Climate Change Series

This is the hottest autumn on record – and it's impacting the climate system and human society

Nov 15, 2023 01:47 am UTC| Nature

We are still getting used to a new normal of devastating summer heatwaves. But the effects of a warming climate are being felt throughout the year, and recent autumn months have been further off the charts than ever. In...

Iceland on high alert for volcanic eruption – what we know so far

Nov 15, 2023 01:43 am UTC| Nature

The Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland trembled with an intense swarm of earthquakes on the afternoon of Friday November 10. Hundreds of quakes were detected on the regional networks of seismometers and several were...

Birds' nests express their unique style and past experiences

Nov 13, 2023 12:01 pm UTC| Nature

Walking through a town or city, you will encounter buildings with diverse shapes and sizes. These unique styles exist in part because the buildings were constructed by different architects, engineers and builders. Birds...

We need a global treaty to solve plastic pollution – acid rain and ozone depletion show us why

Nov 13, 2023 11:57 am UTC| Nature

After years of discussion, international negotiations on a global plastics treaty resume this week in Nairobi, Kenya, at the UN Environment Programme headquarters. The third session of the UN Intergovernmental...

Heat, cold, pollution, noise and insects: too many apartment blocks aren't up to the challenge

Nov 10, 2023 14:46 pm UTC| Nature

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the impacts of air quality on high-rise living. However, apartments face a range of atmospheric challenges. These include air and noise pollution, temperature and weather extremes,...

Do you like snakes, lizards and frogs? Why herpetology might be the career for you

Nov 10, 2023 14:44 pm UTC| Nature

We are so fortunate to share the world with a huge diversity of creatures. For me, some of the most fascinating are reptiles and amphibians. Collectively called herpetofauna, reptiles and amphibians are ectotherms; they...

Climate Change Series

How global warming shakes the Earth: Seismic data show ocean waves gaining strength as the planet warms

Nov 07, 2023 09:04 am UTC| Nature

As oceans waves rise and fall, they apply forces to the sea floor below and generate seismic waves. These seismic waves are so powerful and widespread that they show up as a steady thrum on seismographs, the same...