2017 was one of three warmest years on record

It’s official: 2017 was the third-warmest year on record for the globe, behind 2016 (first) and 2015, according to the 28th annual State of the Climate report. The planet also experienced record-high greenhouse gas concentrations as well as rises in sea level.

Groundbreaking poplar study shows trees can be genetically engineered not to spread

The largest field-based study of genetically modified forest trees ever conducted has demonstrated that genetic engineering can prevent new seedlings from establishing.

Key Gene to Accelerate Sugarcane Growth is Identified

Despite international breeding efforts, advanced agronomy and effective management of pests and diseases, sugarcane yields have been static for decades owing to constraints on culm development. The culm’s sugar storage capacity is physically limited, restricting the volume of sucrose and biomass that can be obtained from the crop for sugar and ethanol production, according to experts in the area. 

Eating Crickets Can be Good for your Gut, According to New Clinical Trial

Valerie Stull was 12 when she ate her first insect.

“I was on a trip with my parents in Central America and we were served fried ants,” she says. “I remember being so grossed out initially, but when I put the ant in my mouth, I was really surprised because it tasted like food — and it was good!”

New Study: The Arctic Carbon Cycle is Speeding Up

When people think of the Arctic, snow, ice and polar bears come to mind. Trees? Not so much. At least not yet.

A new NASA-led study using data from the Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) shows that carbon in Alaska's North Slope tundra ecosystems spends about 13 percent less time locked in frozen soil than it did 40 years ago. In other words, the carbon cycle there is speeding up -- and is now at a pace more characteristic of a North American boreal forest than of the icy Arctic.

NASA Finds Power in Tropical Storm Shanshan's Center

An infrared look by NASA's Terra satellite found powerful storms in the center of Tropical Storm Shanshan, the newest tropical storm in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Shanshan has triggered warnings in the Marianas Islands. 

NASA Finds a Compact Center in Hurricane Hector

Hurricane Hector has a small, tight center surrounded by strong storms. Infrared satellite imagery provides temperature data, and when NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Hector the coldest cloud tops circling the center were compact.

Iowa Study: Older People Less Apt to Recognize They’ve Made a Mistake

The older you get, the less apt you may be to recognize that you’ve made an error.

In a new study, University of Iowa researchers devised a simple, computerized test to gauge how readily young adults and older adults realize when they’ve made a mistake.

Abandoned Farmlands Enrich Bird Communities

Abandoned farmlands hold potential for the preservation of wetland and grassland birds as rehabilitation zones.

Hookah Smoking Raises Cardiovascular Risk Comparable to Traditional Cigarette Smoking, Study Finds

In direct contradiction to marketing efforts claiming that hookah (water pipe) smoking is less hazardous to health than cigarettes, a new UCLA study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that just a half-hour of hookah smoking resulted in the development of cardiovascular risk factors similar to what has been seen with traditional cigarette smoking.