Latest about Planet Earth
Scientists discover gold nanoparticles hidden in spruce tree needles
Spruce tree needles contain tiny gold particles — and they could indicate large gold deposits beneath the surface.
The Red Sea experienced 'one of the most extreme environmental events on Earth' 6 million years ago
The Red Sea became a desert about 6.2 million years ago, before a massive flood from the Indian Ocean turned it into a waterway again.
The whale-shaped island in Belize with a 'great blue blowhole'
Earth from space This 2020 astronaut photo shows the unusual cetacean-like shape of Belize's Lighthouse Reef. It's home to the famous Great Blue Hole, which doubles as the island's "blowhole" when viewed from space.
Massive system of rotating ocean currents in the North Atlantic is behaving strangely — and it may be reaching a tipping point
An analysis of clam shells suggests the North Atlantic subpolar gyre has had two periods of destabilization over the past 150 years: one around 1920 and the other from 1950 through present.
Plate tectonics may be why Earth has life — and the key to finding life elsewhere in the universe
Feature Emerging evidence suggests that plate tectonics, or the recycling of Earth's crust, may have begun much earlier than previously thought — and may be a big reason that our planet harbors life.
When China makes a climate pledge, the world should listen
Opinion Beijing has a track record of only promising what it plans to deliver. But too often the world's attention is elsewhere.
The Panama Canal needs a staggering amount of water to operate. Climate change could threaten that, study warns
The vital commercial artery depends on a supply of fresh water to move ships between the two oceans. Drought conditions that were once rare could become common by the end of the century, greatly impacting the canal’s operation.
Yosemite's glaciers have survived 20,000 years — but we could be the first people to see Sierra Nevada ice-free
New research finds the disappearance of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada will be unprecedented in the human history of North America.
Sea of Saharan 'star dunes' clashes with otherworldly terrain where 2 countries meet
Earth from space A 2017 satellite photo shows the stark contrast along the boundary between a giant field of golden "star dunes" and a barren rocky wilderness in the Sahara, which overlaps with an international border.
Iran among 'world's most extreme subsidence hotspots' with some areas sinking up to 1 foot per year, study finds
The extraction of water from aquifers in Iran is causing an area the size of Maryland to sink, exposing an estimated 650,000 people to the risks of subsidence and freshwater depletion.
