Is every snowflake truly unique? Physicist Kenneth Libbrecht has made a career out of photographing the variety of snowflake shapes, from familiar six-sided forms to more exotic "bullet rosettes" and "capped columns." EARTH's latest slideshow takes you on a visual tour of these delicate ice crystals.

Geophysicist Dave Engebretson turns scientific data into the music of the spheres: Setting the data to sound frequencies, he has converted the last 20,000 years of eruptions along the Cascade Mountains into warlike bursts of explosive sound, and turned the ebb and flow of the tides into musical scales.

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.

DOE says Hurricane Ike’s damage to Gulf Coast oil industries was not as bad as authorities had feared.

Ancient wildfires offer clues about how much oxygen was in Earth’s early atmosphere.