January 5, 2012
The Disappearing Lake
For many tourists, Mountain Lake in southwestern Virginia has been an idyllic retreat. But in 2008, it pulled a disappearing act, leaving behind …
The EARTH archive
Science and Society
Explore the archive by subject.
143 articles · Page 4 of 6
January 5, 2012
The Changing Face of Sudan
To say that things are changing in Sudan would be an understatement. With a referendum on secession set for Jan. 9, and expected to pass, and …
January 5, 2012
Texas Board of Education votes to strike amendment questioning evolution
Blogging on EARTH Evolution will still be taught in Texas. After months of proposed amendments, statements by special interest groups and lengthy …
January 5, 2012
Termites and climate change: Here, there and everywhere?
Will climate change allow termite populations in North America to spread? As a child growing up in Iowa, every summer I looked forward to our …
January 5, 2012
Surviving field school: Better than reality TV
David Harwood’s geology field course for future teachers is not a network reality show — but it should be. The three-week course has all the …
January 5, 2012
Student scientists cast a long shadow
Last December, in the enormous, fluorescent-lit hall of San Francisco’s Moscone Center South, thousands of geophysicists and geologists milled …
January 5, 2012
Strategies to meet our water and energy needs: Insight from a Texas "Treemap"
"This is our generation’s Sputnik moment," declared President Barack Obama in the 2011 State of the Union address, challenging the nation to …
January 5, 2012
Stonehenge's Mysterious Stones
A tale of glaciers, man, rocks and North America Out of the mist that blankets the gently rolling hills of Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge rises …
January 5, 2012
Sea sprawl: Into the blue frontier of ocean development
Picture it: Dozens of kilometers off the coast of Texas, a giant polygon-shaped cage constructed of steel ribs and mesh netting floats 30 or so …
January 5, 2012
Scientists Go to the Movies
Hollywood’s sometimes sloppy depiction of scientific concepts often galls scientists. Some productions strive for accuracy; others — well, they …
January 5, 2012
Saving Energy and Water Through Superior Sanitation
Have you ever thought about using your urine to fertilize your tomatoes and cucumbers? Full of nutrients like phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen, …
January 5, 2012
Report from Ground Zero
How geoscientists aid in the aftermath of environmental disasters People around the world remember when they first learned of the attacks on New …
January 5, 2012
Rebuilding Afghanistan
Ravaged by war, drought and natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides, Afghanistan’s people face many challenges. But the country also …
January 5, 2012
Raising bees and capturing rainwater: U.S. prisons go green
The flagging economy may complicate federal aspirations for a green revolution, but at least one government entity has adopted the movement in …
January 5, 2012
Putting Earth's history to sound
Geophysicist Dave Engebretson of Western Washington University in Bellingham has struggled with his eyesight since birth. But when his vision …
January 5, 2012
Protecting planets from us - and us from them
The Outer Space Treaty and planetary contamination Is there life out there? Finding life has been a goal of the exploration of other celestial …
January 5, 2012
People of the Ice
“We do not come to Antarctica because we are in love with Antarctica. We come to Antarctica because we want a mystery to solve, and we love a …
January 5, 2012
Pelosi: Science first for economic recovery
Blogging on EARTH According to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, there are four words to describe the economic recovery package that Congress will …
January 5, 2012
Opening up space travel to everyone
Jason Marsh is done waiting around for someone else to transport him into space. Marsh, a system administrator near Washington, D.C., is …
January 5, 2012
OPEC and Oil: The next 50 years
Last September, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) celebrated its 50th anniversary. Over the past five decades, OPEC …
January 5, 2012
On Her Majesty's space agency
The United Kingdom is to have its own dedicated space agency, U.K. Minister for Science Lord Paul Drayson announced last month. Supporters of the …
January 5, 2012
Obama asks EPA to reconsider state-set emissions standards
Just a week into his presidency, Barack Obama has already set out to reverse several of Bush’s policies, including policies on long-contentious …
January 5, 2012
November 26,1872: Great Diamond Hoax Exposed
On a foggy day in 1871, two men walked into the Bank of California in San Francisco. One held a rifle and the other gripped a large buckskin …
January 5, 2012
Maldives' residents looking for a new patch of land
Blogging on EARTH The highest land point in the Maldives, a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean, is only about 2.4 meters above sea level. …