A drop in CFC emissions puts the hole in the ozone layer back on track to closing
Good news for the ozone layer: After a recent spike in CFC-11 pollution, emissions of this ozone-destroying chemical are on the decline. Emissions of...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
A reeking, parasitic plant lost its body and much of its genetic code
For most of their lives, plants in the Sapria genus are barely anything — thin ribbons of parasitic cells winding inside vines in Southeast...
‘Designer molecules’ could create tailor-made quantum devices
Quantum bits made from “designer molecules” are coming into fashion. By carefully tailoring the composition of molecules, researchers are creating chemical systems suited to...
Three things to know about the disastrous flood in India
A flash flood surged down a river in India’s Himalayan Uttarakhand state on February 7, killing at least 30 people and washing away two...
Fossil mimics may be more common in ancient rocks than actual fossils
When it comes to finding fossils of very ancient microbial life — whether on Earth or on other worlds, such as Mars — the...
‘Under a White Sky’ explores whether we must tinker with nature to save it
Under a White SkyElizabeth KolbertCrown, $28 In 1900, the city of Chicago completed a 45-kilometer-long canal that altered the hydrology of two-thirds of the...
The birth of a lightning bolt was caught on video
A new slow-motion video offers the best view yet of the split-second collision of electric currents that creates a flash of lightning. The video...
How coronavirus variants may drive reinfection and shape vaccination efforts
Vaccine rollout in the United States has been undeniably slow. And while we wait, worrisome new coronavirus variants are emerging, heightening the urgency to...
The animals that ticks bite in the U.S. South can impact Lyme disease spread
The paucity of Lyme disease cases in the southern United States may be partly due to what black-legged ticks in southern locales bite. Although...
Two exoplanet families redefine what planetary systems can look like
Two tightly packed families of exoplanets are pushing the boundaries of what a planetary system can look like. New studies of the makeup of...
Myanmar: UN investigators document deliberate military attacks on civilians 
Colombia earthquake: UN joins national response 
Security Council LIVE: Spotlight on Israeli settler violence in West Bank 
Obstetric Violence: Syrian Women Speak Out