Planet Earth news, feature and articles

Parts of Southern California are covered with pink fire retardant as firefighters try to control deadly wildfires raging in Los Angeles. But what is Phos-Chek fire retardant and is it safe?

A new way of measuring structures deep inside Earth has highlighted numerous previously unknown blobs within our planet's mantle. These anomalies are surprisingly similar to sunken chunks of Earth's crust but appear in seemingly impossible places.

Earth from space A 2023 satellite image captured a pair of peculiar phenomena painting parallel swirls in the sea and sky around Norway's Bear Island, which is surrounded by extremely radioactive waters left behind by a doomed Soviet submarine.

NOAA has declared that a La Niña is underway. This cool weather event is likely to be shorter and weaker than usual, but will still affect global weather and climate.

Even once researchers can reliably get more power out of a fusion reaction than they put in, they'll still need to overcome engineering challenges to scale up fusion energy.

Science news this week Jan 11, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Evolution is often depicted as a steady forward march from simple to complex forms. But new research shows that certain ferns can evolve ‘backward.’

The state is seeing a sharp water divide this year, with lots of rain in the north while the south has stayed dry. A hydrologist explains what’s happening.

Scientists have warned that the Paris Agreement to limit global warming will likely be breached as data reveals 2024 was the hottest year in human history.

Antarctica is home to a peak shaped like a perfect pyramid — but contrary to what conspiracy theorists say, the mountain's four symmetrical faces were forged through natural processes.