Planet Earth news, feature and articles | Live Science (original) (raw)
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Earth is one big spinning mystery in a constant state of change. With more than 4.5 billion years of history locked inside a ball of molten rock and iron, our planet is made up of a vast array of geological wonders, carved by the oceans, shaped by the shifting plates beneath our feet and sculpted by weather across the surface.
Our team of expert science writers and editors are here to reveal our planet’s secrets — from the deepest depths of the ocean, through the coldest places on Earth to the very edge of space — keeping you up to date with the latest discoveries with planet Earth news, articles and features.
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Bear hair and fish weirs: Meet the Indigenous people combining modern science with ancestral principles to protect the land 
Mount Everest is taller than it should be — and a weird river may be to blame Latest about Planet Earth
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'Missing link' found in ancient rocks of Colorado show that Snowball Earth really happened By Liam Courtney-Davies Published 13 November 24 -
Global carbon emissions reach new record high in 2024, with no end in sight, scientists say By Ben Turner Published 13 November 24 -
Pando, the world's largest organism, may have been growing nonstop since the 1st humans left Africa, study suggests By Stephanie Pappas Published 12 November 24 -
How is paper made from trees? By Olivia Ferrari Published 12 November 24 -
Earth from spaceGiant 'phantom lake' dotted with stripy gold islands shimmers in Australian outback By Harry Baker Published 12 November 24 -
What's the 'coastline paradox'? By Alice Sun Published 11 November 24 -
Evolution quiz: Can you naturally select the correct answers? By Hannah Osborne Published 9 November 24
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Antarctica
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When was the last time Antarctica was ice-free? By Victoria Atkinson Published 8 September 24 -
'Doomsday glacier' won't collapse the way we thought, new study suggests By Mathieu Morlighem Published 23 August 24 -
Earth from spaceHigh winds paint puzzling ice streaks across the sea in Antarctica By Harry Baker Published 13 August 24 -
1st map of Antarctica's green space unveiled. Here's what it shows. By Claudia Colesie Published 11 August 24 -
Never-before-seen shapes up to 1,300 feet long discovered beneath Antarctic ice By Ben Turner Published 31 July 24 -
Giant river system that existed 40 million years ago discovered deep below Antarctic ice By Kristel Tjandra Published 20 June 24 -
Blood Falls: Antarctica's crimson waterfall forged from an ancient hidden heart By Sascha Pare Published 7 June 24 -
Antarctic ice hole the size of Switzerland keeps cracking open. Now scientists finally know why. By Ben Turner Published 3 May 24 -
'We were in disbelief': Antarctica is behaving in a way we've never seen before. Can it recover? By Ben Turner Published 22 April 24
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Arctic
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Surprised Russian school kids discover Arctic island has vanished after comparing satellite images By Harry Baker Published 8 November 24 -
Earth from spaceMassive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come By Harry Baker Published 29 October 24 -
Earth from space4 near-identical glaciers spark new life in Arctic island's 'polar desert' By Harry Baker Published 15 October 24 -
Earth from spaceIconic 'Star Trek' symbol shines brightly in sea of muddy Arctic sea ice By Harry Baker Published 24 September 24 -
Earth from spaceGhostly figure emerges in Greenland ice after underground lake collapses By Harry Baker Published 17 September 24 -
Gateway to the underworld: The enormous permafrost 'megaslump' in Siberia that keeps getting bigger By Sascha Pare Published 13 September 24 -
Earth from spaceTrio of ringed ice caps look otherworldly on Russian Arctic islands By Harry Baker Published 17 June 24 -
Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' is growing a staggering amount each year By Sascha Pare Published 6 May 24 -
Earth from spaceMysterious wave ripples across 'galaxy' of icebergs in Arctic fjord By Harry Baker Published 6 May 24
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Climate Change
- Global carbon emissions reach new record high in 2024, with no end in sight, scientists say By Ben Turner Published 13 November 24
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Microplastics may be entering the clouds and affecting the weather, scientists say By Miriam Freedman Published 9 November 24 -
'We are teetering on a planetary tightrope': Cut emissions in half right now to prevent climate catastrophe, UN warns By Sascha Pare Published 30 October 24 -
Fool's Gold is driving a new accelerating climate feedback loop in Canada By Ben Turner Published 25 October 24 -
30 years of polar climate data converted into menacing, 6-minute song By Sascha Pare Published 23 October 24 -
'Precipitation, the source of all fresh water, can no longer be relied upon': Global water cycle pushed out of balance 'for 1st time in human history' By Ben Turner Published 22 October 24 -
Ancient piece of driftwood hidden for thousands of years could hold secrets for combating climate change By Richard Pallardy Published 8 October 24 -
32 weird ways to fight climate change that just might work By Carys Matthews Published 28 September 24 -
Drinking wastewater, building an island from scratch and creating an urban forest: 3 bold ways cities are already adapting to climate change By Meg Duff Published 20 September 24
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Earthquakes
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'Upwelling' deep in the mantle triggered magnitude 6.8 Morocco earthquake By Rebecca Owen Published 26 July 24 -
LA may be spared 'horrifying' fate of the 'Big One' from San Andreas, simulation suggests By Stephanie Pappas Published 12 July 24 -
Will we have more earthquakes because of climate change? By Katherine Irving Published 9 July 24 -
Huge earthquake 2,500 years ago rerouted the Ganges River, study suggests By Sascha Pare Published 18 June 24 -
Why do earthquakes happen far away from plate boundaries? By Alice Sun Published 13 May 24 -
Odd earthquake swarm in Central Europe hints at magma bubbling below the surface By Stephanie Pappas Published 10 May 24 -
Part of the San Andreas fault may be gearing up for an earthquake By Stephanie Pappas Published 9 April 24 -
Rare magnitude 4.8 and 3.8 earthquakes rock Northeast, including Greater New York area By Laura Geggel Last updated 5 April 24 -
Taiwan earthquake: 9 dead and dozens trapped after strongest quake in 25 years By Ben Turner Published 3 April 24
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Energy
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Physicists solve nuclear fusion mystery with mayonnaise By Tia Ghose Published 8 August 24 -
Nuclear fusion reactor in UK sets new world record for energy output By Joanna Thompson Published 8 February 24 -
Massive hydrogen reservoir discovered beneath an Albanian mine could be an untapped source of clean energy By Sascha Pare Published 8 February 24 -
What is fission? By Nola Taylor Redd Last updated 19 July 23 -
Wind and solar power overtakes coal for the first time ever in the US By Ben Turner Published 26 June 23 -
Chernobyl: The world's worst nuclear disaster By Marc Lallanilla Published 18 April 23 -
How do you decontaminate objects exposed to radioactivity? By Joanna Thompson Published 25 March 23 -
Scientists discover enzyme that can turn air into energy, unlocking potential new energy source By Ben Turner Published 8 March 23 -
What is nuclear fusion? By Nola Taylor Redd Published 13 December 22
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Evolution
- Evolution quiz: Can you naturally select the correct answers? By Hannah Osborne Published 9 November 24
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Raindrops may have helped kick-start life on the planet By Aman Agrawal Published 20 October 24 -
Which animals are evolving fastest? By Marlowe Starling Published 16 September 24 -
'I have never written of a stranger organ': The rise of the placenta and how it helped make us human By Jules Howard Published 14 September 24 -
Ancient relative of 'living fossil' fish reveals that geological activity supercharges evolution By Stephanie Pappas Published 12 September 24 -
How fast does evolution happen? By Marlowe Starling Published 9 September 24 -
Defense system common to all life came from 'Asgard' By Tia Ghose Published 1 September 24 -
Evolution: Facts about the processes that shape the diversity of life on Earth By Tiffany Taylor Published 23 August 24 -
What is the 'tree of life'? By Emma Bryce Published 23 August 24
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Geology
- 'Missing link' found in ancient rocks of Colorado show that Snowball Earth really happened By Liam Courtney-Davies Published 13 November 24
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Did plate tectonics give rise to life? Groundbreaking new research could crack Earth's deepest mystery. By Stephanie Pappas Published 8 November 24 -
What is plate tectonics? By Tiffany Means Last updated 8 November 24 -
When did plate tectonics begin? By Stephanie Pappas Published 4 November 24 -
Huge lithium deposits are in Nevada. Here's why. By Evan Howell Published 2 November 24 -
Hang Son Doong: The world's biggest cave, so 'outrageous in size' it fits 2 jungles and the 'Great Wall of Vietnam' By Sascha Pare Published 1 November 24 -
Will Mount Everest always be the world's tallest mountain? By Katherine Irving Published 27 October 24 -
Earth's mantle is split into two halves thanks to supercontinent Pangaea By Stephanie Pappas Published 26 October 24 -
Listen to haunting sounds of Earth's magnetic field flipping 41,000 years ago in eerie new animation By Harry Baker Published 21 October 24
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Microbiology
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Mouse brains, cannabis plants and spider eyes: 20 jaw-dropping images of the microscopic world around us By Hannah Osborne Published 17 October 24 -
'Loch ness monster' microbe stretches its neck to 30 times its body length in seconds By Lars Fischer Published 22 June 24 -
'The most critically harmful fungi to humans': How the rise of C. auris was inevitable By Arturo Casadevall Published 11 May 24 -
Hidden 'biosphere' of extreme microbes discovered 13 feet below Atacama Desert is deepest found there to date By Sascha Pare Published 24 April 24 -
Scientists discover once-in-a-billion-year event — 2 lifeforms merging to create a new cell part By Sascha Pare Published 22 April 24 -
Lost world of lagoons filled with mounds of microbes discovered in Atacama desert By Sascha Pare Published 11 December 23 -
After you die, your microbiome cooperates with soil microbes to 'recycle' your body By Jennifer DeBruyn Published 29 September 23 -
Bizarre giant viruses with tubular tentacles and star-like shells discovered in New England forest By Kiley Price Published 31 July 23 -
Primordial steroids solve long-standing mystery about how the 1st complex life-forms evolved By Stephanie Pappas Published 7 June 23
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Plants
- Pando, the world's largest organism, may have been growing nonstop since the 1st humans left Africa, study suggests By Stephanie Pappas Published 12 November 24
- How is paper made from trees? By Olivia Ferrari Published 12 November 24
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Pando: The world's largest tree and heaviest living organism By Sascha Pare Published 8 November 24 -
Deep below the Arctic Ocean, some plants have adapted to photosynthesize in almost near darkness By Sven Batke Published 25 September 24 -
Lost Biblical tree resurrected from 1,000-year-old mystery seed found in the Judean Desert By Sascha Pare Published 23 September 24 -
Fossils from lush 53 million-year-old South Pole rainforest discovered in Tasmania By Sascha Pare Published 20 September 24 -
Rainbow swamp: The flooded forest in Virginia that puts on a magical light show every winter By Sascha Pare Published 20 September 24 -
Fossils from Greenland's icy heart reveal it was a green tundra covered in flowers less than 1 million years ago By James Bonthron Published 11 August 24 -
3 remarkable trees: A living fossil, a deadly canopy, and the world's biggest seeds that were once mounted in gold by royals By Christina Harrison Published 3 August 24
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Pollution
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What are the most polluted cities in the world? By Meg Duff Published 1 September 23 -
Pollution facts and types of pollution By Alina Bradford Last updated 17 March 23 -
Even brief exposure to diesel fumes alters activity in key brain network, study finds By Rebecca Sohn Published 14 February 23 -
Monet and Turner's atmospheric landscapes actually depicted air pollution, new study finds By Jennifer Nalewicki Published 8 February 23 -
How Much Trash Is on Mount Everest? By Kimberly Hickok Last updated 1 November 22 -
Hole in the ozone layer has grown for a 3rd year in a row — but scientists aren’t concerned By JoAnna Wendel Published 18 October 22 -
No More Free-Pass for Carbon Pollution (Op-Ed) By Laurie Johnson Last updated 14 October 22 -
Kids' Mental Health Risks Rise with Poor Air Quality By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe Last updated 14 October 22 -
Reference Light pollution: Environmental impact, health risks and facts By Scott Dutfield Published 5 April 22
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Rivers & Oceans
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Earth is racing toward climate conditions that collapsed key Atlantic currents before the last ice age, study finds By Sascha Pare Published 31 October 24 -
What's the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave? By Richard Pallardy Published 28 October 24 -
Rain helps the ocean trap more carbon By Veronika Meduna Published 27 October 24 -
'We don't really consider it low probability anymore': Collapse of key Atlantic current could have catastrophic impacts, says oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf By Ben Turner Published 25 October 24 -
Diamond Beach: Iceland's spellbinding black sand beach covered in sparkling ice jewels By Sascha Pare Published 25 October 24 -
Key Atlantic current could collapse soon, 'impacting the entire world for centuries to come,' leading climate scientists warn By Sascha Pare Published 22 October 24 -
'An ancient, complex, and very serious game is going on': The weird ways creatures feed in the open ocean By Sönke Johnsen Published 19 October 24 -
Earth from spaceDeep tidal channels cut between 'pirate hotspot' islands in the Bahamas By Harry Baker Published 3 October 24 -
Scientists are 'gobsmacked' by strange reversals in deep-ocean currents By Andrew Chapman, Eos.org Published 29 September 24
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Tsunami
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Tsunamis up to 90 feet high smash into New Zealand every 580 years, study finds By Stephanie Pappas Published 11 December 23 -
1st mega-tsunami on record since antiquity was triggered by Tonga volcanic eruption By Charles Q. Choi Published 28 April 23 -
Powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake off New Zealand triggers tsunami warnings By Rachael Rettner Last updated 18 October 22 -
Magnitude-7.3 earthquake strikes Fukushima, tsunami warning issued By Ben Turner Published 16 March 22 -
Japan earthquake & tsunami of 2011: Facts and information By Becky Oskin Published 25 February 22 -
'Invisible' earthquake caused mysterious 2021 tsunami, scientists find By Ben Turner Published 10 February 22 -
4-foot tsunami hits Tonga after explosive eruption of underwater volcano By Jeanna Bryner Published 15 January 22 -
Lost islands beneath the North Sea survived a mega-tsunami 8,000 years ago By Tom Metcalfe Published 3 December 20 -
Ice melt in Alaska threatens to unleash unprecedented 'mega-tsunami,' scientists warn By Peter Dockrill Published 19 October 20
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Volcanos
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Indonesia volcano eruption kills at least 10 By Stephanie Pappas Published 4 November 24 -
How a catastrophic volcanic eruption on the North Korea border created 'Heaven Lake' By Saima May Sidik Published 18 October 24 -
Mysterious 'blobs' in Earth's mantle are not what we thought, study claims By Stephanie Pappas Published 9 October 24 -
'Every volcano has its own personality': Mystery Mount Adams earthquake surge under investigation By Hannah Osborne Published 9 October 24 -
Record spike in earthquakes at Washington's 'high threat' volcano sends researchers scrambling for answers By Hannah Osborne Published 4 October 24 -
'Mountain of God' volcano in Tanzania is bulging, study finds By Sascha Pare Published 13 September 24 -
Tonga eruption that poured 150 metric megatons of water vapor into the stratosphere affected the atmosphere for years By Rebecca Owen Published 8 September 24 -
'This could be the origin of the Atlantis legend': Mountain that sank beneath the waves discovered off Canary Islands By Hannah Osborne Published 12 August 24 -
Earth from space'Smoking terror' volcano that destroyed city 400 years ago burps toxic cloud By Harry Baker Published 6 August 24
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Weather
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Earth from spaceWatch Valencia disappearing under a sea of mud during deadly Spanish floods By Harry Baker Published 4 November 24 -
What is DANA, the strange weather phenomenon that has caused deadly flooding in Spain? By María de los Ángeles Orfila Published 31 October 24 -
What's the fastest recorded wind speed? By Hannah Loss Published 28 October 24 -
Before and after satellite images show lakes appearing across Sahara after deluge of rain soaks desert By Hannah Osborne Published 22 October 24 -
Earth from spaceBizarre 'pet cloud' reappears above its favorite spot in New Zealand By Harry Baker Published 22 October 24 -
Conspiracy theory that Hurricane Milton was 'engineered' explained by psychologists By Iwan Dinnick Published 18 October 24 -
Hurricane Milton is tied for the fastest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record. It could become the new normal. By Ben Turner Published 10 October 24 -
Here's why storm surge during hurricanes can be so catastrophic By Anthony C. Didlake Jr. Published 9 October 24 -
How strong can hurricanes get? By Stephanie Pappas Published 8 October 24
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More about Planet Earth
- Evolution quiz: Can you naturally select the correct answers? By Hannah Osborne Published 9 November 24
- Microplastics may be entering the clouds and affecting the weather, scientists say By Miriam Freedman Published 9 November 24
- Did plate tectonics give rise to life? Groundbreaking new research could crack Earth's deepest mystery. By Stephanie Pappas Published 8 November 24
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