The world’s largest cosmic ray detector accidentally spotted elves, an unusual lightning phenomenon high in the atmosphere. Now it’s intentionally looking for more.
South America
Posted inNews
Pollution Spikes in Chile Tied to Soccer Fans’ Barbecuing
In Santiago, mysterious pollution spikes—tenfold above normal levels—occur during televised soccer matches and are caused by tens of thousands of barbecues, new results reveal.
Posted inNews
Tropical Forests Are Losing Their Ability to Soak Up Carbon
The forests could switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source by the mid-2030s.
Posted inNews
Brazil’s Oil Spill Is a Mystery, so Scientists Try Oil Forensics
Thousands of barrels of oil have been tarring Brazil’s beaches since September, and no one knows why. An oil spill scientist is running oil forensics to find out.
Posted inNews
Ousted Head of Science Agency Criticizes Brazil’s Denial of Deforestation Data
Ricardo Galvão was fired from the institute that monitors deforestation in the Amazon. Now he and other scientists are speaking out against attacks on science.
Posted inNews
Recycled Glasses Connect Eclipse Watchers Across the Equator
Instead of throwing them in the trash, millions donated their slightly used eclipse glasses so that others around the world could share the experience.
Posted inNews
European Contact with the Americas May Have Triggered Global Cooling
The loss of precontact agricultural communities to genocide and disease may have led to massive reforestation, a dip in carbon dioxide, and one of the coldest snaps of the Little Ice Age.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Invasive Freshwater Mussels Drive Changes in Estuary Sediments
The golden mussel has spread quickly in the 30 years since its arrival in South America and is transforming aquatic ecosystems in waterways across the continent.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Auroras May Explain an Anomaly in Earth’s Ionosphere
A new study finds that the ionospheric anomaly over the Weddell Sea is likely influenced by proximity to auroral energy input, rather than by tilting magnetic fields.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
In Patagonian Lakes, Glacial Meltwater Lies Low
A new study reveals key differences in ice-water interactions between glaciers that flow into lakes and glaciers that end in the sea.