Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2011

Warming Antarctica Linked to Rising Pacific Temperatures

Rising temperatures in the Pacific may be directly contributing to ongoing warming in Antarctica, a new study finds. Heat rising from warm Pacific waters near the equator causes waves of warmth in the atmosphere — a phenomenon called the Rossby wave train, researchers report today (April 10) in the journal...

Mar 31, 2011

Attacks Mount on Teaching of Evolution

The anti-evolution crowd has come out swinging this year. So far the theory has not taken one on the chin, but that could change soon in Tennessee. The pounding is coming not from scientists, but from politicians who would chip away at the solid theory's foundations in an effort to...

Mar 31, 2011

Arctic's Icy Coastlines Retreat as Planet Warms

In the high latitudes, climate change projections must take a new factor into account: Ice. In the Arctic, the loss of sea ice is likely to have dramatic repercussions, including greater erosion, which can present problems for the people and economic activity in this region, according to two new reports....

Mar 31, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Midwest Tornado Video and the BP Oil Spill Anniversary

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Tornadoes Strike: Severe storms hit the Midwest yesterday, uprooting trees and tossing cars, yet no injuries were reported. Some brave storm chasers captured a vicious tornado in Bowling Green,...

Mar 31, 2011

The 10 Most Pristine Places on Earth

Even though the trappings of civilization are all around us, there are still some parts of the globe where our influence is small. From the ice sheet of Antarctica to the jungles of Papua New Guinea, here are some of the most pristine places on the planet. Namib Rand Nature...

Mar 31, 2011

Rising Price of Gold Fuels Destruction of the Amazon

(ISNS) — Ellen Silbergeld keeps the price of gold posted on the door to her office at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. The price is now at a record high (better than $1,500 an ounce) and Silbergeld, professor at Hopkins and editor-in-chief of the journal...

Mar 31, 2011

Surprise: Wind Above Affects Seafloor a Mile Below

The waters in the deepest depths of the oceans have long been considered to be a place apart from the surface waters of the sea. But new research suggests these two levels of the ocean are more connected than previously thought. Swirling currents generated by winds at the sea's surface...

Mar 31, 2011

Exotic Microbes Played Role in Early Earth's Atmosphere, Study Suggests

Extreme microbes that survive on gases burped out by hot springs in Siberia may have played a role in Earth's early atmosphere, new research is showing. The carbon monoxide-munching microbes, called anaerobic carboxydotrophs, were found in the Uzon Caldera of eastern Siberia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The microbes also produce carbon monoxide,...

Feb 28, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Philippines Earthquake and Glory's Failed Launch

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Philippines Earthquake: A 5.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the Philippines today, collapsing the walls of houses near Surigao City. Glory Launch Failed: NASA's earth-observing satellite, Glory, launched this morning, but...

Feb 28, 2011

Arctic's Spring Phytoplankton Blooms Arrive Earlier

When summer comes to the Arctic, the tiny plants that feed the ocean's food chain form green blooms in the water. In some Arctic waters, the peak of this bloom has been arriving earlier every year since 1997, a study has found. These areas, where peak bloom time is creeping...

Feb 28, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Philly Flower Show and Kilauea Tourism

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Flower Show: Stop and smell the exotic flowers this week at the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show, which runs through Sunday. Breeding Expert Dies: JoGayle Howard, a National Zoo...

Feb 28, 2011

Our Daily Planet: China's Deadly Earthquake and Great Barrier Reef Recovery

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. China Earthquake: An magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck China, near the border with Myanmar, killing at least 22 people. Japan Earthquake: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the coast of...

Feb 28, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Huge Earthquake in Japan and Hawaiian Tsunami

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Japan Earthquake: A magnitude 8.9 earthquake rocked Japan today killing possibly 50 people and sending waves as high as 33 feet (10 meters) crashing onto parts of Japan. The...

Feb 28, 2011

Sumatra, Japan, Chile: Are Earthquakes Getting Worse?

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rumbled through Japan today (March 11), triggering a devastating tsunami, was the strongest felt in that country since seismic monitoring was invented. It's also comparable in scale to a few other recent temblors, including last year's 8.8-magnitude quake in Chile and 2004's 9.1-magnitude undersea rupture off...

Feb 28, 2011

Chernobyl-Scale Disaster Very Unlikely In Japan, Experts Say

Amid conflicting reports coming out of Japan on the current status of nuclear reactors there, U.S. nuclear scientists say that while an accident of Chernobyl proportions is not at all likely, there are risks involved. The Chernobyl accident spread radioactive material over a large area, but this was due to...