuries to come,' leading climate scientists warn
By Sascha Pare Published
-
'An ancient, complex, and very serious game is going on': The weird ways creatures feed in the open ocean
By Sönke Johnsen Published
-
Earth from space
Deep tidal channels cut between 'pirate hotspot' islands in the Bahamas
By Harry Baker Published
-
Scientists are 'gobsmacked' by strange reversals in deep-ocean currents
By Andrew Chapman, Eos.org Published
-
Tsunami
-
-
Tsunamis up to 90 feet high smash into New Zealand every 580 years, study finds
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
1st mega-tsunami on record since antiquity was triggered by Tonga volcanic eruption
By Charles Q. Choi Published
-
Powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake off New Zealand triggers tsunami warnings
By Rachael Rettner Last updated
-
Magnitude-7.3 earthquake strikes Fukushima, tsunami warning issued
By Ben Turner Published
-
Japan earthquake & tsunami of 2011: Facts and information
By Becky Oskin Published
-
'Invisible' earthquake caused mysterious 2021 tsunami, scientists find
By Ben Turner Published
-
4-foot tsunami hits Tonga after explosive eruption of underwater volcano
By Jeanna Bryner Published
-
Lost islands beneath the North Sea survived a mega-tsunami 8,000 years ago
By Tom Metcalfe Published
-
Ice melt in Alaska threatens to unleash unprecedented 'mega-tsunami,' scientists warn
By Peter Dockrill Published
-
Volcanos
-
-
How a catastrophic volcanic eruption on the North Korea border created 'Heaven Lake'
By Saima May Sidik Published
-
Mysterious 'blobs' in Earth's mantle are not what we thought, study claims
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
'Every volcano has its own personality': Mystery Mount Adams earthquake surge under investigation
By Hannah Osborne Published
-
Record spike in earthquakes at Washington's 'high threat' volcano sends researchers scrambling for answers
By Hannah Osborne Published
-
'Mountain of God' volcano in Tanzania is bulging, study finds
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Tonga eruption that poured 150 metric megatons of water vapor into the stratosphere affected the atmosphere for years
By Rebecca Owen Published
-
'This could be the origin of the Atlantis legend': Mountain that sank beneath the waves discovered off Canary Islands
By Hannah Osborne Published
-
Earth from space
'Smoking terror' volcano that destroyed city 400 years ago burps toxic cloud
By Harry Baker Published
-
Volcano in Tanzania with weirdest, runniest magma on Earth is sinking into the ground
By Sascha Pare Published
-
Weather
-
-
What is DANA, the strange weather phenomenon that has caused deadly flooding in Spain?
By María de los Ángeles Orfila Published
-
What's the fastest recorded wind speed?
By Hannah Loss Published
-
Before and after satellite images show lakes appearing across Sahara after deluge of rain soaks desert
By Hannah Osborne Published
-
Earth from space
Bizarre 'pet cloud' reappears above its favorite spot in New Zealand
By Harry Baker Published
-
Conspiracy theory that Hurricane Milton was 'engineered' explained by psychologists
By Iwan Dinnick Published
-
Hurricane Milton is tied for the fastest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record. It could become the new normal.
By Ben Turner Published
-
Here's why storm surge during hurricanes can be so catastrophic
By Anthony C. Didlake Jr. Published
-
How strong can hurricanes get?
By Stephanie Pappas Published
-
Hurricane season 2024: How long it lasts and what to expect
By Tia Ghose Last updated
-