Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2011

Listeria Outbreak: What You Need to Know The Illness

An outbreak of listeriosis linked to contaminated cantaloupe has so far sickened 22 people in seven states and killed at least two, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Listeriosis is caused by infection with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which are found in soil and water. People...

Aug 31, 2011

The Surprisingly Strange Physics of Water

Intro Niagara Falls span the border between the United States and Canada. Though remarkably wide, Niagara is not the tallest or highest-volume waterfall in the world. (Image credit: Sayran | Dreamstime)There is nothing softer and weaker than water, and yet there is nothing better for attacking hard and strong things....

Aug 31, 2011

Ig Nobel Prize Winners Make Hilarious Contributions to Science

Intro (Image credit: Improbable Research)Every year in Norway, Nobel Prizes are awarded to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to human knowledge. Also every year, but at a far less formal ceremony in Cambridge, Mass., Ig Nobel Prizes are given to scientists who have made outstanding, but also hilarious, contributions...

Jul 31, 2011

End Times? Texas Lake Turns Blood-Red

A Texas lake that turned blood-red this summer may not be a sign of the End Times, but probably is the end of a popular fishing and recreation spot. A drought has left the OC Fisher Reservoir in San Angelo State Park in West Texas almost entirely dry. The water...

Jul 31, 2011

Fernanda and Greg in Pacific 'Chase'

The Eastern Pacific Ocean is fired up with two tropical storms today, Fernanda and Greg, and both were caught in one image from the GOES-11 satellite. Both appear to be chasing each other to the west, and Fernanda appears a little more organized in satellite imagery and stronger than her...

Jul 31, 2011

Hurricane Irene Spotted From Space

Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, was seen from space today (Aug. 22) as it roared past Puerto Rico. Irene formed as a tropical storm east of the Leeward Islands on Aug. 20. By early Aug. 22, the storm had strengthened to a Category 1...

Jul 31, 2011

Hurricane Irene 'Big, Scary Storm,' Astronaut Says

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) got an eyeful of Hurricane Irene's increasing might today (Aug. 25) as their space capsule streaked over the monstrous Category 3 storm, which is barreling toward U.S. shores. Ahead of the flyover, ISS video cameras revealed placid views of wispy white clouds scattered...

Jul 31, 2011

Why Irene's Size Matters

Don't let Hurricane Irene's waning strength fool you. The massive storm is still a major threat and could pound cities with severe weather for days, experts say. The storm, at one point as large as one-third of the East Coast and as strong as a Category 3, has been a...

Jul 31, 2011

Beyond Irene: Future Hurricanes Will Get Worse

NEW YORK — Hurricane Irene battered the East Coast this weekend, blasting buildings and trees that hadn't felt such strong winds in decades, and flooding subways, tunnels and entire coastal neighborhoods. Thankfully, Irene diminished in strength before making landfall on the Mid-Atlantic Coast and New England; though she is estimated...

Jul 31, 2011

Why New York City Was Lucky

New York City largely dodged a bullet as Hurricane Irene did relatively little damage to the city. The same can't be said for areas further inland, such as Vermont and upstate New York, which are battling historic flooding. In New York City, where transit was shut down citywide and coastal...

Jul 31, 2011

Turning Tadpole Against Tadpole to Fight Toxic Toad

It's a tadpole-eat-tadpole world out there — and that's exactly what Australian scientists are hoping will control the spread of a giant invasive toad with toxic flesh. The cane toad (Bufo marinus), which can weigh up to 3 pounds (1.4 kg), is a scourge in Australia. Introduced in the 1930s...

Jun 30, 2011

Warming Oceans Will Melt Glaciers Quicker than Expected

Ice sheets simmering in warmer ocean waters could melt much quicker than realized. New research is suggesting that as oceans heat up they could erode away the ice sheets much faster than warmer air alone, and this interaction needs to be accounted for in climate change models. Ocean warming is...

Jun 30, 2011

WWII Bombing Raids Altered English Weather

Allied bombing raids during World War II turned the English sky white with contrails, providing a case study for modern scientists studying how the weather is affected by these long, feathery lines of condensation that form behind aircraft. Researchers focused on larger bombing raids between 1943 to 1945 after the...

Jun 30, 2011

Stunning Sands Gallery: A Rainbow of Beaches

A Rainbow of Sands (Image credit: Alainlee | sxc.hu)Summer brings to mind images of beaches with warm yellow sand, but there's actually an entire rainbow of unique-colored beaches. Let's start with red … Cabot Beach, located near Malpeque at the northern shore of Canada's Prince Edward Island, boasts clay-red sands....

Jun 30, 2011

Season for Mysterious 'Night-Shining' Clouds Is Here

Every summer since the late 19th century, Earth's polar skies have lit up with eerie blue-white glowing clouds, slowly twisting and undulating in the twilight sky. These mystifying clouds are referred to as night-shining clouds, or noctilucent clouds. Such clouds form in an upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere called...