If you’re a human — and if you’re not, how are you reading this? — you’ve probably come to terms with the fact that you’re part of the problem. Earth is headed toward a cliff and the overwhelming majority of very smart people who study our planet say it’s because we can’t stop messing things …
Humans have irreversibly altered Earth in many ways, but one of our longest-lasting legacies will always be our invention of plastics. Plastics are cheap, durable, and easy to produce. They’re both a blessing and a curse, and plastic waste has piled up in every corner of the globe. Because most of our planet is covered …
In the world of astronomy, there would be no bigger accomplishment than finding life on a planet outside of Earth. We know there’s no intelligent life in our solar system outside of Earth. There’s still a chance we find some form of life on Mars or, better yet, beneath the icy crusts of moons like …
Looking for solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems like poverty, environmental sustainability, and agricultural struggles in developing regions can be absolutely mind-bending. There are so many factors to consider that the sheer scope is overwhelming, and maybe that’s why it’s so hard to solve these kinds of issues. Sometimes it’s better to boil …
Finding planets outside of our solar system is an area of research that has exploded in recent years. As new, more powerful observational equipment allows us to look into space with greater detail than ever before, spotting the telltale signs of planets orbiting other stars has become much easier, and new exoplanet discoveries are happening …
The research into what lies deep, deep beneath our feet has yielded precious few details over the past few decades. We all grew up learning that we live on the Earth’s crust, which is just a thin layer above the mantle. Beneath that, the outer core surrounds the inner core, and… well, that’s it, or …
Scientists believe there are some very basic things that are required for a planet to support life, including water and an atmosphere. We’ve yet to spot a planet that looks like Earth, with continents, water, and, of course, life. New research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that planets like Earth might actually be abundant …
Earth’s magnetic poles are constantly on the move, but they haven’t drifted far enough to actually flip in the modern age. Researchers know that Earth’s poles have flipped in the past, but opinion has been split over what effects such an event might have on the planet and its inhabitants. Now, new research suggests that …
The largest asteroid expected to make a close pass of Earth in 2021 will arrive in late March, coming within roughly 1.2 million miles of our planet. The rock, called 2001 FO32, is considered by NASA to be a “potentially hazardous asteroid” due to its habit of coming relatively close to our planet. The object …
In late 2020 Earth got a new visitor in the form of what was originally thought to be a natural piece of space debris, such as a small asteroid. The object turned out to be a discarded rocket stage that was launched half a century ago and just happened to come back and get sucked …
