Articles

The Secret History of the Supernova at the Bottom of the Sea

How a star explosion may have shaped life on Earth.

By Julia Rosen

Data-driven discovery reveals Earth's missing minerals

The quest to uncover the thousands of unknown mineral species.

By Timothy Oleson

Is the Modern Mass Extinction Overrated?

We are ignoring the gains that balance the losses.

By Kevin Berger

The Paleo-Bell River: North America’s Vanished Amazon

North America’s modern rivers came from an extensive system larger than today’s Amazon.

By Lionel Jackson

Wind or Water? Hurricane Harvey's Most Destructive Force

How science can help us prepare for hurricanes, and rebuild after them.

By Stephanie Fovenyessy and Sierra F. Patterson

Why Most Planets Will Either Be Lush or Dead

The Gaia hypothesis implies that once alien life takes hold, it will flourish.

By David Grinspoon

Los Angeles Should Be Buried

A day in the war between the city and its mountains.

By Justin Nobel

Illustration by Mark Todd

In Search of Life’s Smoking Gun

A journey to the underwater volcanoes where life may have erupted.

By Jennifer Barone

The Last Drop of Water in Broken Hill

In the Australian outback, the future of drought has come early.

By Michael Green

Travels in Geology: Touring the Capital Geology of Washington, D.C.

The nation's political center is also home to a rich geological history, found in both natural rock outcrops and the diverse suite of evocative building stones and monuments.

By Callan Bentley and Ken Rasmussen

Redefining Dinosaurs: Paleontologists are Shaking the Dinosaur Family Tree to its Roots.

A radical reconfiguration of the long-standing dinosaur family tree challenges an orthodoxy built on roughly a century and a half of research.

By Lucas Joel

Juno Unveils Jupiter's Secrets

The NASA mission has turned our knowledge of Jupiter “upside down.”

By Harvey Leifert

Piecing Together the Big Picture of Coral Reef Health

Scientists are seeing a glimmer of hope in the complicated future of coral reefs.

By Bethany Augliere

Travels in Geology: The Pyramids of Giza

Exploring the wonders of an ancient world.

By Terri Cook and Lon Abbott

Dutch Masters: The Netherlands Exports Flood-Control Expertise

Rising oceans are no longer just a future threat: The problem is here.

By Chris Iovenko