The coronavirus pandemic made the entire Earth quieter
Coronavirus lockdown measures have forced daily life to change, and that means humans are making less noise on Earth. With less traffic and other human …
Earth
A tube that did nothing but eat and poop is your oldest ancestor
The ancestor of all animal life, including humans, was discovered in fossils from Australia. The tiny, worm-like creature had an opening in its front and …
Plastic smells like food to sea turtles, scientists say
Plastics in the ocean smell like food to sea turtles, a new study published in Current Biology reveals. Plastic waste catches microorganisms and algae, becoming …
A day on Earth was a half-hour shorter just 70 million years ago
A day on Earth was just 23.5 hours long, 70 million years ago. Researchers discovered this by studying the growth rings of ancient mollusk fossils. …
Earth was a true ‘waterworld’ world 3 billion years ago, according to fascinating new research
If you had a time machine that allowed you to cruise far into Earth’s incredible history, you’d probably want to avoid a window of time …
Earth might have caught a new moon, and it’s super tiny
Many of the planets in our solar system have multiple moons, and some even have dozens of large objects cruising around in orbit around them. …
Can this hideous fish solve world hunger?
When it comes to solving the world’s hunger problems, we often focus on maximizing crop yields and changes the food producers could make to better …
Here’s how MIT wants to save Earth from killer asteroids
If science fiction movies have taught us anything, it’s that saving Earth from a killer asteroid is going to take some big drills and probably …
Humans are releasing way more methane than we thought
In our continued efforts to get human-caused climate change under control, carbon dioxide emissions are a big target for elimination, and for good reason. Carbon …
NASA missed these 11 dangerous asteroids, but an AI caught them
There are lots and lots of space rocks hanging out in our solar system. Most of them will never pose a threat to our planet, …
Watch as Earth loses all of its water in this new video
Earth is covered in water. It’s the big blue marble, and oceans dominate its surface… but what if they didn’t? What if Earth’s oceans were …
Two satellites are about to make an incredibly close pass in Earth orbit
It’s easy to imagine the area around Earth being so incredibly large that there’s no way we could ever clog it with manmade debris. Unfortunately, …
The oldest crater on Earth was found in Australia
When we gaze out into our solar system and observe its several planets and many moons, one thing tends to be true of just about …
A bizarre humming sound inside the Earth finally has an explanation
Scientists studying our planet have a pretty good idea of what goes on up here at the surface. Understanding what’s going on deep underground or …
Jupiter keeps flinging space rocks at Earth
Jupiter has long been credited with protecting the inner solar system from pesky asteroids and other objects that could potentially cause a problem for us …
NASA’s TESS spots possible ‘second Earth’ nearby
In the exoplanet-hunting game, scientists are collecting discoveries faster than they can actually sit back and study them. There’s a lot of planets out there, …
Climate change could make us dumber… literally
Some might argue that mankind’s gradual destruction of planet Earth is proof that we’re not the smartest species around. I mean, how smart can we …
Earth’s magnetic north pole is moving at unprecedented speeds
Earlier this year, scientists revealed that Earth’s magnetic north pole is shifting faster than anyone had predicted. Polar shifts aren’t uncommon and we’ve long known …
Feast your eyes on this insane nighttime photo of Earth
NASA captures lots and lots of lovely photos of Earth being bathed in bright sunlight, but images of our planet shrouded in darkness can be …
If aliens exist, their home systems may be totally unlike our own
Earth is the only planet we know of that currently hosts life in any form. Because of that, it’s tempting to assume that, in the …
The ozone hole is smaller than ever
The hole in the ozone layer is one of the most glaring examples of how human activity has changed Earth in a negative way. Decades …
Nobody really knows if there are other ‘Earths’ out there
Are there other Earth-like planets out there in the cosmos? We simply don’t know. Scientists have been peering into space for centuries and, thanks to …
Nobel Prize winner says mankind is doomed to remain on Earth forever
Sometime within the next five years or so, NASA plans on sending humans back to the Moon. Looking to the future, NASA is laying the …
Scientists just proved that life on Earth stretches back at least 3.5 billion years
Determining how far back in Earth’s history life took root has been an immense challenge for scientists over the years. Finding fossils dating back tens …
Scientists discover entirely new mineral hiding out in South Africa
We generally have a pretty solid grasp of what kinds of materials exist in Earth’s crust, but despite centuries of study, sometimes our planet throws …
Massive rock pillar in Utah resonates with the Earth, can withstand quakes
A popular rock-climbing destination in Utah, Castleton Tower dominates the surrounding landscape, standing nearly 400 feet tall like a stone skyscraper. It’s a gorgeous sight …
When aliens spot Earth, what will they see?
Researchers have made incredible advancements in the detection and study of exoplanets in recent years, spotting literally thousands of new planets and learning tantalizing details …
A huge asteroid hurtling toward Earth will fly by us next month
Some astronomers have suggested that Earth is overdue for a large asteroid impact, and that we’re living on borrowed time until we can shore up …
It took an incredibly long time for the Earth’s poles to flip
If you’re looking for some kind of apocalyptic scenario to get anxious about, the Earth’s poles flipping is as good a nightmare as any. Scientists …
Another asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, but astronomers say it’ll miss us
If you’ve been wringing your hands and saying your goodbyes in advance of the visit from asteroid 2006 QV89 later this year, you can relax. …
