Earth
- Environment
Making yards more diverse can reap big environmental benefits
Replacing grass with native plants uses less water and fewer chemicals while providing additional benefits to people and wildlife.
- Earth
Under the ice, a hidden lake hints at its origin — and coming end
Lake Mercer may serve as a model for better understanding the birth and life of Antarctica’s hundreds of subglacial lakes.
- Earth
A natural ‘cathedral’ lurks deep under Antarctic ice
By drilling into this cavern, scientists have opened a window into the mysterious world of hidden lakes, their occupants — and rivers that run uphill.
- Earth
One collision could have formed the moon and started plate tectonics
A hypothetical planet slamming into Earth 4.5 billion years ago might have set subduction into motion.
- Planets
Research on exoplanets took top award at 2023 Regeneron ISEF
Six young researchers took home the top awards, each valued at a minimum of $50,000. Hundreds more shared nearly $9 million in prizes at international event.
- Tech
New technologies could keep people cool in a warming world
New approaches to air conditioning aim to keep people cool with fewer greenhouse-gas emissions as our world warms.
- Fossils
Ocean life may have bounced back after the ‘Great Dying’
Marine ecosystems may have been back in action just a million years after the most severe extinction event known.
- Ecosystems
Let’s learn about how wildfires keep ecosystems healthy
Wildfires are so important for many ecosystems that sometimes professionals set them on purpose.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: PFAS
Non-stick coatings, stain-resistant cloth and other common materials leach long-lived PFAS into soil and water.
- Climate
Due to global warming, major league hitters are slugging more home runs
Major League Baseball has seen an average of 58 more home runs each season since 2010. The apparent reason: reduced friction on the balls in warmer air.
- Tech
Recycling rare-earth elements is hard — but worth it
As demand for these valuable metals has been skyrocketing, scientists have begun inventing new — and greener — ways to reuse what they have in hand.
- Environment
Rare-earth mining is dirty but key to a climate-friendlier future
That’s spurring new research to find a steady but safer supply of these precious metals, including in the United States.
