Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Iceland's Volcanic Eruption Winding Down
Smaller Bursts Ash and Steam Coming From the Volcano; Previous Eruption in 1821 Lasted Almost Two Years
Gulf Oil Spill Worst in U.S. History; Drilling Postponed
Amid cautious optimism that a "top kill" effort to cap the leaking well causing the Gulf oil spill is working, President Obama banned new offshore drilling Wednesday until further...
Blair to advise Silicon Valley group on climate
(AP) -- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is joining a Silicon Valley business as a senior adviser on environmental issues.
Ariane 5 Makes History with 50th Mission
During its landmark 50th launch, Europe's Ariane 5 rocket successfully blasted off from the South American coast Friday evening, May 21, 2010.
Fast-breeding mice dominate a warming world
Past climate change led to lower diversity in the small and furry.
Facebook founder out to fix 'a bunch of mistakes'
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday said the social networking service has made blunders that it hopes to fix with coming changes to its privacy controls.
Video: Oily Mess along Gulf Coastline
Residents across coastal Louisiana, particularly fishermen, are outraged over British Petroleum's lagging efforts to contain leaking oil. Mark Strassmann reports from Grand Isle, La.
Oil Mars More Than 50 Miles of Louisiana Shore
Officials Fear Aggressive Cleanup of Oil-Soaked Marshlands May Be Impossible
Video: Waves of Oil Washing Ashore
Shrimp boats are working in the Gulf but no one's fishing. With oil all over, a fishing ban circles all of Grand Isle for miles. This community is in crisis....
Organic solids in soil may speed up bacterial breathing
The "mineral-breathing" bacteria found in many oxygen-free environments may be "carbon-breathing" as well. Oxygen-free, or anaerobic, environments contain microbes sometimes described as "mineral-breathing" because they use iron oxides and other...
Small mammals -- and rest of food chain -- at greater risk from global warming than thought
The balance of biodiversity within North American small-mammal communities is so out of whack from the last episode of global warming about 12,000 years ago that the current climate change...
I fought the squirrell… and the squirrell won
He may be small and furry, but he's crafty – and he and his mates have outsmarted meThe squirrels are lying low. Maybe it's the early morning surprise attack I launched –...
Oil spill caused by 'a confluence of unfortunate events'
Although the exact cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion isn't certain, at least a dozen offshore drilling experts agree that cement, or pipes encased by cement, had to have failed first. Flaws in...
Packed and Ready to Go in Hawaii: 20,000 Tons of Garbage
The garbage in Oahu has been shrink-wrapped into green bales that are neatly stacked, ready to ship about 2,300 miles across the Pacific to the mainland.
UN study backs economic changes to save natural world: report
A key UN report on biodiversity will recommend massive economic changes like company fines to help save species and protect the natural world, The Guardian reported here on Saturday.
Anger mounts as oil blackens Louisiana coast
Anger was mounting as heavy oil blackened Louisiana's marshes and beaches and efforts to cap the oil which has been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for more than a...
Is location-based social networking practical in spread-out Los Angeles?
Sure, you can beam your location through Foursquare, Loopt or Gowalla, but what's unanswered is whether anyone is likely to face a freeway for a meet-up. In early May, Mark Ghuneim was...
For travelers, an Icelandic pain in the ash
Figuring out whether travel insurance covers your canceled trip can be as hard to fathom as the pronunciation of the volcano causing all the trouble (Eyjafjallajokull). ...
Air India plane crashes, killing at least 160 people
Flight IX-892 goes down in a wooded valley about six miles from the Mangalore airport. Six people are pulled out alive from the wreckage. ...
Insurgents attack NATO's southern Afghan base
Insurgents launched a rare ground assault against NATO's main military base in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, wounding several U.S. service members in the second such attack on a major military...
4.8-magnitude quake shakes Baja
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook Baja Mexico at 10:33 a.m. Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was located 71 miles east of Tijuana and 22 miles south-southwest of...
Rip current alert issued for Southern California beaches through Sunday night
The National Weather Service issued a high rip current alert for Southern California beaches for Saturday and Sunday.
Expert Head-Scratching on the Plumes
The discovery that oil from the gulf leak is spreading beneath the sea in plumes has led to some energetic theorizing about exactly what might be going on a mile...
NASA Practices Astronaut Space Rescue on Sea Floor
It's a scenario NASA hopes to never to face: An astronaut in distress in a hostile environment in need of a rescue. But in this emergency, the victims are mannequins...
Singapore navy testing unmanned mine-hunter: report
The Singapore navy is testing an unmanned underwater vessel capable of detecting and destroying mines as part of its modernisation plans, a report said Saturday.
Experts Express Doubts on Sand-Berm Proposal
Doubts have been raised about the timing and effectiveness of a proposal by Louisiana officials to stop the flow of oil to barrier islands.
News Analysis: Obama Sketches Energy Plan in Oil
A month after the gulf explosion, the president made clear that he was not going to waste the moment, announcing plans for stricter vehicle emissions standards.
Oil spill commission takes shape
Two political veterans will head a US commission investigating a huge oil spill, reports say, amid criticism of the response.