Which Earth and space science stories stood out this year?
News
The Great Unconformity or Great Unconformities?
Some scientists think the Great Unconformity was caused by Snowball Earth’s glaciations. Recent work suggests these phenomena might not be related.
Drones Make Weather Prediction Easier at the Poles
Researchers measured wind speed with a commercially available drone and a lightweight sensor. The approach could help scientists gather more data from remote environments.
Twenty Years of NSF Funding Show Racial Disparities
White principal investigators won a disproportionate share of National Science Foundation funding between 1996 and 2016, according to an analysis of public data.
Satellite Data Reveal Uptick in Cover Cropping on Farms
Over the course of a decade, farmers growing corn and soybeans in the U.S. Midwest increased their adoption of cover cropping—a tenet of so-called conservation agriculture—by fourfold.
Stories Scribed on Palm Leaves Help Scientists Understand Ancient Eruption
Deposits from the 1257 Samalas eruption may contain artifacts of an ancient kingdom, according to scientists who link volcanology studies with histories written onto palm leaves.
El conocimiento tradicional es esencial para la sustentabilidad en el Amazonas
Durante la COP26, el Panel Científico por la Amazonia enfatiza la necesidad del conocimiento indígena y local para orientar las recomendaciones científicas y políticas.
Meteor Impact Could Inform Martian Mysteries
The impact sent surface waves rippling over the Martian surface all the way to NASA’s InSight lander, giving scientists a rare view of the planet’s outer layer.
El Niño Varies More Intensely Now Than in the Past Millennium
Researchers found evidence for a strengthening El Niño in living and fossilized Galápagos corals.
New Crowdsourced Science Project Will Study Sprites
The NASA-funded project is asking sky gazers, storm chasers, and scientists to capture photos of sprites and other optical phenomena that flash above thunderclouds after a lightning strike.