Global warming’s disproportionate effect on the planet’s polar regions has turned the Arctic into a net carbon emitter, with one-third of the region’s forests, tundra and wetlands now emitting more greenhouse gases than they absorb as the previously-frozen permafrost thaws. “It is the first time that we’re seeing this shiftread more
An unusual collaboration between Kyoto University and Japanese homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry has delivered the world’s first orbital satellite made primarily of wood to the International Space Station, as the focus of an experiment that may herald the end of the use of aluminum as the main ingredient in spacecraft construction.read more
Earth may have had a Saturn-like system of rings in the distant past, according to a recent study that suggests that our home planet may have possessed such a magnificent feature. Typically associated with the Solar System’s large outer planets, the temporary presence of these rings may explain not onlyread more
Defying expectations, solar activity is back in a big way, with the number of sunspots counted on the Sun’s surface last month reaching levels not seen in nearly 23 years, more than twice the number predicted by previous forecasts. This newfound activity signals not only that the Sun is wellread more