Latest about Planet Earth
15 unexpected effects of climate change
From shrinking goats to a dimmer Earth, here are some of the lesser-known impacts of rising global temperatures.
500 million-year-old worm with 'shuriken' spikes named after gigantic 'Dune' sandworms
The newly discovered species was part of the phylum annelid, which is made up of segmented worms.
The worst droughts in US history
From the Middle Ages to today, North America has experienced a number of extremely dry periods.
14 of the deepest sinkholes on Earth
From China's Heavenly Pit, which stretches down 2,172 feet, to the Devil's Sinkhole in Texas that is home to three million bats — here are some of the world's deepest known sinkholes.
19 'mass extinctions' had CO2 levels we're now veering toward, study warns
The research looked at peaks in biodiversity loss and their relationship with atmospheric CO2, finding 50 events over the last 534 million years that can be considered mass extinctions.
Iceland's newest volcano is now spewing out tornadoes
As well as tornadoes, loud bangs sounding across the Reykjanes Peninsula indicate that pockets of methane within the lava are exploding.
'Black swan' pathogens from ancient permafrost may be getting ready to wake up
Scientists simulated ancient viruses to see what impact they would have on the environment. While most had few consequences, 1% were capable of killing their hosts and disrupting ecosystems.
Deadly swarm of earthquakes in Japan caused by magma moving through extinct volcano
Over 10,000 earthquakes have hit the Noto Peninsula over the last three years. They are believed to be emanating from an long-dead volcano, with fluids pushing through the collapsed system.
