Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Watch: Max releases trailer for 'Last of Us' Season 2
Max has released a trailer for Season 2 of its sci-fi drama, "The Last of Us."
Climate Risks: A Double-Edged Sword for Digital and Low-Carbon Economies
A recent study explores the intricate relationship between climate physical risks and the merging of digital and low-carbon economies in China. By examining the disruptive effects of extreme weather events...
New Study Challenges Circular Fashion's Economic and Environmental Claims
A new study reveals that circular fashion (CF) - the practice of recycling, reselling, and renting clothing to reduce waste - might not be the green solution it claims to...
An Emissions Tale of Two Cities: Salt Lake vs. Los Angeles
Researchers from the University of Utah and University of California set out to compare how freeway emissions trends differed in their states' largest metropolitan areas, Salt Lake City and Los...
On homelessness, liberal California and the ultraconservative Supreme Court largely agree
The Grants Pass ruling clears the way for punitive measures against homeless people. Officials from San Diego to San Francisco are all too eager to oblige.
What I find in solitude and silence on the cliffs of Big Sur
What I found at the top of the mountain was a radiant view over the blue Pacific, freedom from all distraction and a day that seemed to last for months.
The Southern California fires have us on edge. When can we finally relax?
Angelenos have their evacuation bags packed and their phones within reach because of the wildfires. How much longer do we have to live like this?
L.A.'s wellness community is healing a fire-torn city with free massages, meditations, sound baths
L.A.'s wellness community is assembling to support wildfire victims and firefighters in a sprawling citywide effort.
'Survivor's guilt' is real right now in L.A.
Smoke and ash are in the air, and so is survivor's guilt, leaving many unsure how to act or grieve. While survivor's guilt can cause grief and shame, it is...
Patti Smith says reports about 'collapse' are 'grossly exaggerated': 'Trust me I am fine'
Patti Smith downplays her recent fall onstage and blames 'post-migraine dizziness' for the incident, which she believes 'does not merit so much attention.'
FEMA doubles down on its decision to not test soil as part of wildfire cleanup
FEMA is doubling down on its decision to not test soil after cleanup of toxic wildfire ash and debris in Los Angeles County, despite public outrage.
Join the L.A. Times on a winter hike in Elysian Park
We're inviting 30 L.A. Times subscribers to join us on a reader hike on Saturday, March 8 at 9 a.m. This time, we'll be hiking the urban-adjacent trail Elysian Park...
Earth's hidden carbon recyclers: Sulfur bacteria team up to break down organic substances in the seabed
Sulfate-reducing bacteria break down a large proportion of the organic carbon in the oxygen-free zones of Earth, and in the seabed in particular. Among these important microbes, the Desulfobacteraceae family...
Ex-cyclone batters Australia, causing huge blackouts
Ex-Cyclone Alfred stalled off the rain- and wind-lashed coast of eastern Australia on Saturday, threatening to unleash floods after blacking out more than 330,000 homes and businesses.
Saturday Citations: A supermassive black hole in the LMC; ozone layer recovery; abstract memory in humans
This week, based on a genetic study, researchers issued a recommendation that bison in Yellowstone National Park should be treated as one large, interbreeding herd. Physicists proposed a new framework...
Earth's oldest impact crater was just found in Australia—exactly where geologists hoped it would be
We have discovered the oldest meteorite impact crater on Earth, in the very heart of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The crater formed more than 3.5 billion years ago,...
Floods, mass power cuts as wild weather bashes eastern Australia
Gusts and torrential rain have blacked out more than a quarter of a million properties and swamped parts of Australia's east coast, officials said Sunday, with one driver confirmed dead...
2024 was the hottest year on record, NASA and NOAA confirm
Weather organizations from around the world agree that the planet's average global surface temperature in 2024 could well have passed a crucial threshold meant to limit the worst effects of...
Regulators criticized Edison's wildfire safety actions months before deadly Eaton fire
State regulators criticized Southern California Edison for falling behind in inspecting transmission lines in areas at high risk of wildfires just months before the deadly Eaton fire, according to state...
What's in the smoke and ash of L.A.-area fires? County issues health warning
Officials are warning of windblown ash and other pollutants from Los Angeles-area fires and say air quality readers won't pick up on the ash pollutants.
State regulators approve Edison's wildfire prevention plan despite concerns
The California Public Utilities Commission voted to approve Southern California Edison's wildfire mitigation plan, ignoring requests that the decision be delayed.
Edison wants to raise rates to pay for wildfires linked to its equipment
As Southern California Edison fights claims that it caused the deadly Eaton fire, the company is lobbying state regulators to have its customers cover more than $7 billion for damages...
L.A. fires wreaked havoc on the land. Scientists are racing to learn what they've done to the sea
The debris and pollution from the recent L.A. fires will eventually make their way to the ocean — and scientists will be gauging the impact.
The L.A. wildfires left neighborhoods choking in ash and toxic air. Residents demand answers
Nearly two weeks after the Eaton fire forced Claire Robinson to flee her Altadena home, she returned, donning a white hazmat suit, a respirator and goggles.
Another unwelcome consequence of climate change: An explosion of urban rats
Global warming is worsening droughts, making sea levels rise, and fueling deadly storms. Now scientists have a new problem to add to that list: Climate change is helping rat populations...
As global plastic production grows, so does the concentration of microplastics in our brains
New study: As global plastic production grows, so too does the concentration of microplastics in our bodies.
Earth's inner core isn't just slowing; it's also shape-shifting, study finds
A new study from USC scientists reveals Earth's inner core is undergoing structural transformation.
Fire debris is washing up on L.A.'s beaches. County officials warn the public to steer clear
The gunk has turned up on shorelines from Malibu to Redondo Beach: ghostly lines of charred black bits and melted debris left behind by retreating waves.