July 2019 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth

2019 could prove to be the second-hottest year on record.

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  • A new report from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Programme describes how 2019 has already logged several record-hot months.
  • Alarmingly, these temperature increases are occurring even though the planet is transitioning into a more neutral El Niño phase.
  • This year brought several severe heat waves to Europe, India, and Pakistan, among other areas.
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We spoke to survivalists prepping for disaster: Here’s what we learned about the end of the world

The Doomsday clock has never been closer to midnight.

We are all fucked. A crude though oft-uttered sigh which tries to encapsulate an intense, but vague anxiety we experience on many fronts. What's causing it?

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New study shows GPS data can predict large earthquakes earlier

Scientists discover how to predict megaquakes earlier to improve warning systems.

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  • Earthquakes of 7+ magnitude share a particular pattern, find seismologists.
  • The pored over data of over 3,000 earthquakes to spot a "slip pulse".
  • The scientists advocate using real-time GPS sensor data in early warning systems.
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‘Climate apartheid’: Report says the rich could buy out of climate change disaster

The world's richest people could breeze through a climate disaster – for a price.

(Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)
  • A new report from a United Nation expert warns that an over-reliance on the private sector to mitigate climate change could cause a "climate apartheid."
  • The report criticizes several countries, including the U.S., for taking "short-sighted steps in the wrong direction."
  • The world's poorest populations are most vulnerable to climate change even though they generally contribute the least to global emissions.
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Cosmic death beams: Understanding gamma ray bursts

Gigantic explosions of light are reverberating across the universe.

  • In a single night, astronomers are able to detect about 20 supernova explosions.
  • Gamma ray bursts are even more energetic — in a single flash of radiation they can outshine the rest of the known universe.
  • If a gamma burst went off anywhere in our galaxy, it could be disastrous. The radiation would be beamed far and wide. However, as long as you're not in the way of one of those beams — or very far the site of the initial explosion — then you're probably safe.
cosmos science nasa astronomy physics universe natural disaster ask an astronomer michelle thaller space