America's Secret Ice Base Won't Stay Frozen Forever

The creation of Camp Century, from the outset, was an audacious scheme. Under the thick ice of Greenland, a scant 800 miles from the North Pole, the US military built a hidden base of ice tunnels, imagined as an extensive network of railway tracks, stretching over 2,500 miles, that would keep 600 nuclear missiles buried under the ice. Construction began in 1959, under cover of a scientific research project, and soon a small installation, powered by a nuclear reactor, nested in the ice sheet.

Another Clue for Fast Motion of the Hawaiian Hotspot

The island chain of Hawaii consists of several volcanoes, which are fed by a "hotspot". In geosciences a "hotspot" refers to a phenomenon of columnar shaped streams, which transport hot material from the deep mantle to the surface. Like a blow torch, the material burns through the Earth's crust and forms volcanoes. For a long time, it was assumed that these hotspots are stationary. If the tectonic plate moves across it, a chain of volcanoes evolves, with the youngest volcano at one end, the oldest at the other.

To Build Up Mussels, You Need to Know Your Fish

Times are tough for 31 of Michigan’s 45 varieties of freshwater mussels. Sporting evocative names like wavy-rayed lampmussel and round pigtoe, these residents of the state’s rivers are imperiled by habitat disruption and pollution and are also threatened by climate change.

Scientists Monitor Crop Photosynthesis, Performance Using Invisible Light

Twelve-foot metal poles with long outstretched arms dot a Midwestern soybean field to monitor an invisible array of light emitted by crops. This light can reveal the plants’ photosynthetic performance throughout the growing season, according to newly published research by the University of Illinois.

​Could Cleaning Up Beaches Make Americans Better Off?

Cleaning up beaches could boost local economies in addition to preserving natural treasures and animal habitats.

In southern California’s Orange County alone, the economic benefits of beach cleanup could range from $13 per resident in a three-month period if debris were reduced by 25 percent to $42 per resident with a 75 percent drop in plastics and other trash along the oceanfront, according to a new study. That could mean up to a $46 million boost to the county’s economy in just one summer.

University of Guelph Study Uncovers New Insights into the Cause of Cell Death in Parkinson’s

A University of Guelph researcher has discovered one of the factors behind nerve cell death in Parkinson’s disease, unlocking the potential for treatment to slow the progression of this fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

Scientists Discover Key Gene for Producing Marine Molecule with Huge Environmental Impacts

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have discovered a key gene for the synthesis of one of the world’s most abundant sulfur molecules.

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is an important nutrient in marine environments with more than one billion tonnes produced annually by marine phytoplankton (microscopic plant-like cells), seaweed and bacteria.

Study: With Global Forests Dwindling, International Conservation Goals May Fall Short Without Targeted Protection for Intact Forests

New research published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution demonstrates the extraordinary value of Earth’s remaining intact forests for addressing climate change and protecting wildlife, critical watersheds, indigenous cultures, and human health.  Yet the global policy and science communities do not differentiate among the relative values of different types of forest landscapes—which range from highly intact ones to those which are heavily logged, fragmented, burnt, drained and/or over-hunted—due in part to the lack of a uniform way of measuring their quality.

Global Fossil Fuel Emissions of Hydrocarbons Underestimated

Global levels of ethane and propane in the atmosphere have been underestimated by more than 50%, new research involving scientists at the University of York has revealed.

Stagnation in the South Pacific

Scientists from Oldenburg and Bremerhaven verify theory of the role of the South Pacific in natural atmospheric CO2 fluctuations