Science

It’s Official: This Winter Was America’s Warmest on Record

It’s Official: This Winter Was America’s Warmest on Record

This winter was the warmest on the record for the continental U.S., new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows, as average temperatures climbed nearly 5 F above normal. How temperatures compared to long-term averages across the contiguous U.S. during the winter of 2015-2016. Photo credit: NOAA Every state in the lower 48 […]

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    Arctic Sea Ice Levels Hit Record Low After Unusually Warm January

    Arctic Sea Ice Levels Hit Record Low After Unusually Warm January

    By National Snow and Ice Data Center January Arctic sea ice extent was the lowest in the satellite record, attended by unusually high air temperatures over the Arctic Ocean and a strong negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) for the first three weeks of the month. Meanwhile in the Antarctic, this year’s extent was […]

    Scientists Explore Toxic Ice Caves to Learn About Potential Alien Life on Other Planets

    Scientists Explore Toxic Ice Caves to Learn About Potential Alien Life on Other Planets

    A team of researchers from National Geographic recently carried out an expedition into the ice caves inside one of Mount Rainier’s craters in Washington. The expedition served three purposes: collect data to protect climbers, learn about potential alien life on icy planets and study the cave’s climatology. These caves often end up becoming places of refuge […]

    Neil deGrasse Tyson Schools Rapper B.o.B. Who Believes the Earth Is Flat

    Neil deGrasse Tyson Schools Rapper B.o.B. Who Believes the Earth Is Flat

    Rapper B.o.B. is the latest celebrity to take to Twitter to promote the “Flat Earth” theory, which has no support in the modern scientific community. https://twitter.com/bobatl/status/691439089543880704 His evidence includes “Why is the horizon always at eye level?,” “Why aren’t planes constantly flying into space?” and “Why can you see Philadelphia from New Jersey?” Here is a […]

    Is There a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System?

    Is There a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System?

    Last week, two scientists announced evidence of a planet roughly the size of Neptune with a mass 10 times that of Earth‘s and a thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. The planet is so far away that its year would last 10,000 to 20,000 Earth-years. The planet has not actually been seen yet, though. Rather, two planetary scientists, Konstantin […]

    NASA Scientist Dying of Cancer Attacked by Climate Deniers

    NASA Scientist Dying of Cancer Attacked by Climate Deniers

    Piers Sellers, a NASA astronaut and climate scientist, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times this past weekend after being diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Poignant words of hope from friend, Piers Sellers. Life, love, and our fragile planet. https://t.co/RdDCT41otu pic.twitter.com/pm8DUBKPlf — Doug Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) January 17, 2016 Sellers wrote: “This diagnosis puts […]

    5 Brightest Planets Align for First Time in a Decade

    5 Brightest Planets Align for First Time in a Decade

    For the next few weeks, stargazers are in for a treat. It’s the first time in more than a decade that all five planets visible with the naked eye—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—are visible at the same time. Those in the Northern Hemisphere should look to the south about 45 minutes before sunrise, while those in the Southern […]

    Scientists Link Extreme Weather to Climate Change

    Scientists Link Extreme Weather to Climate Change

    A rapid near-time analysis of the UK’s record-breaking wet December in 2015 suggests that climate change increased the odds of the exceptionally high rainfall by 50-75 percent. Carbon Brief takes a look at the research and quizzes of the experts on the science behind attributing extreme weather events to human-caused climate change. https://twitter.com/CarbonBrief/status/687911101149933568, suggest that […]

    Why Mars as a Backup Planet Isn’t a Good Idea

    Why Mars as a Backup Planet Isn’t a Good Idea

    You’ve probably heard the rallying cry: “There is no planet B.” But maybe you are thinking Mars could make a nice new home if Earth becomes uninhabitable. If so, you should spend the next six minutes watching astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz‘s TED Talk. Walkowicz, who works on NASA’s Kepler mission, which has discovered thousands of potential […]