January 5, 2012
Lay of the Land: Terrain's Toll on the U.S. Civil War
In the waning days of summer 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee lined his Confederate troops along a grassy ridge on the western side of Antietam Creek in …
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143 articles · Page 5 of 6
January 5, 2012
Lack of water threatens "Garden of Eden"
Since the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqis and scientists from around the world have been working hard to restore Iraq’s once-lush …
January 5, 2012
Is there really a minerals crisis?
China sent the high-tech industry and markets reeling last September when it blocked exports of raw rare earth minerals to Japan. In mid-October …
January 5, 2012
Is it time to invest in entrepreneurial geoengineering?
Government research and development has its limits: Time, money and bureaucracy can all hamper the timely progress of research. As a result, many …
January 5, 2012
How oil and water helped the U.S. win World War II
World War II U.S. Gen. Omar Bradley is often cited as the originator of the famous military quote: “Amateurs study tactics, professionals study …
January 5, 2012
Hot enough for ya? Investigating climate change in "Heat"
In FRONTLINE's urgent, ambitious new special "Heat," producer and reporter Martin Smith takes on a sweeping canvas of climate change, journeying …
January 5, 2012
Hazardous Living: Atlantis' final countdown
As the space shuttle Atlantis prepared for liftoff for the final time this morning, I was humming Europe’s 1986 hit “Final Countdown” in my …
January 5, 2012
Great Lakes geologic sunken treasure
The Great Lakes hold the secrets of hundreds of ill-fated voyages in their notoriously treacherous waters. Shipwreck enthusiasts find a bounty of …
January 5, 2012
Granite countertops: NOT silent killers
Nothing says class like a thick slab of polished granite. The stone is so durable. So chic. So modern. So...radioactive? On Sept. 2, NBC's Today …
January 5, 2012
Google searching for the world's next top scientists
The old baking soda volcano probably won't get you very close to the blue ribbon in Google's Global Science Fair 2011. The fair, a first for …
January 5, 2012
GM, Ford, Chrysler CEOs may carpool to Capitol
Blogging on EARTH Last week, members of the House Financial Services Committee blasted the execs at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler for …
January 5, 2012
Getting a master's in social geology
At first glance, it seems like an obvious solution to a problem: Villagers need vegetables and an aid organization has money to buy tools and …
January 5, 2012
Geoscientists Without Borders: Geologists Lend a Hand
Craig Beasley’s one-year term as president of the Society for Exploration Geophysicists had a challenging start. After about two months in …
January 5, 2012
Geomedia: Twitter gives heads-up to users and officials about earthquakes
Twitter stirs up a wide range of reactions — it’s hailed as a vital social networking service by some, despised as the ultimate waste of time by …
January 5, 2012
Games: In Spore, cells divide and conquer
I’m no evolutionary biologist, but I’m pretty sure that you can’t just add a horn or an extra ear to your own body whenever you feel like you …
January 5, 2012
FY 2010 budget cuts Yucca, oil and gas programs
Blogging on EARTH The White House Office of Management and Budget released today its FY 2010 budget reductions and savings — what programs it …
January 5, 2012
Finding water in the heart of darkness: Afghanistan's ongoing water challenges
Fieldwork in Afghanistan is not like most geology fieldwork. “When I landed, the first thing I had to do was to put on a bulletproof vest,” says …
January 5, 2012
Extinction-era coal linked to Chinese cancer epidemic
At the close of the Permian, 252 million years ago, conditions on Earth took a turn for the worse, nearly wiping out life on land and at sea in …
January 5, 2012
Energy's the hot topic this week on the Hill
UPDATE: The House energy bill, which will allow offshore drilling and gives states incentives by sharing the revenues from drilling leases with …
January 5, 2012
Energy mission: "Kilowatt Ours"
“What if every time you flipped a light switch, a mountain exploded in West Virginia?” In the new documentary “Kilowatt Ours,” filmmaker Jeff …
January 5, 2012
Earthquake prediction: Gone and back again
The 1990s and early 2000s were hard times for earthquake prediction research. “For 10 years, there was limited funding in the U.S.,” says Dimitar …
January 5, 2012
Earth: The movie (not the magazine)
Blogging on EARTH (the magazine) Earth Day is over. But you don’t have to wait until next year to celebrate the planet. Disney’s new movie …
January 5, 2012
Earth science rocks at the USA Science & Engineering Festival
A jazz-improvising robot; an Einstein impersonator; Van de Graaff generators that make your hair stand on end: These were just some of the …
January 5, 2012
Designing Snowflakes
It's easy to forget that powerful snowstorms are made of tiny, delicate ice crystals we call snowflakes. Some snowflakes take a familiar …