60-Second Earth

Life thrives even deep inside Earth and scientists are beginning to suspect extensive connections among those underground environments. David Biello reports

The long-term winter warming of Russia’s far north has gotten a boost from industrialization. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The biggest single source of global warming pollution actually started to shrink in 2014. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The value of recycling depends on the material in question and whether all hidden costs and benefits go into the analysis. David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Researchers announced the discovery of 98 beetle species previously unknown to science. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The Sundarbans, part of the world's largest mangrove forest and stretching across India and Bangladesh, have been tarnished by a 350,000-liter oil spill. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The pattern that stores a film on a Blu-ray disc also can help improve photovoltaics. David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

When the Sun's magnetic field is pointed away from Earth, lightning strikes in the U.K. go up 50 percent. Christopher Intagliata reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Infected gorillas and chimps butchered for meat may be behind Ebola outbreaks. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

A World Wildlife Fund report estimates losses of 40 percent of all individual land and sea animals, and a 70 percent population crash of all river animals, since 1970. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The world united to combat the ozone hole, can we do the same for climate change? David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The mighty blue whale is back after being nearly hunted to extinction. David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Legal ivory markets that are supposed to only deal in stockpiles and antiques inevitably launder poached ivory. Close them all, says WCS vice president for species conservation. David Biello... -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Of four common corals and algae tested, three still produced shells in conditions that mimic oceans if atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 1,000 ppm. David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

How existing cities expand and new cities emerge will determine how humanity fares in the 21st century. David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Environmental destruction—-from smuggling elephant tusks to illegal dumping of toxic waste—-generates as much as $213 billion annually for criminals and terrorists. David Biello... -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

When gas mileage cost was explicitly revealed on new car window stickers, potential consumers were more likely to choose the most efficient vehicle. David Biello reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

In a May 21 speech Pope Francis warned that despoiling the environment would come back to haunt humanity. David Biello reports  

Corn plants bred to thrive in good weather even though very close together appear to be particularly vulnerable to the droughts predicted in the coming decades. Cynthia Graber reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

A meta-analysis of ecosystems finds that species losses in any given place do not yet translate to large changes in the number of different species in that place. David Biello reports -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com