On the morning of September 5, a loosely swirling system of thunderstorms formed off the western coast of Africa. By September 6, the system had become a Category 1 storm, with maximum…
First animal model to show the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on fertility
Many trans or nonbinary individuals grapple with gender dysphoria, an enduring distress caused by a conflict between the sex assigned at birth and the gender they identify with. Among a myriad of…
Some leaves in tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis
Like people, leaves have their limits when it comes to heat. Scientists first reported in 1864 that the leaves of some plants could survive up to 50° Celsius, only to perish beyond…
To form pink diamonds, build and destroy a supercontinent
The world’s largest source of natural diamonds — and of more than 90 percent of all natural pink diamonds found so far — may have formed due to the breakup of Earth’s…
A laser gyroscope measured tiny variations in the lengths of days on Earth
Some days really are longer than others. And now scientists know by precisely how much. Using a laser gyroscope, scientists have measured variations in Earth’s rotation rate smaller than a millionth of…
Turning plastic waste into low-cost hydrogen fuels
As the impacts of the ongoing climate crisis and environmental challenges like pollution and ecosystem degradation become increasingly evident, the need for innovative solutions that address these complex issues on multiple fronts…
‘The Deepest Map’ explores the thrills — and dangers — of charting the ocean
The Deepest MapLaura TretheweyHarper Wave, $32 In 2019, the multimillionaire and explorer Victor Vescovo made headlines when he became the first person to visit the deepest parts of all five of Earth’s…
How Kenya is helping its neighbors develop geothermal energy
The dusty town of Naivasha sits within the Great Rift Valley, where the African continent is being divided into two. About 90 kilometers northwest of Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, Naivasha welcomes…
How one device could help transform our power grid
From Colorado to Washington, from Ohio to Pennsylvania, coal-fired power plants are shutting down. The United States is on track to retire half of its capacity to generate electricity from coal by…
Antarctic sea ice has been hitting record lows for most of this year
Something strange is happening to the Antarctic’s sea ice. The areal expanse of floating ice fringing the continent is not only at a record low for this time of year — surpassing…