Planet Earth

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The Earth's layers arranged like a Russian nesting doll in outer space
Earth's rotating inner core is starting to slow down — and it could alter the length of our days A new study confirms that Earth's inner core has been rotating more slowly than usual since 2010. This mysterious "backtracking" could also end up slightly altering the planet's overall rotation, lengthening our days.
An illustration of "The Last Oil Rig" on display in a futuristic setting
The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it? Like whale blubber, oil as a dominant source of energy will gradually be phased out over the next decades. Here's what that transition may look like.
A research vessel in front of a massive iceberg
Giant river system that existed 40 million years ago discovered deep below Antarctic ice "There was this gigantic river system": Researchers find ancient lost world deep beneath Antarctic ice.

Latest about Planet Earth

A photograph of a sunset over the ocean with a green flash around the sun.

Why is there sometimes a green flash at sunset and sunrise?

By Alice Sun published

On a clear day, sometimes a green flash appears with the sun on the horizon just after sunset or before sunrise. But why does this happen?

Planet Earth
A field of red flowers glows in the summer sunlight

Summer solstice 2024: When is the solstice, why does it happen, and how do cultures celebrate?

By Jamie Carter last updated

What is the summer solstice, and when does it happen? The longest day of the year falls on either June 20 or 21 every year in the Northern Hemisphere. Here's everything you need to know about the science, and timing, of the summer solstice.

Planet Earth
A photo of baobab trees in Madagascar at sunset.

Bizarre evolutionary roots of Africa's iconic upside-down baobab trees revealed

By Richard Pallardy published

The baobab tree evolved on the island of Madagascar before eventually spreading to Africa and Australia, new research suggests.

Plants
A golden lancehead pit viper curled up with its head alert on Snake Island in Brazil.

Snake Island: The isle writhing with vipers where only Brazilian military and scientists are allowed

By Sascha Pare published

Snake Island was isolated from the Brazilian mainland at the end of the last ice age, trapping Earth's only known population of highly venomous golden lancehead pit vipers on a rock in the Atlantic.

Planet Earth
Three women sit on a beach in Mumbai, India, holding a cloth over their heads to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

Tree rings reveal summer 2023 was the hottest in 2 millennia

By Sascha Pare published

Tree rings suggest the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2023 was the hottest in 2,000 years, with temperatures exceeding those of the coldest summer in the same period by 7 degrees Fahrenheit (3.9 Celsius).

Climate Change
Northern lights seen from Lake Erie aboard a cruise ship.

Aurora photos: Stunning northern lights glisten after biggest geomagnetic storm in 21 years

By Live Science Staff published

An immense geomagnetic storm caused auroras as far south as Florida for the first time in 21 years after the sun unleashed a wave of solar flares and at least seven coronal mass ejections at Earth.

Planet Earth
A satellite image of Jack Hills, Australia.

Earth may have had freshwater and continents soon after forming, ancient crystals reveal

By Richard Pallardy published

Ancient zircon crystals hold chemical clues that of freshwater may have existed on Earth soon after it formed.

Geology
A young girl and others stands in the aisle of a grocery store with products strewn across the floor in the aftermath of an earthquake.

Why do earthquakes happen far away from plate boundaries?

By Alice Sun published

It's well known that earthquakes can rock fault-filled places like the U.S. West Coast. But why do earthquakes happen in the middle of tectonic plates?

Earthquakes
Satellite photo of a sow covered volcano with a larger crater filled with a lake and lava flows that make it look like a yin-yang symbol

Earth from space: Majestic 'yin-yang' crater sits atop a dormant volcano in Turkey

By Harry Baker published

The massive caldera of Turkey's Mount Nemrut volcano is split in half, with one side made of solidified lava flows and the other half a deep crater lake. Covered in snow, the summit scene looks like the yin-yang symbol when viewed from above.

Volcanos
A digital rendering of yellow C. auris fungi

'The most critically harmful fungi to humans': How the rise of C. auris was inevitable

By Arturo Casadevall published

In this excerpt from his new book "What if Fungi Win?" microbiologist and immunologist Arturo Casadevall examines the rise of the deadly yeast Candida auris.

Microbiology
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