NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters risk their lives each time they fly into the eye of a storm to collect crucial data for forecasting, hurricane modeling, and research.
weird & wonderful
Eavesdropping on the Vibrations of Earth’s Magnetic Bubble
A NASA-funded crowdsourced science project has converted the unheard sounds resonating inside Earth’s magnetic shield into audible tracks, revealing an orchestra of whistles, wooshes, and chirps.
Godzilla Gets a Forever Home on the Ocean Floor
The world’s largest oceanic core complex is named after the reptilian monster from Japanese science fiction. Parts of the seabed feature were recently christened with the beast’s anatomy.
In New Zealand, Fish Are Helping Scientists Find Gold
Enormous amounts of gold lie buried beneath the rubble of New Zealand’s mountains, and scientists are using freshwater fish genetics to find it.
Making Sense of the Great Barrier Reef’s Mysterious Green Donuts
Researchers set sail to the Great Barrier Reef to study how ring-shaped algae deposits formed and evolved, what feeds them, and the diversity of creatures that call them home.
Finding Climate History in the Rafters of New York City Buildings
When renovating in the Big Apple, you might acquire a several-hundred-year-old climate database along with your new kitchen and bath.
Our Favorite Science Stories of 2022
Which Earth and space science stories stood out this year?
Tiny “Pancakes” Suggest Some Asteroids May Stay Active
Analysis of a meteorite that fell in Costa Rica shows that its parent body may resemble the asteroid Bennu.
Gigantic Jet of Lightning Mapped over Oklahoma
The most powerful gigantic jet ever recorded fortuitously appeared over a sensor array in Oklahoma, enabling scientists to map the structure of the phenomenon for the first time.
Shake, Rattle, and Probe
Helioseismology allows scientists to study the interior of the Sun, solve some basic physics mysteries, and forecast space weather.