Soil is home to vast numbers of organisms, and even small sections of earth teem with a diverse array of life. This Topic in Depth takes a closer look at the world beneath our feet through the lens of soil biologists and ecologists. The first website (1) provides information about the activities of a Natural Environment Research Council-supported research program "on the biological diversity of...

A catastrophic asteroid impact is the widely accepted scientific explanation for the dinosaurs' extinction, but this isn't the only idea under consideration. In "The Nastiest Feud in Science," published in the September 2018 issue of The Atlantic, Bianca Bosker tells the story of Gerta Keller, Professor of Paleontology and Geology at Princeton University. For decades, Keller has argued that "the...

Released in April 2012, the National Global Change Research Plan 2012-2021 serves as the guiding document of the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) for the next ten years. The plan is built around four broad strategic goals: advance science, inform decisions, conduct sustained assessments, and communicate and educate. The plan builds on the program's basic strengths in...

For those who haven't been in science class for some time, the scientific method may be a bit of a hazy memory. Those people (educators and others included) who need a bit of a refresher, along with a nice guide to talking about the scientific method, will find this resource from The Geological Society of America most efficacious. Authored by scientist Christine V. McLelland, this 9-page document...

"The New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 were one of the most dramatic natural disasters to strike the North American continent." At this website, the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (ERI) supplies numerous archived eyewitness accounts to these earthquakes. Visitors can search through reports about these earthquakes from three databases. Researchers can find countless references of...

The World-Wide Earthquake Locator, developed at the University of Edinburgh, "aims to provide up-to-date information and detailed dynamic maps of earthquakes across the world within a maximum of 24 hours of their occurrence." Through online, interactive maps, users can determine the location, size, and time of recent earthquakes. While the authors concede that the prediction model is inaccurate,...

The Tengger Desert lies on the southern edge of the Gobi Desert, southwest of Beijing. The desert is rapidly growing as the result of global climate change; meanwhile, China's urban populations are increasingly sprawling toward the desert. Josh Handler, Edward Wong, Derek Watkins, and Jeremy White examine the impact of desertification on communities in the Tengger in this multimedia article from ...

Wildfires Have Burned Nearly 7 Million Acres So Far, Up 6 Percent From Last Year http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/08/22/159748679/wildfires-have-burned-nearly-7-million-acres-so-far-up-6-percent-from-last-year Northwest Wildfires Could Become More Common http://www.kuow.org/northwestnews.php?storyID=159774757 Wildfires strain outdoor tourism business in western...

The caving club Philadelphia Grotto is a chapter of the National Speleological Society "dedicated to cave conservation, exploration, education, and research." While a few links are only available to members, beginning cavers can find out about caving safety and equipment as well as cave conservation and laws. The website supplies remarkable images from cavers exploring in various places throughout...

Matthew Conlen created this multifaceted visual essay about satellites for The Pudding, an online magazine that features visual essays and data visualizations. In his essay, Conlen traces the history of satellites from early attempts to capture such images (including early attempts to strap cameras to pigeons) to the present day. Best of all, this essay allows readers to explore satellite images...