biosphere
Earth’s first puff of oxygen may be thanks to volcanoes
Scientists track down a puzzling early burst of oxygen on Earth.
Discovered: A tiny, glowing, poisonous, singing toadlet
Roughly the size of a thumbnail, this newly discovered toadlet has some anatomical surprises.
Evolution has robbed us of horse-sized bunnies
The size of rabbits and hares has long been evolutionarily constrained by competitors roughly their size.
Unusual creatures uncovered beneath an Antarctic ice shelf
The organisms were anchored to a boulder 900 meters beneath the ice, living a cold, dark existence miles away from the open ocean.
Marine biologists discover 4 new types of photoreceptor
How do these little beasties detect light anyway?
NOAA discovers a new, beautifully weird sea creature
Exceptionally high-quality videos allow scientists to formally introduce a remarkable new comb jelly.
A Chinese plant has evolved to hide from humans
Researchers document the first example of evolutionary changes in a plant in response to humans.
Here’s a map of Mars with as much water as Earth
A 71% wet Mars would have two major land masses and one giant 'Medimartian Sea.'
Love avocados? Thank the toxodon
Avocado evolved in the warming climates of Central America during the Neogene period, roughly 10 million years ago.
Planet Nine will be discovered in the next decade. Here’s why.
The planet that we are searching for is a little bit smaller and closer than we originally thought.
You’re not going far from home – and neither are the animals you spy out your window
Maybe you've been wondering if you're seeing one persistent squirrel or a rotating cast of characters.
Is it too late to halt climate change? No, no, and no.
The impact of giving up is exactly the same as the impact of denying climate change.
World’s oldest forest found in New York state
The 385-million-year-old fossils show that trees evolved modern features millions of years earlier than previously estimated.
Could Earth have a ‘shadow’ biosphere?
Some scientists think there may be a hidden, second form of life living right under our noses.
Should we blame biology for our biosphere-bashing behavior?
Determining whether human nature is short-sighted when it comes to survival-necessary situations
Amazon fires are destructive, but they aren’t depleting Earth’s oxygen supply
Contrary to popular belief, the Amazon rainforest does not produce 20% of our planet's oxygen.
Why elephant hunting has a ‘drastic’ impact on our global climate
The loss of elephants accelerates climate change.
Vodka for your post-apocalypse wingding
It's made from Chernobyl water and rye. What could possibly go wrong?
We could cut atmospheric carbon by 25% by planting a forest the size of the United States
A new study lays out a green (very green), data-driven plan to capture much of our atmosphere's carbon pool.
Why failing to preserve biodiversity is a profound disrespect
Here are just two of the practical and philosophical crises surrounding biodiversity breakdown.
Honeybees just had a record winter die-off
2018's winter was particularly harsh on U.S. honeybees. What's causing bee populations to plummet, and what can we do about it?
Dead – yes, dead – tardigrade found beneath Antarctica
A completely unexpected discovery beneath the ice.
Organic farming is ‘much worse’ for the climate than conventional food production, researchers say
More farm space equals more carbon.
Organisms living inside the Earth far outnumber all the humans, reveals study
Researchers find an amazing amount of often-weird forms of life below the planet's surface.
Scientists plan to spray the sky with light-reflecting particles to dim the sun
A trio of scientists from Harvard hopes to do this in 2019.
Report: Just 23% of Earth’s wilderness remains
A new paper in Nature adds urgency to the fight against climate change.