Ravaged by war, drought and natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides, Afghanistan’s people face many challenges. Two stories in the most recent issue of EARTH magazine highlight the daunting challenges these scientists dealt with in the past and continue to face.

Giant retailer Wal-Mart is looking to get greener, starting with a new plan to use wind power to supply 15 percent of its energy needs.

Media stories that granite countertops can emit dangerous radiation have sparked panic among consumers. But such fears are baseless, experts say.

As lunar exploration gears back up, scientists are still puzzling over a longstanding challenge: How to drill into the tough lunar soil to discover what lies beneath. The solution, however, may be quite close to home.

On March 14, 2008, a tornado ripped through Atlanta — for the first time in the city's 171-year history. The cause of the freak event, scientists say, may be a combination of rain and heat from the urban landscape.

As lunar exploration gears back up, scientists are still puzzling over a longstanding challenge: How to drill into the tough lunar soil to discover what lies beneath. The solution, however, may be quite close to home.

The first climate report from Barack Obama's presidency synthesizes existing scientific data and has a strong message: Climate change isn't coming; it's already here. The next question: What the country should do about it.

In an old safe buried in eastern Washington, workers discovered a glass bottle of plutonium in 2004. The bottle's contents are helping scientists track the spread of nuclear materials.

In June 1938, China made a desperate attempt to prevent the invading Japanese army from moving further inland. In the largest act of environmental warfare in history, General Chiang Kai-sheck unchained the Huang He (Yellow River) from its levees — with deadly results.

The first climate report from Barack Obama's presidency synthesizes existing scientific data and has a strong message: Climate change isn't coming; it's already here. The next question: What the country should do about it.

A geologic period just got a little older.