Scientists Race to Map Dangerous Ultrasmall Space Junk
An ambitious U.S. government program is working to detect and track millions of tiny space junk pieces—down to the size of a sand grain—throughout low-Earth orbit and beyond
New Satellites Alone Won’t Stop the Methane Climate Crisis
New regulations, and satellites such as MethaneSat, very likely will not cut methane emissions. Natural gas industry economics will instead continue delaying their needed reduction
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How Earth Went from a Sterile Rock to a Lush, Living Planet
From microbes to mammoths, life has transformed Earth into one big living system, says Ferris Jabr, author of Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life
Will Mexico City Run Out of Water?
More huge cities are facing Day Zero—the date water taps go dry—just as Cape Town, South Africa, did
How Jeff Koons’s Lunar Artwork Could Outlast All of Humanity
How long can humanity’s artifacts endure on the lunar surface? A new installation from artist Jeff Koons is inadvertently putting this question to the test
Can Ocean Carbon Removal Help the Climate? Federal Scientists Want to Find Out
Federal scientists want to study the benefits and risks of using ocean ecosystems to absorb more climate pollution from the sky
Diagnosing ‘Warming Winter Syndrome’ as Summerlike Heat Sweeps the U.S.
Winter is warming faster than any other season, leading to changes such as ice storms and rain in regions that were once reliably below freezing—a situation that one expert dubs “warming winter syndrome”
Sucking Carbon from the Air Becomes A Lead Strategy
The U.S. Department of Energy will award up to $100 million for projects that remove CO2 from the atmosphere
If the Atlantic Ocean Loses Circulation, What Happens Next?
Researchers found that if melting glaciers shut down the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation pattern, the global climate could see major changes within just 100 years
Beyond the Doom and Gloom, Here’s How to Stimulate Climate Action
A gloom and doom approach does not always spur climate action, it turns out. A new study tells you when it works and when it doesn’t
New NASA Earth Science Mission Could Change the Way We See Our Planet
NASA’s PACE mission aims to increase our understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle, pollution particles and ocean plankton
Wetlands Made Salty by Rising Seas Produce More Heat-Trapping Methane
Wetlands with a small amount of salinity can produce more methane gas than those filled with freshwater or lots of seawater, new research suggests