Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Restoring nature beyond forests: A new map for rethinking ecological conservation
An international study led by the University of Liège proposes a new map of the potential for natural vegetation on Earth, far beyond forests. By incorporating the role of fire...
How Google's Android earthquake detection system can save lives
If you're in an earthquake-prone area and own an Android phone, it could save your life. It may even have already done so. The Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system, which...
Spain taming fire that belched smoke cloud over Madrid
Spanish firefighters on Friday were bringing under control a forest fire near Madrid that had cloaked the capital in a huge cloud of acrid smoke.
AI-assisted sorting, other new technologies could improve plastic recycling
Just 9% of plastic worldwide is recycled. Due to waste mismanagement, nearly three-quarters of it ends up in landfills or the environment.
Deep life's survival secret: Crustal faulting generates key energy sources, study shows
Chinese researchers have recently challenged the long-held belief that "all life depends on sunlight." In a study published in Science Advances, the researchers identified how microbes in deep subsurface areas...
Controversial grizzly killed on island off B.C. coast, conservation officers investigating
British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service (COS) says a grizzly bear on an island off the Sunshine Coast has been shot and killed.
Alberta storm chasers find beauty, science, community up in the clouds
You know when Environment Canada tells you a storm is coming and to stay away from it? There's a group of people based in Alberta who find their happy place...
Inside the secret plan to relocate a wayward B.C. grizzly bear
As people continue to mourn the loss of a wayward grizzly on an island off the B.C. coast, many are left wondering why the bear wasn’t relocated to avoid what...
Scientists potentially narrow MH370 search area to 3 spots
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Scientists have potentially narrowed the search area for the missing Malaysian airliner to three specific locations in the southern...
Loss of sea ice leads walruses to early appearance in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Hundreds of Pacific walruses came ashore to a barrier island on Alaska's northwest coast, the earliest appearance of the...
Φsat-2 begins science phase for AI Earth images
Φsat-2, a miniature satellite, has completed its commissioning and has begun delivery of science data, using algorithms to efficiently process and compress Earth observation images, as well as detect wildfires,...
Unprecedented Fire Season Has Raged Through One of Earth's Biodiversity Hotspots
More than 500 fires have burned across Colombia, including in its delicate and unique highland wetlands, one of the fastest evolving ecosystems on Earth
Why is the moon's far side so weird? China's lunar sample-return mission may have figured it out
The impact that carved out the moon's huge South Pole-Aitken basin may explain the puzzling differences between the lunar near and far sides.
Satellite images track Grand Canyon wildfires burning across thousands of acres
Lightning-ignited Grand Canyon wildfires burn tens of thousands of acres, as NOAA’s GOES satellites continue to monitor the fires.
Stratospheric skydiver Felix Baumgartner dies at 56 in tragic paragliding accident
Baumgartner is most well-known for breaking the sound barrier with his body during a freefall from the stratosphere in 2012.
Meteor impact may have triggered massive Grand Canyon landslide 56,000 years ago
A meteorite impact thousands of years ago may have triggered a landslide in the Grand Canyon and reshaped the Colorado River that runs through the national park.
California reports sharp rise in valley fever cases for first three months of 2025
Weather patterns, construction activity and wildfires can all play a role in outbreaks of valley fever, caused by inhaling a fungus.
Monster earthquake could sink swath of California, dramatically heightening flood risk, study says
A long-feared monster earthquake off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington could cause some areas to sink by more than 6 feet, dramatically heightening the risk of flooding.
Edison hit with lawsuit saying Eaton fire exposed people to toxic substances
Lawyers filing the lawsuit cite an investigation by The Times in which the testing of soil samples at homes found toxic heavy metals in excess of California standards.
L.A. County finds high lead levels in soil on properties already cleaned by Army Corps
New soil testing has found high levels of lead in the soil at wildfire-destroyed homes that federal cleanup crews had determined to be cleared of such contaminants, according to Los...
Researchers call on Newsom to pay for post-fire soil testing in Los Angeles County
A group of environmental researchers is calling on the Newsom administration to step in and pay for soil testing at thousands of homes destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires.
Months after the fires, how safe is it to swim at L.A.'s beaches?
Assessing the January fires' environmental toll is tough on land. It's even harder in the sea.
California board voted to nix a controversial hazardous waste proposal
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control had planned to weaken rules for hazard waste disposal. An oversight board voted to kill that proposal.
A mysterious, highly active undersea volcano near California could erupt later this year. What scientists expect
Nearly a mile deep, the Pacific Ocean volcano known as Axial Seamount is drawing increasing scrutiny from scientists who only discovered its existence in the 1980s.
CalRecycle drafts revised plastic recycling rules that are more friendly to industry
Newsom scuttled the finalization of a landmark waste law, leading CalRecycle to propose new rules. Critics say the rules pander to industry by making broad exemptions.
'It's pretty bleak': A warming planet is poised to get even hotter, forecasters warn
Get ready for more fires, more droughts and more hurricanes.
Want to understand CalRecycle's chemical recycling rules? You'll need to pay
CalRecycle's latest attempt at rules to implement the state's plastic waste law is under fire — including for its decision to use ISO guidelines on hazardous waste that cost nearly...
Lawmakers ask Newsom and waste agency to follow the law on plastic legislation
More than two dozen lawmakers signed a letter urging the governor and CalRecycle to toss regulations drafted to implement landmark plastic legislation they say ignores the law.